Health insurance for your pets?

USA is so behind with everything. Pet insurance is something new to them. How about catching up to the more developed countries?

Each of my dogs is insured with a different pet insurance company. The company insuring my 6 yr. old dog has a maximum limit for each illness (for the lifetime of the pet). The company insuring my 3 year old dog has no such limit, although it has a YEARLY limit for each illness. Nevertheless I do NOT recommend the 2nd company whenever anyone asks me about my pet insurance, because I believe they are totally lacking in integrity! The reason is simple. My younger dog contracted Giardia (a common intestinal parasite) as a puppy and it took quite a bit of treatment to rid the puppy of it. It left him with an irritable bowel (colitis) until he was one-and-a-half years old, which required periodic treatment during that time. The policy I chose (when he was just a few days old) requires the company to pay 80% and I co-pay 20% of the cost of treatment. However (and here's where no integrity on the part of the company applies), during this period of his treatment, the company informed me that since his treatment fell into the top 10% of their claims, they were only going to pay 70% and I would henceforth have to pay 30%. In other words they were arbitrarily changing the terms of the policy contract. This is totally lacking in integrity, if not indeed being a good basis for legal action against the company. As it happened this occured close to the time that the bowel condition resolved itself, or I may well have pursued legal action. Since that time the dog has been healthy and had no claims. And so I received a letter from the company saying that since my claims are no longer in the top 10% of their claims, they are re-implementing/returning to the original conditions of my policy, and will pay 80% with me co-paying 20%. Is this supposed to make me feel great about the company? Hah, when pigs fly!! In other words, they changed the conditions of my policy, thereby breaching my contract with them, then returned to the original conditions when I didn't have further claims. So at any time in the future, they think they can do this to me (and others) with impunity? (No, I'll take legal action, if they do.) This speaks volumes about the greed of the insurance industry in general, and the utter lack of integrity of one company. When asked by anyone about pet insurance, it is the name of the OTHER company I recommend. At least they are upfront about the terms of the contract and honour these terms.

Instead of "pet insurance" here is what I do. Every month I pay my own pre-determined "premium" into a separate high interest (no fee) bank account. I am slowly building a nest egg that can be used for any unexpected medical expenses incurred by my beloved little tuxedo cat.

It's win-win for me - I'm paying about the same as a genuine pet insurance policy yet the money remains in my hands. I don't have to worry about an insurance company shirking their responsibilities and if I never need this "insurance" then I haven't really spent a dime in the big picture because the money is still mine.

Just make sure that if your pet is diagnosed with diabetes it is a cat and not a dog. The company I dealt with for years (pet Plan) informed me that diabetes treatment was not covered because it is common in dogs. Had it been a cat, then OK. Needless to say I canceled the insurance after this.

I have several pets insured and I am glad that I have the coverage for them. My dog, now four, has had a cruciate ligament (knee) reparied. The cost was over $2,300.00. He also has an MRI about six months later because the vet suspected a neurological problem (pinched nerve near the spine) and a consultation with a veternarian who is a specialist in neurology. The cost was over $1,400.00 for the MRI.
The insurer also paid for his neuter, microchip, puppy vaccinations and continues to pay for his annual 'booster' injections and annual heartworm medication and testing every two years. He has $600.00 worth of dental coverage, annually.
I would recommend pet insurance highly, especially for dogs who, tend to get into more mischief, frequently chew and ingest foreign objects and seem to have more congenital problems than do cats.
My dog's policy covers "preventive" healthcare and not just care for illnesses and accidents. It is the top of the line inb the pet insurance world. There are no limits to the coverage, except forthe dental plan. (Pet Secure, Level 4.)
The annual deductible is $200.00 and the co-pay is 20%. The monthly premium depends upon many factors, including where you live, the age of the pet and the breed. I pay under $90.00 per month so I am presently financially ahead, at present.
I also own several cats and they are also insured. I do get a 'multi-pet discount'.
I hope this is helpful and serves to present a more balanced view.

I agree with "Shawn". BANK THE MONEY THAT YOU WOULD BE PAYING TO THE INSURER ... you'll be ahead of the game. Another point to consider: when a pet is insured, your and your veterinarian, will be more inclined to pursue advanced treatment. We put our dog through terrible (and unnecessary) diagnostic tests only to discover that his diet was lacking in fibre. Adding insult to injury, PetPlan decreased our coverage (see Heather-Belle's comments above).

A few years ago our beloved black cat "Sneakers" was attacked in our back yard by the next door nieghbour's pitbull, who jumped the fence, while his owner was in the yard and thought that since he was in the yard with him, the dog didn't need to be tied up - wrong!!!
The dog grabbed our cat while she was sitting on the pack porch and hearing all the commotion, my dad ran out and shouted at the dog which startled him enough to let go of our cat, who then took off. We found her in another neighbour's yard unable to walk. She was rushed to the vet who diagnosed her with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her hind leg and told us she was lucky to be alive. She did need surgery to repair the damage, however to the tune of over $1,300. Since we had no insurance we had to take up a family collection to finance the costs of the surgery and other associated expenses. She went on to live to the age of 17, and when I got another cat later on, I made sure I had insurance this time. It has already paid off since my new cat "Sassy" developed a serious bladder infection this past winter. It cost over $1,000 to diagnose and treat her, out of which I only paid a couple of hundred bucks, thanks to the fact I have insurance. I am so grateful I have insurance now. Although some people have suggested just putting money aside in a separate high interest account, in these challenging economic times, I know for a fact that in an emergency situation of the human variety, I would certainly dip into this fund when necessary, defeating the purpose of having it for my pet and once again putting my pet at risk of not having the funds available should a veterinary emergency arise. I would certainly recommend pet insurance for the fact that you just never know what can happen.

Joan

Your point about "difficult economic times" is well taken but here's why I disagree with that idea. In really tough times (or an emergency) you're probably going to not be able to afford the pet insurance premiums either and thus cancel the policy. Then what does this leave you with? An uninsured pet and buckets full of money thrown down the drain.

With my approach the money will always be available as long as I use some self control.

Re: Lorna and her "balanced view" comment. I did not present an unbalanced view. Nor did I discredit the concept of pet insurance. (I still have both pets insured.) My point was to be very careful about the company you choose for the insurance. In my experience thus far, I have found that PetCare is the better company (has more integrity) than PetPlan/now named PetSecure. And I notice by Tony Mason's comment that he also ran into trouble with PetPlan/Pet Secure. The coverage for which this company contracted and accepted premiums ($43 per month) was not honoured. But after reading Tony's problem with the same company, I am now seriously considering dropping the insurance on the one dog of mine that is insured with them. I mean really......they just decided that they would no longer cover diabetes for his dog because it is common in dogs. Believe me......that is NOWHERE in the policy. Doesn't matter that it is a lower level of policy than Lorna's, they should still live up to whatever the policy terms at that level state. That's the idea of a contract. But their idea of a contract is that they live up to it as long as your dog is healthy. Otherwise look out! It is good that Lorna had no problem. Perhaps they tend to honour the Level 4 contracts. But $90. a month for one dog (double that $180 for 2 dogs) is not affordable by the average person. And they should honour the terms of all policies (at all the different levels), rather than make up exceptions as they go along.

Health insurance for pets? Wow, there is no way that I can take this concept seriously.

In response to Shawn's concerns that in "tough economic times" I probably can't afford the premiums anyway, I would just like to say that my cat is insured through PetCare and I only pay approx. $25.00/mth. It automatically comes out of my account, so there is no way I will cancel the policy at that rate and risk Sassy being uninsured - particularly as I posted in my last comment, that it has already paid off with my cat's illness this past winter.
My point about socking money away in a separate account for this purpose, is that it would be hard to justify in the event of an emergency or other situation of the "human" variety, putting an animal's needs ahead of human needs and leaving a big chunk of money in a savings account (however greatly loved my cat is), in the event a greater need arose. That's all I'm saying. Implying that it just takes "self control" to avoid dipping into it misses the point. It's not like I'm going to decide I have a greater need for a holiday or flat screen TV and lose control and spend the money that has been set aside for my cat, but sometimes true emergencies do occur and if it does in my opinion, the needs of humans have to come before the needs of animals. It's not so much a matter of self control as it is of common sense, however difficult a decision it might be. I would cancel my cable or other variable expenses before I cancel my pet insurance should the need arise.

Hi again Joan,

I really can't argue with anything you say because I completely understand where you're coming from it's just that I don't think it suits my personal situation. I don't really think either one of us are "wrong" it's just that each solution suits different people depending on their approach to savings, money, monthly expenses etc. For me personally - I have enough money saved for myself (and available credit) that if times were SO tough and so dire that I needed to use my "cat account" for myself - I would likely at that point be unable to afford the insurance premiums anyways. Also the upside with my approach is that I'll never have to fight with greedy insurance companies about what is and is not covered. Although as mentioned - I do understand from your points why this isn't really the best solution for everybody. We're all different.

insurance for pets? I will think about it only if I have a zoo..:)

Ha! Ha! This is too funny. I can't believe that some people are stupid enough to get pet health insurance. Wow, I need to get into this business and scam people as well. I am an animal lover, but insurance is just utterly stupid. If you want to through away your money, just send it to me. I will take care of it.

Heather-Belle: Since your "contract" with PetPlan/PetSecure wasn't honoured in the moment when you needed to use it, and you didn't take legal action then, why would it be any different at some time in the future? You had insurance with 2 different companies; one essentially breached their contract and yet you continue to do business with them. It just sounds like whining, now that the crisis has passed. However, I do appreciate that you're upfront naming the companies you've dealt with, and the honesty in your information. It certainly gives me more knowledge about what to ask different companies about what their policies might cover/alter, and possibly what to expect - so thanks for your input!

Hello everyone! Actually I am really glad I have insured my cat. I would have to spend way more money on his treatment than on the insurance premiums. You never know what is going to happen. Let's say you premiums total will be 450 $ a year - it's nothing, because just a visit to vet for a mere check up is 100 bucks. To put an animal do death is an option - if the situation is helpless.
But for me, if money can eliminate the suffering , I will spend it without hesitation. Money comes and money goes, and comes again. The question is what and who you are.