It appears that somebody must be listening to all of us dog and cat lovers who keep saying our pets are family. I keep hearing about more and more companies that are offering pet health insurance as a benefit to their employees.

WASHINGTON — A growing number of US businesses, eager to hang on to top talent, are throwing their most valued employees a bone by offering them a new kind of benefit: health care for their pets.

Large companies like Google, Disney, AOL, HSBC, home improvement chain Home Depot and eBay are now offering health insurance for their employees’ cats and dogs, a niche market that has sprung up in the wake of a spike in costs for veterinary treatment.

“We do offer voluntary pet insurance as one of our benefits. Google is committed to helping our employees lead healthier lives, and we try to support personal well-being in a number of ways,” Google spokesman Jordan Newman told AFP.

“We know that pets can be an important and valued part of our employees’ lives and we want them to have the option to enroll in this benefit,” he adds.

“Ultimately, we believe that work-life balance is key to healthy working environments, and to that end our benefits strive to make life easier for Google families.”

[...]

“As animals live longer and as sophistication in veterinary care increases, a 1,000 to 2,000 dollar claim for a surgical procedure or an accident is quite common,” according to Grant Biniasz, spokesman for leading pet insurance provider Vet Pet Insurance (VPI).

VPI says they received nearly 30,000 claims for pet cancer in 2008, and points out that “if chemotherapy or radiation treatment is required, costs can reach more than 10,000 dollars over several sessions.”

I can certainly attest to this. Lydia was diagnosed with cancer in July, 2008. Back in August, I tallied up her medical expenses to that point and it was already nearly $10,000. And, even though her cancer is in remission there are vet visits to make sure she’s still doing ok, which means more expenses as time goes on.

Some seven percent of US companies provide pet insurance, according to a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management, which described other popular new employee benefits, including self-defense courses, offered at six percent of companies, and dry-cleaning services, offered at 10 percent.

Read the rest of Companies throw workers a bone with pet insurance.

After what I’ve been through with Lydia, insurance is a must have for any pet I bring into my life, so I’m happy to see that some companies are starting to take their employees concerns for their pets seriously. The fact that they’re offering pet health insurance as a benefit not only shows the employee that they’re valued, but for those who take advantage of it, it could mean a better life for their pets.

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