Pregnancy leading cause of short-term absence from work
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the fourth
consecutive year, cancer is the leading cause of long-term absence from work
(more than 90 days) for working-age Americans, according to claims submitted
during 2004 to UnumProvident (NYSE: UNM), the leading provider of disability
income protection insurance.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030929/CHM022LOGO-a )
Rounding out the top five reasons for long-term disability claims are
complications of pregnancy, joint/muscle/connective tissue diseases, back
injuries and cardiovascular disease.
The American Cancer Society estimates that close to 1.4 million new cases
of cancer will be diagnosed in 2005, and among the most prevalent types will
be lung, breast, prostate and colon.
"Although cancer continues to be the dominant reason for long-term
disability, we're seeing significant improvements in the care of these cancer
patients," says Dr. Herbert Dean, an oncologist consulting to UnumProvident.
"The whole field of medicine relating to cancer is exploding right now,
including more effective diagnostic capabilities and vastly improved
treatments. These advances enhance the quality of life for patients and may
have a potential to result in less time away from the job."
UnumProvident's 2004 claims for short-term absence are dominated by normal
pregnancy, followed by injuries (other than back), digestive/intestinal
diseases, back/disc injuries and reproductive/urinary system diseases.
The claims information is based upon 2004 data from UnumProvident's
disability database - the largest private database of its kind in this
country. The database tracks 26.8 million covered individuals and an estimated
178,000 employer policyholders.
The causes of claims and the percentage received for each cause were as
follows:
Long term - 12 percent - Cancer
10 percent - Complications of pregnancy
10 percent - Joint/muscle/connective tissue diseases
9 percent - Back injuries
8 percent - Cardiovascular disease
Short term - 21 percent - Pregnancy
9 percent - Injuries (not including back)
8 percent - Digestive/intestinal diseases
7 percent - Back injuries
7 percent - Reproductive/urinary system diseases
UnumProvident received nearly 450,000 new disability claims in 2004 and
paid $3.8 billion in benefits to individuals and their families.
About UnumProvident
UnumProvident (UNM) is the largest provider of group and individual
disability income protection insurance in the United States and United
Kingdom. Through its subsidiaries, UnumProvident Corporation insures more than
25 million people and paid $5.9 billion in total benefits to customers in
2004. With primary offices in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Portland, Maine, the
company employs more than 12,000 people worldwide. For more information,
visit http://www.unumprovident.com .
SOURCE UnumProvident Corporation
-0- 03/02/2005
/CONTACT: Mary Clarke Guenther, Manager, Media Relations,
mguenther@unumprovident.com , or Halima Holloway,
hholloway@unumprovident.com , both of UnumProvident Corporation,
+1-423-294-6300, or toll free, +1-866-750-8686/
/Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030929/CHM022LOGO-a
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com /
/Web site: http://www.unumprovident.com /
(UNM)
CO: UnumProvident Corporation; The American Cancer Society
ST: Tennessee
IN: FIN INS HEA
SU: SVY WOM
PF-JT
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4696 03/02/200511:00 ESThttp://www.prnewswire.com