What Surgeons Pay for Disability Insurance in 2026, and Why the Carriers Disagree

How much does disability insurance cost for a surgeon? In the 2026 quote study Seaworthy ran across the five major carriers we place, a 35-year-old male surgeon pays $418 to $573 a month for $10,000 a month of true own-occupation coverage with the full rider package, and a female surgeon pays $587 to $919, across general surgery, orthopedic and hand surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and OB/GYN. The most expensive carrier charged 35 to 37 percent more than the cheapest for identical coverage on a male neurosurgeon, general surgeon, or plastic surgeon, against about 9 percent for a male internist, because the five carriers file the same surgical specialty as much as two occupation-class tiers apart. This video explains where that spread comes from, then covers the contract question surgeons ask most, whether a policy pays when you can still see patients but can no longer operate, before working through women's pricing, purchase age, benefit sizing, state pricing, and discounts. The study is carrier illustrations generated in August 2026 at Guardian, Principal, MassMutual, The Standard, and Ameritas, each using the class it assigns the specialty in its mid-2026 producer guide. Every carrier quoted a healthy, non-smoking 35-year-old in Texas earning $220,000 for $10,000 a month with a 90-day elimination period, benefits to age 65, true own-occupation, and every optional rider, with no discounts, once as a man and once as a woman, and the male profile was re-quoted at 28 and 45, at $5,000 and $15,000, and as a California and New York issue. All figures are illustrated standard rates before underwriting, and about 26 percent of the physician policies we place carry an exclusion or a rating per our 2026 book audit. On the contract, all five carriers write true own-occupation coverage for surgeons and differ in how they decide surgery is the occupation. Guardian applies a surgical-income test for MDs and DOs earning more than 50 percent of income from incision-based procedures, MassMutual's Own Occupation Rider uses the specialty verified by 12 months of billing codes, Principal builds recognized specialty language into its contract at no added cost, Ameritas's contract treats a recognized medical specialty as the occupation, and The Standard deems an ABMS or AOABOS specialty the regular occupation through its Own Occupation Rider. Residual disability pays on a partial loss once earnings fall 15 percent at four carriers and 20 percent at The Standard. Orthopedic and hand surgeons and OB/GYNs carry a required 24-month mental and nervous limitation at The Standard's 3P class, and Ameritas requires one for OB/GYNs; general, plastic, neuro, and ophthalmic surgeons can buy full-period coverage at all five outside California, New York, and individual Florida policies. Women surgeons pay 39 to 76 percent more than men in the same specialty at the same carrier, and some multi-life and employer arrangements price both sexes on one table. The same coverage costs a male surgeon $332 to $432 a month at 28, $418 to $573 at 35, and $611 to $878 at 45, a 77 to 104 percent increase from 28 to 45. Each extra $1,000 of monthly benefit costs a male surgeon $39 to $56, top physician classes generally issue to $30,000 a month, and Principal caps general, orthopedic, and plastic surgeons at $20,000. Male surgeon coverage runs $442 to $573 in New York and $539 to $716 in California at the carriers selling the same product there. Association, multi-life, and employer discounts of 10 to 20 percent are worth roughly $45 to $115 a month for a man and $70 to $185 for a woman at the study configuration. Contract language is summarized for education and the policy wording governs a claim. Carrier filed rates change and none of these figures is an offer. This video is educational and not individualized advice. Seaworthy Insurance places disability insurance for physicians and surgeons, dentists, CRNAs, tech professionals, and other high-income specialists, with 15+ years placing individual disability coverage. Full study with the carrier comparison. https://seaworthy.io/education/surgeo... Physician occupation class grid. https://seaworthy.io/specialties/phys... What medical residents pay. https://seaworthy.io/education/reside... Discounts directory. https://seaworthy.io/discounts/ Chapters: 0:00 How much does disability insurance cost for a surgeon? 2:15 Why the same surgeon gets such different prices 3:14 Will the policy pay if you can still see patients but can't operate? 5:08 Which surgeons have to take the mental health limitation? 6:17 How much more women surgeons pay 6:52 What a surgeon saves by buying during training 7:53 What a larger benefit costs, and the $20,000 cap 9:01 California, New York, and discounts 10:12 Recap