I’ve been pretty fortunate with my pets in the past. Although two of my dogs had some serious health problems, neither of them ever required extensive (and expensive) medical care. They did have to be watched closely and were on medications and/or special treatments, but the costs were manageable.
I know how expensive it can be to battle some health problems though, and because of that I’ve decided I don’t want to push my luck any longer. I’ve decided to get health insurance for my dogs, Archie & Lydia, and my cat, Tequila. I do have a savings account set up for them specifically for health care, but that will only go so far. If any of them were diagnosed with something like cancer and needed expensive treatments, I’d be in debt forever (and stressed about it). So, health insurance it is!
Do you have health insurance for your pets? If so, I’d like to hear from you…I want to hear the good, bad, and ugly. It would certainly help me in my search for pet health insurance company, and I’m sure other people would appreciate the feedback too.
Technorati Tags: cats, dogs, pet health insurance
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I have insurance and am really glad I do! It’s with QuickCare and we got the catastrophic policy for me and Gracie (the kitties have a fuller policy since they are older) since we are young.
It pays to certain limits for injuries and first time illnesses, and they have other policies as well. What we like about this company is that they have always paid promptly and we’ve never had any surprises. And they don’t exclude for breed related conditions (but they do exclude for preexisting, like most all companies).
Looking forward to hearing from others of their companies and experiences!
Johann
Thanks, Johann. I haven’t heard of that one before, but I’ll put it on my list!
I have pet insurance thru ASPCA. I’ve only used it with my cat Kodak so far. I have it for 3 of my 4 animals. So far so good-but at some point I’m going to reach the maximum lifetime limit for Kodak and his diabetes. I don’t know if there is one better than the other-I got it for major things not normal vet car appts etc
I had insurance with VPI for the past 2 years but have recently cancelled the policies as it was costing me over $100 per month for our three pets who are all fairly young and healthy. In the past we have had a dog and cat that needed major surgery and the vet bills very very expensive. However, I cannot justify spending this much on insurance for them when the policy only covers 1/3-1/2 of their annual vaccination costs. I have decided to save this money instead and invest in a healthier food for them to protect their health.
If your pets are already older did you have any trouble getting them insured? I found that with the VPI policies that they increased by $20-$30 a month over the last 2 years.
Danielle
Two you might want to check out are PetPlan, which I have on my dog and the other is PetsBest. I chose the PetPlan which does not cover routine costs (shots, annual exam, etc) but does cover any illnesses/injuries at 80% after a chosen deductible and annual cap amount.
I’m not sure but think that Gina over on Pet Connection uses PetsBest.
I have Pets Best for Cotton with a locked in rate until she is 8 years old. I didn’t opt for the preventative since the reimbursement for much of the preventative was about the same cost as that part of the insurance – basically a wash. I do like that Pets Best offers the highest ceilings on the coverages so for major issues that might crop up, I feel I have the better plan if the costs sky rocket.
One thing to keep in mind – you have to pay your vet bill then get reimbursed. If your vet knows you have insurance they might be more likely to work with you in case of a major illness. Check with your vet.
Unfortunately, pet insurance is not like human insurance where the bills are submitted for payment from the vet. That should be the next phase of the process.
It is also a good idea to try and put back a small amount each month for those emergencies – I know it is difficult to do so now a days so that is not always an option. Maybe some of the money from the stimulus package could be put away to start things off 🙂
If your dog or cat qualifies for the insurance and you can cancel an entertainment or some other variable expense in your life to pay that bill – I would recommend doing it.