Own-Occupation Disability Insurance for Residents & Fellows at New York Presbyterian
Your training prepared you for medicine — but no one teaches you how to protect the income it creates. Get an independent, no-obligation quote tailored to physicians-in-training at New York Presbyterian.
Get Your Free Quote20-30% of Physicians Get Denied When
Applying for Disability Insurance.
Our Denial Rate is < 1% because we follow this process:
Why Disability Insurance Matters More Than You Think
As a resident or fellow at Columbia/Cornell, your future earning potential is your single largest financial asset — often worth $5–10 million or more over a career. And without an income no other financial tasks matter. You cannot invest or pay down debt with no income.
Not all disability insurance is created equal.
All GSI Disability Insurance Policies Offered at Columbia/Cornell are true own-occupation policies that include:
Future Increase Option
Lets you increase coverage as your income grows after training — without another medical exam. Critical when your income jumps from resident to attending pay.
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
Automatically increases your monthly benefit each year while you're on claim to keep pace with inflation. Without COLA, the purchasing power of your benefit shrinks every year you're disabled.
Residual (Partial) Disability Rider
Pays a proportional benefit if you can still work but suffer a loss of income due to a disability. For example, if a surgeon can only operate part-time after an injury, this rider covers the income gap.
Why I Care About This (A Personal Note)
I'm Dr. Jimmy Turner — anesthesiologist, founder of Money Meets Medicine, and author of The Physician Philosopher's Guide to Personal Finance. Disability insurance isn't just a product I recommend. It's personal.
When I was a 4th-year med student, I was talked into applying for disability insurance, which led to the largest financial mistake of my life… (and I don't want you to make it, too!)
This framework (and story) is why I teach doctors about personal finance…
After our first kid, I wanted life insurance. Instead, the agent talked me into applying disability insurance (makes them more money it turns out). The problem? Independent disability insurance requires a medical history. My history included an essential tremor and a remote ADHD diagnosis. So, when my agent pushed my application through, I got denied.
No big deal right?
Wrong.
When you get to training most programs have a GSI (guaranteed standard issue) insurance policy. In fact, if you are reading this page, you have a GSI offer at New York Presbyterian
A GSI requires no medical exam, history taking, or bloodwork.
It is GUARANTEED
One of the only stipulations, though, is that you cannot have been denied before.… oops. To this day, I cannot get disability insurance and if I lost my income, my family would be in a financial catastrophe.
I don't want what happened to me to happen to others. Doctors deserve better. That's why we created Money Meets Medicine – to provide doctors with financial solutions that you can trust.
Money Meets Medicine was built by doctor, for doctors. And we can help you obtain GSI disability insurance policy at New York Presbyterian as one of the few agencies that have access to your plan.
When Should a Resident Get Disability Insurance?
The short answer: as soon as possible. Here's why waiting — even one year — can cost you.
Women Physicians: Get Covered Before Pregnancy
If you're planning to have children, applying before pregnancy is critical. Pregnancy-related complications can lead to exclusions or higher premiums on future applications. Locking in a policy beforehand means full coverage with no pregnancy-related limitations.
The GSI Isn't Guaranteed To Be Offered Next Year
The GSI plan offered at New York Presbyterian is assessed every year to determine if it will be offered the following year based on how many residents take part in the GSI. Once you purchase, its yours forever so long as you make payments. Wait another year and that offer may not still be available.
The GSI is only available in training
50% of doctors end up needing to get a GSI due to their medical history. Yet, it is only available in training. Waiting until you become an attending is a catasrophic mistake we see other doctors make every single year.
You're the Healthiest You'll Ever Be Right Now
Speaking of medical histories.. nothing gets removed from your medical chart. And what you consider "significant" as a physician and what insurance companies see as significant are very different things. Every new diagnosis, medication, ER visit, or mental health consultation becomes part of your permanent record — and every one of them can impact your ability to get coverage.
Resident Discounts Disaappear
The training discount most carriers offer goes away once you finish residency or fellowship. That discount is locked in for life if you buy now and will save you $10,000 + over the life of your policy.
Isn't the Group Disability Policy at New York Presbyterian Enough?
Your program likely provides some group long-term disability coverage. That's a great starting point — but it is insufficient. Here's why most physicians in training also need an individual policy:
- Group plans usually aren't own-occupation. They typically use an "any occupation" definition, meaning if you can work in any job — you can't do surgery anymore, but you could still do clinic, right? — you may not receive benefits.
- Group coverage ends when you leave. When you finish training and move to your attending position, your group policy doesn't follow you. An individual policy is "portable" - it comes with you because you own it individually.
- Benefit amounts are often capped. Group plans frequently cap at 60% of your salary — which won't come close to covering your expenses as an attending.
- Individual policies lock in your health. If you develop a medical condition during training, you may not be able to get coverage later. Buying now locks in your current health status. v
How To Get Disability Insurance for Physicians at New York Presbyterian
The 3 Simple Steps
We've streamlined the process so it takes as little of your time as possible. Most residents wrap this up in under a week.
Start Your Quote
Share a few basic details (age, specialty, state) through the link below. And we will send you an automtatic quote on how much it will cost.
Review Your Options
We will review with you all the ways to make disability insurance affordable for you - even on a resident's budget.
Apply & Lock It In
Make your first payment and the policy is now yours (and always will be so long as you make your payments).
Frequently Asked Questions — Disability Insurance at Columbia/Cornell
We are often able to get disability insurance to cost less than $100 per month for many residents and fellows at Columbia/Cornell. We make disability affordable by focusing on graded policies (that keep costs low in training) and determining the right "benefit" amount (i.e. what you get paid if you are disabled). To see your cost, start your quote request!
Guardian is the first disability company to make it essentially "guaranteed" that you will get disability insurance. Most companies will not offer you their GSI if you have ever been denied or received a modification/exclusion when applying for disability insurance. For example, if you are training at a program that has an Ameritas GSI and you get denied applying for a fully underwrittten plan even with Ameritas you lose access to the Ameritas GSI. You are now uninsurable.
However, when a Guardian GSI is available, Guardian essentially says, "As long as you apply only with Guardian, we will still let you get the GSI even if you get denied applying for a Guardian Fully Underwritten (FU) plan." HOWEVER, if you get denied by any other insurance company, you no longer have access to the Guardian GSI. This is why letting an insurnace agent sell you anything but a Guardian policy at a program like New York Presbyterian where a Guardian GSI is available is essentially financial malpractice. The only way to "guarantee" you get disability insurance is to apply only with Guardian.
The best time is "right before you get disabled," but since we don't have a crystal ball, the next best time is as soon as possible during training — ideally in your first or second year of residency. You'll get the training discount, you'll lock in your current health status (before any conditions develop that could lead to exclusions), and you'll have coverage in place for the rest of your career. Waiting costs more and risks your insurability.
Group coverage is a great benefit, but it typically has limitations that leave significant gaps. Most group plans don't offer true own-occupation coverage, have capped benefits based on your resident salary, and don't follow you when you leave training. As a hospital benefit, they can also be cancelled at anytime. An individual policy fills these gaps and stays with you for your entire career.
True own-occupation means that if you can no longer perform the specific duties of your medical specialty, you receive full benefits — even if you're able to work in another field or another area of medicine. For example, if a surgeon develops a hand tremor and can no longer operate but could still teach or work in clinic, a true own-occupation policy would pay full benefits. An "any occupation" policy might not.
Pre-existing conditions don't automatically disqualify you. This is exactly why the Guaranteed Standard Issue (GSI) offer is great. It is "Guaranteed" so long as you have never been disabled, you haven't been denied, and you are still in training. This is also why it is important to work with an independent agent who isn't incentivized to sell you products by one specific company.
A future increase option (sometimes called a "benefit increase rider") lets you increase your coverage amount as your income grows — without going through medical underwriting again. This is critical for residents because your income will likely triple or more when you become an attending. Without this rider, you'd need to pass a new health exam to increase coverage.
Yes. At Money Meets Medicine Disability Insurance, we have access to the Guardian GSI offered to the residents and fellows at Columbia/Cornell. However, not every agency does, which is why the Guardian GSI will often not be mentioned.
No. And this is super confusing for many residents. And this is the reason that many residency program directors, ACGME leaders, and even your HR department do not know it exists. It is not a part of your benefits package. Instead, Guardian has simply chosen to offer the Guardian GSI to the residents and fellows at New York Presbyterian. So, while it is an amazing product, it is usually not endorsed by or any way affiliated with your hospital.
Money Meets Medicine Disability Insurnace:
Built By Doctors For Doctors
The people behind Money Meets Medicine who will guide you through the process.
Dr. Jimmy Turner, MD
Practicing Anesthesiologist
CEO & Founder of Money Meets Medicine
Michael Kittner
President & Lead Insurance Agent
& husband to a physician
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