Without his fingers, Elton John would be just a regular guy whose thumb would be worth only a couple thousand dollars rather than millions. Even if you're not a famous musician, your body parts carry a big price tag, too.

Your amount depends on which body part you've lost and the method of compensation — whether it's a payout from your state's workers compensation fund, an accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) policy, or a lawsuit.

The difference can be substantial. An assembly line worker who loses a finger might receive $18,000 under a workers compensation claim. A famous concert pianist who loses fingers in an automobile accident could be awarded millions in a personal injury lawsuit. The payout from an accidental death and dismemberment insurance policy might be $5,000, or 25 percent of a $20,000 AD&D policy.

If you do lose a body part on the job, workers compensation will most likely cover your injury. Employers are required to carry workers compensation insurance in every state but Texas.

How much you receive varies from state to state. Most state workers compensation boards calculate their payouts based on a percentage of your weekly salary multiplied by the number of weeks assigned to the lost body part.

For example, in New York the loss of your arm at work would qualify you for 312 weeks of compensation at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, capped at $400.

Based on the $400 cap, your arm would be "worth" $124,800.

Why is a thumb worth more than another finger?

An AD&D policy typically pays out a percentage of the policy's limit according to a schedule of lost body parts, according to Sharon Vartanian, an assistant vice president with Sun Life Financial. For instance, the loss of sight in one eye pays only 50 percent of an AD&D policy because you can effectively see with the other eye. Loss of sight in both eyes results in a 100 percent payout.

Using this reasoning, loss of your thumb usually entitles you to more compensation than another finger might because it prevents you from grasping, a motion needed to perform most occupations.

In today's body-parts market, an arm might now have a higher value than a leg, although historically this hasn't been the case, according to Nancy Schroder, the assistant vice president of workers compensation at the National Association of Independent Insurers.

While legs might have been more important to the majority of our forefathers performing manual labor, in today's society — with its emphasis on keyboarding and/or assembly line skills — arms are at least as important as legs.