Serious illness is a major concern among U.S. employees, according to a survey by Harris Interactive commissioned by Colonial Life. Eighty-four percent of employees said they're concerned they or someone in their family will be diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or another serious illness. More women than men are concerned about contracting an illness, with 89 percent of women saying this is a concern, compared with 79 percent of men. This disparity gets smaller as employees age, however, and eventually reverses; 91 percent of men over 55 are concerned about serious illness, while 87 percent of women share the same worry.

When asked if they were interested in buying personal insurance products at work, in addition to their current health insurance policy, 71 percent of employees said yes. Again, more women were interested in purchasing additional coverage (74 percent) than men (69 percent). The youngest employees expressed the most interest in purchasing additional coverage, with 76 percent of employees between 18 and 44 saying they wanted help covering expenses for a serious illness, compared with 66 percent of people ages 45 to 54, and 64 percent of people 55 and older.