[Editor's Note: This is a guest post from a regular reader of this site who is a disabled physician. This doc wishes to remain anonymous, but owns StatusPostMD.com. We have no financial relationship. ]
My goal in writing this piece is to encourage every doctor, especially newly minted ones, to get disability insurance as soon as possible. Here’s why.
The Initial Injury
Like all of you, I worked very hard to get through medical school. During my second year, while taking a jog in between rounds of “burying” my face in a textbook, I twisted my ankle – just a simple inversion injury. However, weeks went by and my foot and ankle were in excruciating pain from this trivial trauma. There was some swelling but nothing too significant. I went to doctor after doctor and there was no clear diagnosis. The pain was so bad I had to put my foot and ankle in buckets of ice just so I could study for my exams. Ultimately, I had a surgical procedure done during the 2 week vacation period between 2nd and 3rd years.
Months after the surgery, my pain continued – and I continued dunking my leg in buckets of ice to be able to study and bear standing at my rotations. After about 3 more months of formal physical therapy, I did everything I could to avoid and ignore the pain – hoping it would resolve. I think sometime during my fourth year the pain spontaneously lessened – it never went away but it did lessen significantly. Thank goodness for miracles! As a result, fourth year was a blast for me – a kind of rebirth from the misery I lived over the previous year and a half.
Buying Disability Insurance as an Intern
After graduation, I started residency and dove head first into learning my specialty and never looked back. One of the first things I did as a resident was to get as much disability insurance as I could at that time. I found the right insurance agent and learned what to look for in a policy before finally deciding on one. While I still had some residual pain constantly, I happily graduated residency and increased coverage.
Fast forward 7 years into my career (and life) and for no reason at all my ankle started hurting again – it was very painful. This episode turned into a repeat of my medical school experience and culminated in another surgery that once again did not alleviate what it was intended to alleviate – the pain!
Filing the Claim
At this point, I was no longer able to exist, let alone stand, without excruciating pain. Nothing relieved this pain. It turned out, for some unknown reason, that I had developed severe damage to my peripheral nerves. One thing was sure though, I could no longer work as a physician and had to file a disability claim. After much friction and obstruction from my insurance company (which was supposed to be the most physician-friendly insurance company), my claim was accepted and I began receiving my benefits.
My Policy
When I originally purchased my policy through Berkshire Life Insurance Company (a subsidiary of Guardian Life Insurance), I paid for the maximum benefit amount at that time (1997) for a Family Physician – which was just over six thousand dollars per month. I didn’t stop there, however, as I made sure to add (purchase) the COLA rider or the Cost of Living Adjustment rider. This add-on to the policy made sure that my benefit increased yearly based on a specific index of inflation or a fixed rate (beginning at the time of disability). As a result, over the years that my policy has been in force, my monthly benefit has increased from the original six thousand dollars to just north of eight thousand dollars a month today.
And keep in mind that, since I never claimed my $400 monthly premium payments as a tax deduction (most docs can't anyway), I receive my benefits completely tax-free (consult your accountant for specifics please). So receiving eight thousand dollars a month in disability benefits is comparable to making about eleven or twelve thousand dollars a month pre-tax (of course the actual amount depends on your personal tax rate). Also, keep in mind that today it is possible for Family Physicians (and other specialists) to obtain a policy with a significantly higher initial benefit amount than I was able to procure 20 years ago. For example, benefit amounts now can start at about ten thousand dollars per month.
Disabled Life
Fast forward another 10 years and I continue to have chronic pain – that’s over 20 years of pain. It has not been an easy ride, and it would have been an absolutely disastrous ride had I not obtained disability insurance once I started residency. Since chronic pain is not predictable, my ability to work was not dependable. Therefore, my working income had become inconsistent. And without my disability benefit, there were times I would not have been able to pay the most basic of life’s bills. That is why I am here to tell all physicians, especially young ones and those just starting residency, to get disability insurance right now if you don’t have it. Research insurance agents; there are ones that specialize in physician disability insurance. Then, get the best policy from the best company that you can. Do not wait. I mean it.
Obviously, my case had some early foreshadowing of trouble, with my pain starting in medical school. But not everybody’s disability is going to be the same. No two situations are alike. Some come in the form of physiologic pathologies and others in the form of accidental injuries. Think about all the MVA (motor vehicle accident) patients that doctors treat on a daily basis. Some of them are minor problems while others are serious and life-altering injuries. Don’t gamble and falsely believe that a serious disability can’t happen to you. There is no way to predict who will become disabled, but without the right disability insurance policy, you could lose everything you worked so hard for. Believe me, I know.
[Editor's Note: When I speak to groups of residents and even attending physicians and ask those who have disability insurance to raise their hands, I'm always surprised to see how many don't have any policy at all. Here on this site we delve into the nitty-gritty of disability policies and argue about riders and benefits and companies. But all that pales in comparison to the most important thing (at least if you're not financially independent or married to another high earner and living on only one income)- getting ANY disability policy in place! Please, if you need disability insurance and don't have it yet, go do it this week.]
What do you think? Do you have disability insurance? Why or why not? When did you buy it? Have you used it? Have you wished you had bought it earlier? Comment below!
I bought a policy in 1995 that gives me $9000 untaxed a month and has an “own occupation” rider. I have not paid the increase in premiums to knock it up to $10,000 a month.
It costs $2300 a year and the premium could never go up. So I have paid about $50,000 in premiums by at age 53.
Sometimes I wish I could use “physician burnout” as a disabling condition and quit and become a bartender…
Unless you have a specific mental/nervous exclusion on your policy, you could use burnout as a disabling condition and collect benefits. Of course, you do have to have a non-family member Psychiatrist substantiate the condition.
Almost all have some form of ‘mental isnt real clause’ and probably for the better, as many docs would likely take it. I think mine does allow it but for two years max. If it was available forever most docs would quit during their first malpractice case.
It depends on the state the policy was issued in, the policy series, and whether there are certain provisions added to the policy which automatically add that 24 month limit. Unless one has a history of psychiatric diagnoses/treatment, at least 24 months of benefits are payable for mental/nervous, and it’s possible to receive benefits beyond that if one becomes hospitalized due to the mental disorder.
Question for the OP: was the policy you purchased own occupation? And either way- how has that influenced your next decisions regarding work, either in healthcare as a provider, elsewhere is healthcare, or outside of the industry? If not ownnoccupation, do you feel it has constrained you at all in terms of limiting your interest/ability to explore other opportunities?
I couldn’t agree more. I still have the disability policy that was issued to me in residency. Since many policies get worse or more expensive each year, I encourage residents to look into continuing their disability policy on their own when they leave residency.
I have a colleague who feels stuck in his current practice. He has health issues now. He doesn’t have his own disability policy. If he leaves his employer he won’t have continuous disability coverage.
Now that I’m FI, I could drop it – but I haven’t. Thoughts on that?
I think about it every year but haven’t dropped mine yet but expect to in the next few years.
Other than the whole “being honest” thing. What would keep someone from making a claim for depression for the 24 mo. and then dropping it. At $10,000 a mo. That’s a cool $220,000 tax free.
My understanding is that they only let you insure a certain % of your salary – that helps prevent fraud, but there is a strong incentive for early retirees to “get depressed” and quit working and collect.
Well aside from your honesty you also have the doc signing off on the depression’s honesty.
lots of policies have mental health exceptions as well at least in my limited experience.
i mean same thing goes for the original poster right? i don’t doubt his story but it’s probably not like he had objective signs on his ankle right?
if you are defrauding your DI company b/c you’re claiming to be too depressed to work you better not have any pictures from Cancun show up on facebook
But I hated every minute in Cancun! I tried Cabo, Maui, New Zealand, big game safari in South Africa, wine country tours in Chile, France, Australia, and Napa. Nothing seemed to cheer me up. You just don’t understand how deep of a funk I was in; I derived little to no joy from touring the world for 24 months!
Did you previous ankle injury not limit your insurance options? I am just wondering if they would not cover your ankle due to a pre-existing condition?
He was outside the contestibility period, usually 2 years.
Exactly right- I could not claim my leg pain for 2 years from the beginning of the policy. I made the claim nearly 10 years into my policy so it was a covered claim.
I spent several of my first years as an attending with no personal disability policy. I did have a crummy policy through an employer. After reading all the WCI posts over the years, I learned a lot about these policies. I have now had one for several years and feel like it was a good move. Hope to never use it. Thanks WCI.
A cautionary note to military docs: I was in the military and not thinking about disability insurance — had free health care, if they board me out I’d likely get medical retirement. Turns out I developed a medical condition and do get a percentage of basic pay – but not of doctor pay and not what full pension after 20 years would be. Luckily I’ve been able to work outside the military. But with my preexisting condition, it’s too expensive to get disability insurance.
Upshot: even if in the military, look in to a policy.
Another thing one might look at is we can acquire a policy for a doctor that is getting ready to go into the military. Once active duty we can suspend the policy (benefit and premiums) and upon getting out then the policy goes back active regardless of any injuries or illness that were acquired during your active duty. This is a great way to get the policy you want, not be paying for it when it is not active but in the mean time preserve your pre-military health status for the future.
Mass Mutual will also issue a small policy for active duty if you are stationed here in the the US.
Let me know if we can help further.
@WealthyDoc We’d probably need more information about your policy to provide advice. Is it level term? How old are you (how many years are left)? As a rule, I don’t buy insurance unless I need it, so I’d be tempted to say if you don’t need it you should cancel it. However, if you’re twenty years into a level term policy, it might make financial sense to continue paying the premium.
I am fudging numbers here- but the chances of anyone of us becoming disabled are 6-7 times higher than dying prematurely.
Disability Insurance is part of the foundation on which the financial house has to be built, otherwise it can come crashing down when you expect it the least.
OP, there was another recent post on here about disability insurance and how much of a terror it was to get benefits. The writer talked about disability companies sending private investigators posing as health aides, photos being taken of people going about their daily lives, etc. Did you encounter any of this? Did you have to hire a lawyer to get your benefits?
I am an active duty military doctor. I have talked to multiple people about disability insurance and have been told that nobody will write a policy on an active duty doctor. Is anyone aware of a company that will write a disability policy for an active duty doctor?
Paul, Mass Mutual will write it if you are an active duty and stationed here in the US military doctor.
I don’t mean to be complete cynic, but this story only emphasizes my personal aversion to disability policies, in this case by highlighting why disability insurance is so expensive. Of course I don’t know all the details, but in this case, the insured had a condition/disability, bought disability insurance, and then years later made a claim and collects a large income based on this pre-existing condition.
This is like buying insurance knowing that the accident is going to happen. This is why disability insurance is so expensive.
I’m not saying the writer did anything wrong, but it reaffirms my impression (from my personal research, conversations with friends, experiences with clients, etc) that disability insurance is heavily gamed by the people who purchase it. There are definitely people who simply buy it for the what if, but there are many buying it who plan to cash in later on. And once you own it and have paid thousands and thousands of dollars, people start reading the policy looking for a way to qualify. Once you own it, there is simply a perverse incentive to find some way to meet the definition of disabled.
Again, I don’t know all the specifics of this story, the writer may have paid much higher premiums due to his condition, etc., and again, he probably played by all of the rules, but this and all the other anecdotes I’ve seen lead me to believe that disability insurance costs probably triple or quadruple what it should cost, if you factor out all of the people gaming the system. For the staggering amount that it costs, actuarially I’m tremendously better off self-insuring and investing the difference. Of course this turns into one huge regret when I’m diagnosed with something incurable, but to me this doesn’t seem like an appropriately priced product (like, eg, term life) which is owing to its nature and potential to be manipulated.
Valid concerns, but they certainly work hard to keep people from gaming it as much as possible.
That’s possible but it’s clearly something that the DI companies are willing to bear.
I don’t think it’s prohibitively expensive it actually seems fairly priced to me but that my own gut vs. actuarial tables.
i mean our total DI cost is like $800/mo on $5-600k income. Dropping those premiums and investing the difference of $10k/year isn’t going to get us anywhere near being ready to take a 1/2 income loss anytime soon (2 MD couple).
I have previously commented on this topic about a year ago, and it is something very important to me. I had purchased a DI policy in residency, and then a second “attending” level policy right before completing my fellowship. I had bought it with a COLA, a rider to increase my benefits without a repeat physical exam and a true own occupational component. Both policies from reputable companies, but 2 different companies based on the institutional discounts available to me. Fast forward to age 37 and I got a viral infection that somehow caused a chordae on my mitral valve to rupture, needing to be repaired with open heart surgery. I didn’t expect that one. My specialty is fairly physically vigorous, and all in all it effected my ability to work for about 9 months (2 months totally disabled, 7 months partially — my employer worked with me on coming back to a lot more office work and reduced schedule initially and I personally plodded along to get out of the house and not focus on the “why me?”) Lessons learned: 1. Needless to say, I highly encourage everyone to have a policy. 2. I think if you are young (residents, fellows) or in an institutional setting where large discounts can be had, you take advantage of it at this time rather than later when cash flow may seem more free. 3. Even if you have a policy, have an emergency fund. In my situation, with a very discrete onset of symptoms and very clear documentation of diagnostics, etc I didn’t get my first check until about 6-7 months in (although the elimination period was 90 days, there was SO much paperwork and hoops). My husband and I are still living like I was a resident, and I am the sole earner. What a luxury and blessing that at that dark time in our lives we didn’t ONCE think about finances because of our savings/checkings, health insurance policy and DI policy. Not all our patients are so lucky.
I wish we heard more from MDs who had to use their policy. So many docs think it won’t happen to the money one it’s on the checklist of things to do that never gets done.
Agreed. I bought mine the first week in practice. I loved what I did but developed a medical condition that first made work difficult and then eventually impossible. It was a really hard decision to stop doing what I loved but I could not imagine making that same decision without some financial backup. It amazes me how many docs don’t think about this as a priority maybe only slightly outweighed by life insurance (if you have a family).
My friend (not a physician) is now receiving benefits from his disability insurance for debilitating back pain. The insurance company sent private investigators to watch him at home and about town to see if he was ever able to do daily activities. They came to church to see if he was sitting all the way through services on the pews. They did as much as they could to try not to pay. As his pain waxed and waned and never went completely away, his lawyer helped him a lot through the process. There are lawyers that help with disability claims, and it is likely a good idea to utilize one.
I was wondering if there’s a rule of thumb when considering how much go spend for DI and life insurance. I get we need to protect our futures, but there’s so much variability in terms of monthly premiums. Is there a guideline for how much we should spend just on insurance/year (i.e.. 2%-10% of income)? Im an independent contractor, so are all these premiums tax deductible?
The guideline is figure out how much you need, then buy that much. So buy enough disability insurance to cover your spending and saving and buy enough life insurance that anyone depending on you can become non-dependent on you in the event of your death. And no, these are generally NOT tax deductible unless provided by your employer.
Thank you for your reply. Im just struggling with figuring out how much I need. Considering I have two small children, their needs/costs will wax and wane over time (probably more waxing than waning). If I were an IC getting paid on 1099 would they be tax deductible?
We bought 2 policies right out of training in case we wanted more than the $17,500 per policy max one day. Turn out we don’t need that much and kept each policy at around 5K monthly benefit. They are expensive and there are some exclusions for pre-existing conditions. These exclusions are another reason to the get policy earlier because the older you get, the more likely you are to suffer an injury that won’t be covered. I did get one exclusion removed after not having a flare up after 3 years.
That’s great to hear that people can actually get exclusions removed sometimes!
Interesting situation. I have private disability that I purchased fresh out of residency at a good price. My employer offers excellent free group disability (immediate payouts of ~85%). Here’s the catch- My private disability payments would offset the group payment. My employer would only pay the gap between my private insurance and the 85%. Seems to me that I am paying the private insurance premiums for nothing.
Of course I may switch jobs (I don’t expect to) or my employer may change their coverage (doubtful). What would you do? I do have the option to scale down my private coverage.
I think I would pull up the two policies and go over them with a fine tooth comb before doing anything. Understand exactly the situations where the individual policy would pay and the group policy would not. And then I’d probably keep both of them.
I’d double check that group policy too. That’s a pretty weird group policy to have that in it. I mean, you often can’t buy more individual insurance because you have group coverage, but I don’t recall ever seeing one that limited the payout because you had other coverage.
Thanks. My private policies were purchased during a different job that had an inferior group policy to the one I have now. I did double check my employers group policy and they will have my private insurance payout first before filling the remainder to 85% of my gross income. I’m leaning towards keeping my private policies until I am certain that I am staying put for years to come and then might scale back on my private.
I’d take Scott up on his offer. This doesn’t smell right to me.
Thanks Scott and WCI. I had my agent/advisor review my group policy ( I trust him). My group policy does offer a generous payout but would be offset by my private payout. From what I understand this prevents folks from getting additive payouts.
My private plan policies were purchased when my group plan was poor. Now with my new job and much improved group policy I am positioned well.
For now I decided to hold on to both at least until I am certain that I will be staying put.
Thanks again
Be sure to read the policy under ‘income benefit offsets’ typically all you see there as it pertains to disability insurance is ‘other employer, group or association plans’ which will reduce the payment of the employers plan. In addition when you ready group plans they will typically have a section of specific items you can receive that will not create an offset to the employer policy and that is where ‘individual disability insurance’ is listed. This is the reason why it is always enlightening when we see clients that are employed with group benefits and they then have an association plan and think they have it all covered!
If you want to send me a copy of your group policy I will be happy to read it, highlight it, and put notes back on it if that would be helpful to you. My email is [email protected].
As someone currently in the process of ‘continuing to fight’ for the use of my 20 year old policy bought when I was a new graduate, I am very disgruntled with the process. I don’t understand how the company legally has the right to force me to undergo a “medical evaluation” by the physician of THEIR choice (who obviously is getting paid by them) after I have already jumped through the initial hoops of various physician consults that they requested after the policy was already in place and paying benefits. How is that not biased??? Are they going to just keep requesting that I see more and more physicians until they get an answer that THEY like vs. having to pay based on my own physician recommendations? Also, after the ‘consult’ I found out that I am not privileged to the report unless the I appeal the company and they decide it is ok. It doesn’t fall under the HIPAA guidelines as he was not a treating physician so he has no obligation to provide those records to me at my request. This is just ludicrous.
That sounds like it sucks. All the more reason for working docs to speed their way to FI so they can quit paying for DI.
I purchased a LTD policy as a resident, and carried it to my first job as a supplemental policy to the employer’s generous and comprehensive LTD policy. Unfortunately, about 6 months into life as an attending I began experiencing progressive but intermittent weakness, and diagnosed with an autoimmune disease 14 months later. I was able to continue working part-time for two years before having to quit altogether.
I’m thankful that both policies began paying within weeks of my initial claim filing, after their respective waiting periods. (My employer’s short-term disability covered the interim medical leave). There was no hassle, and both companies had outstanding customer service to lead me through the process. Both provided partial benefits while I was working part-time, and one had additional return-to-work incentives and additional support services when I was trying to increase my part-time work. Both of my policies are own-occupation, but only one has a COLA rider.
I strongly encourage all my professional friends and acquaintances to purchase LTD insurance, and I encourage my lower wage-earning friends to purchase it through their employers if offered. The likelihood of experiencing a disabling illness or injury is high. Although I’d rather never need to use it, I’m far better off financially than others who share my diagnosis. When I land in the ICU on a ventilator for a couple weeks, I don’t need to worry about bills getting paid. I’ve been able to self-finance timely treatments that insurance denied (or in my case eventually approved). I’ve been able to modify my house to maintain my independence, and purchase a car with safety features that allow me to continue driving and traveling when I’m able. I can easily afford excellent health insurance coverage. My biggest worries at this point are how to invest for retirement without access to tax-advantaged employer plans. Pretty decent first-world problems, compared to what might have been.
I’m so sorry to hear about your disability but so glad to hear that the disability insurance companies are treating you right, even when the health insurance companies aren’t!
Does anyone know if the income from private disability policies counts as ‘income’ when applying for health insurance on the market place? Since it is not taxed federally I thought it didn’t, however my accountant says that it still has to be counted as income on the applications for health insurance. This unfortunately then bumps us out of any subsidy bracket on the marketplace.
I don’t think your accountant knows what she is talking about. I fill out “applications” for health insurance all the time. They don’t ask for my income and they certainly don’t ask about tax-free disability payments.
I haven’t bought health insurance through a PPACA exchange, but it would be a pretty weird thing to see on an application. The tax form where you get your subsidy certainly doesn’t mention disability insurance payments.
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8962.pdf
Any advice on companies willing to issue policies with preexisting medical conditions? I ended up finding a random asymptomatic disorder when applying for disability insurance as an intern and 6 companies and a decade later haven’t been able to find a company who would issue a policy even though I’m open to one that excludes my preexisting condition ? Fortunately have a mediocre group policy from the large institution I work for but would love more options
It all depends on what the disorder is. What’s the disorder?
Primary sclerosing cholangitis so they flip out although all imaging negative thus far so only present on labs (what was found on the original disability insurance eval ) and biopsy so likely lower risk of progression and while I keep up with it I’m much more worried about becoming disabled from an mva or unexpected circumstance.
What I would suggest is to find a rep that you like, has experience, then submit a self written medical narrative for them to discuss with the carriers on your behalf. Once that rep does that you will know which carriers are in play, what their offer most likely will be and if it is appealing enough to apply for their coverage offers.
Ok thanks! I appreciate it!
How about physicians who already have a disbility and are somehow able to work with some accomodations?
Are there any policies for these groups?
Henry,
It just depends on what the existing disability is, current occupation and is there a way to sensibly exclude what is already causing the disability. If you want to Email me what is going on we can do a review for you to see what, if any options are present.
I wish more residencies exposed their residents to this information. I consider myself lucky enough to have had early exposure to a job-specific disability insurance advisor while in residency and I got as large of a policy as I could afford at the time thinking I’d NEVER have to use it. And because I was young and relatively healthy, it was a VERY SMALL PRICE per month – even on my meager resident’s salary. But I wanted it for financial security until I was able to amass enough savings to reliably sustain my lifestyle after residency to pay pertinent bills should anything ever occur. Then, when I joined a group practice, I opted to ALSO get their disability insurance option through them. Fortunately, I had BOTH policies because not but TWO years after residency, I had to use it! After an episode of benign positional vertigo revealed a completely unrelated benign (but growing) brain tumor, I had surgery and the surgery to remove it permanently affected my short term memory due to it’s location. I was, thus, unable to work as a physician any longer. Had I not had BOTH policies, I would have lost my house, my car, and my newly-acquired lifestyle ( the pot at the end of the proverbial rainbow after medical school and residency!) not to mention I may have had to renege on my student loans and would have had terrible credit! NOW I fill my time with medical school teaching in addition to volunteering at the local Hospice. I miss my former life terribly – but at least I had that safety net. I can’t even imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t PREPARED for all possibilities.
I am a disabled anesthesiologist. I was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the trachea, underwent resection and a pneumonectomy. Fortunately, I purchased a private policy on top of the employer hospital policy. In your case, how do the companies feel about you doing work??? Teaching, volunteering? How does it affect your policies, etc.
Sorry to hear about your medical woes! But happy you’re still with us! 🙂
Well, since all of my teaching and volunteering is unpaid, it hasn’t been a problem at all. [And I’m sure there are times I might make mistakes like repeating what I just said or something similar!] But I’m also not doing any patient care. 🙁 I still would not be able to perform my ER physician duties due to my memory deficits – and that’s permanent – so they haven’t really hassled me. And I’ve been completely upfront with them as to how I spend my time now (whenever they ask for medical updates). I’ve also expressed that my situation is, unfortunately, permanent and that they won’t be getting any different updates from what I’ve been providing. So, I haven’t had to provide any updates for a while now. And my brain surgery happened in Oct 2008.
Also, just to be clear my two policies were “job-specific disability” products – so teaching and volunteering are separate.
Depends on the policy. The best ones still pay even though you’re doing something else.
Tough story to read. Have you been evaluated for CRPS? Similarly, is there a sympathetic component to the pain (evaluated with lumbar sympathetic block)?
Does it make sense to buy disability insurance if I work more than 50% of the time doing research. How does research time impact own occupation rider?
Research becomes your occupation. So if you’re disabled such that you cannot do research, it pays.
If you are doing 50% research and 50% something else in medicine, get hurt/sick, can’t do the ‘something else’ in medicine but still have same capacity to do the research as you were doing thus 50% of your revenue is still coming in then you will have a 50% of your benefit payable assuming you have residual and recovery on your policy. Now if you then increase your research post the disability and that income increases then your benefits will decrease. Make sure you have residual and recovery features built in your policy because the normal work load of physicians (55-80 hours per week) is over the limits of normal working time. Some carriers, after a period of time, will cut off the benefit when you have hit 32+ hours of work a week which means an insured could then be sitting somewhere under 50% of what they were use to earning and still not be claim eligible. Please read the contract and not the brochure/outline. I know it is boring and dull but it is important….