In November 2026, Lincoln Financial disclosed higher disability claim severity and 32% growth in supplemental health premiums in results published on 5 November for the quarter ended 30 September. Its Group Protection business reported $77 million in operating income and a 5.5% margin. The disability loss ratio rose six percentage points year on year, which Lincoln attributed to higher severity, while Group Protection premiums grew 3%.

Ask what drove disability claims

The disclosure gives employers a question to take into renewals: did claims become more expensive, last longer or change in mix? Ask the carrier to distinguish incidence from severity, explain how older claims developed, and identify the group used as a benchmark. When comparing offers, check benefit definitions, waiting periods and exclusions before drawing conclusions from the premium alone. Also ask who follows up on incomplete files and how early the carrier makes contact after an absence.

Test the value of supplemental benefits separately

A rise in premium volume says little about employee understanding or claims outcomes. Ask whether growth reflects new groups, more enrolment or higher premium per policy. For your own programme, review participation and retention alongside the claims process. Check that employees can tell what the supplemental policy covers, what their core benefits already cover and what they need to do to claim.

This is a single carrier’s quarterly experience. It establishes neither a market trend nor a causal relationship between the two lines. Use the results to prepare two sets of questions: one on disability experience, service and renewal assumptions, and another on participation, claim payments and value to employees.

Sources

Lincoln Financial – Q3 2026 earnings release