In this episode, Jamie Fleischner sits down with nationally recognized disability insurance attorney Mark Debofsky for a candid, plain-English conversation about what really happens when a disability insurance claim is filed — and why so many high-income professionals misunderstand their coverage until it’s too late.With more than four decades representing disability claimants nationwide, Debofsky brings an insider’s understanding of how insurers evaluate, challenge, and sometimes terminate claims. He explains why choosing the right policy upfront — especially true own-occupation coverage — can make the difference between long-term financial security and years of costly disputes.
DENVER, Jan. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Income Protection Journal has launched a new podcast examining how disability insurance holds up under pressure. The new show explores what happens to high-income professionals when illness, income disruption, and career ending injuries collide with insurance policy language and underwriting decisions made years earlier.
The Income Protection Journal Podcast provides insight into a recurring pattern that rarely appears in consumer-facing discussions of disability insurance: the gap between how policies are understood at the time they are purchased and how they are interpreted years later, after work capacity changes or a claim is filed. By examining prior disputes, denied claims, underwriting decisions, and benefits that were paid—or not paid—the series shows how insurers actually decide whether coverage is honored once income is on the line.
Hosted by Jamie K. Fleischner, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, a disability and income protection specialist with more than 30 years of experience analyzing policy performance and claims outcomes, The Income Protection Journal Podcast documents how coverage performs once it is tested. Episodes focus on how claims are evaluated, how policy definitions are applied in practice, and how early coverage decisions shape outcomes long after they are forgotten, so high income professionals know what type of coverage and riders to provide the best income protection.
The most recent Income Protection Journal Podcast episode features Mark DeBofsky, an ERISA litigation attorney with more than four decades of experience challenging insurer and plan-administrator benefit denials. DeBofsky is the principal of DeBofsky Law Ltd. and a frequent author, congressional witness, and adjunct law professor on disability and insurance law who has argued disability claims in federal courts and been involved in cases that have shaped how insurers interpret disability, own-occupation language, and gainful employment.
“Disability insurance doesn’t usually fail because of missed premiums,” DeBofsky said during the episode. “It fails because of definitions—language that sounds protective when a policy is purchased, and becomes restrictive once a claim is underway.”
Physicians are a central audience for the podcast, reflecting their role as the largest purchasers of individual disability insurance in the United States and their unique exposure to income risk tied to specialized skills. The series also speaks directly to other high-income professionals whose financial stability depends on continued physical and cognitive capacity.
INCOME PROTECTION JOURNAL PODCAST EPISODES
When “Own-Occupation” Insurance Coverage Fails
Episode length: (30 minutes)
Featuring Mark DeBofsky, founder and principal of DeBofsky Law Ltd., a Chicago-based ERISA litigation firm. With more than 40 years representing claimants in disability and insurance disputes, DeBofsky has argued precedent-setting cases shaping how insurers interpret own-occupation and gainful employment standards. In this episode, DeBofsky explains how disability claims are actually decided, why policy definitions quietly narrow once work capacity changes, and how professionals discover—too late—that the coverage they believed they had is not the coverage being applied.
How Medical Records Change Insurability
Episode length: (36 minutes)
Featuring Peter W. Crane, MD, MBA, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and medical director with more than 15 years of clinical practice in emergency departments and over 30 years of experience in healthcare delivery. He serves as Emergency Medicine Physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and is the Medical Director for the Rochester Police Department and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, where he oversees clinical protocols, tactical medical operations, and physician governance for law enforcement and emergency response teams. Dr. Crane is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and holds active licensure as both a physician and registered nurse in New York State. In this episode of the Income Protection Journal Podcast, Crane describes how a single diagnosis permanently reshaped his understanding of disability insurance, timing, and insurability—and why early decisions became irreversible once his medical record changed.
When Success Outgrows Coverage
Episode length: (50 minutes)
Featuring Tom Petersen, MBA, RHU, Vice President of Petersen International Underwriters, a Lloyd’s of London Coverholder specializing in high-limit and excess disability insurance. With more than 35 years in the disability insurance marketplace, Petersen oversees product development, underwriting strategy, and industry liaison functions, working directly with Lloyd’s syndicates under delegated underwriting authority. His work focuses on nontraditional income structures, contract-based earnings, and specialty occupational risks where standard disability carriers reach their participation limits. In this episode of the Income Protection Journal Podcast, Petersen explains how disability insurance often stops scaling as income, responsibility, and financial complexity rise—and why high earners don’t realize they’re exposed until commitments are fixed and options are limited.
Why Timing Matters More Than Assets in Midlife
Episode length: (35 minutes)
Featuring Marcus A. Watson, Brokerage Director at MassMutual Agency Brokerage and The Pelora Group, where he leads advisor support and brokerage strategy across insurance, securities, and advanced planning solutions. He is a registered representative of MML Investors Services, LLC (Member SIPC) and is licensed to offer insurance and securities products across multiple U.S. jurisdictions. In this episode of the Income Protection Journal Podcast, Marcus Watson explains how income protection becomes fragile in mid-career, when responsibilities persist but income is no longer guaranteed, and how late-career health events can quietly destabilize retirement and care planning.
Health Risks Ignored Until Insurance Becomes Unavailable
Episode length: (30 minutes)
Featuring Isheet Patel, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician licensed in Colorado and co-founder of Peak Concierge Care. He completed his internal medicine residency within the Centura Health system and has practiced across both large health systems and direct primary care models, giving him insight into how clinical care delivery changes under different institutional constraints. In this episode of the Income Protection Journal Podcast, Isheet Patel M.D., explains how slow-moving health conditions, stress, and everyday neglect accumulate over time—and why delaying disability insurance decisions often closes doors that never reopen.
New Income Protection Journal Podcast episodes drop Tuesdays at 4am MT and listeners can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, via email, RSS, or other popular podcast platforms at the Income Protection Journal website.
About The Income Protection Journal
The Income Protection Journal is an independent editorial publication covering disability insurance, income risk, and the financial consequences of illness or injury for high-income professionals, with particular focus on physicians and other specialists whose earning power depends on their ability to work. The Income Protection Journal is sponsored by Set for Life Insurance, a nationally recognized brokerage founded in 1993 that specializes in individual life, disability, and long-term care insurance. https://setforlifeinsurance.com/income-protection-journal-podcast/
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/22f93c34-04ad-4a0c-b80f-1376c08e79bf
A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a29ac75-699f-47ac-a26a-5a6ccd75277a
CONTACT: Media Contact: Eric Schwartzman (212) 789-2460 info@americaninsightops.com
