“The odds are good that you will be laid up long before you are laid out!” has been cited in print since at least June 2010, listed in a frequently reprinted article titled “Understanding the Need for Disability Insurance.” The saying means that the risk is greater for disability rather than death. The June 2010 article stated that it’s “an old adage.”
 
The saying that one is more likely to be “laid up” rather than “laid out” has been cited in print since at least 1999.
 
   
State Bar of Texas Insurance Trust
Understanding the Need for Disability Insurance
An old adage in the insurance business regarding the subject of disability insurance goes like this:
 
“The odds are good that you will be laid up long before you are laid out!”
 
While this statement may seem somewhat amusing, it is also very true. Individuals (especially males) between the ages of 30 and 50 will likely suffer an incapacitating injury or illness before they die. However, for many people, it is easier to imagine dying than becoming disabled.
   
Google Books
Ernst & Young’s financial Planning Essentials
By Robert J. Garner; Ernst & Young, et al.
New York, NY: J. Wiley
1999
Pg. 185:
The fact remains: If you’re in your 30s or 40s, you have a much greater chance of being disabled than dying. (Or as someone put it, you’re much more likely to be “laid up” than “laid out.”)
 
Brian Gruss Licensed Insurance Planner
Understanding the Need for Disability Insurance
Posted on June 28, 2010
An old adage in the insurance business regarding the subject of disability insurance goes like this:
 
“The odds are good that you will be laid up long before you are laid out!”
 
Clarke Insurance Agency, Inc. 
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Understanding the Need for Disability Insurance 
An old adage in the insurance business regarding the subject of disability insurance goes like this:
 
“The odds are good that you will be laid up long before you are laid out!”