Your Questions About Best Dog Health Insurance

Bauser answers:

Try Progressive, I know that they have a pet policy, but I’m not sure how much it is. But they are a GREAT company!!!!

Bauser answers:

Http://www.petinsurance.com

Bauser answers:

Your photos don’t load, shoot!

If your dog already has eye problems and needs surgery, then it is highly unlikely that any insurance company will cover it because they don’t cover any pre-existing conditions (which is anything your pet has before you sign up for insurance).

Typically, insurance is for emergency purposes, just like car insurance. If your pet has an accident or illness, then the insurance will cover 80-90% of your veterinary bill.

Some insurance companies also cover routine care like shots and check-ups, but this makes your premium more expensive and sometimes you end up paying more for the added-on fees to the insurance than if you were to just pay for the shots out of pocket.

I’d suggest looking at quotes to see how much more this is going to cost you and decide how much you’re willing to spend.

Here’s a good website to get a quote and compare side by side quotes from top pet insurance companies: http://www.trupanionpetinsurance.com/why_choose_trupanion_pet_health_insurance/quote-and-compare-companies_comparison-charts.aspx

And on that note, I would really recommend Trupanion Pet Insurance because they are very affordable, cover 90% of the bill, and they don’t have as many exclusions as the other guys (no annual limits, no penalties for filing a claim) . Good luck with your search!

Bauser answers:

Hi Angel,

First, a disclaimer: I work for Embrace Pet Insurance in Cleveland, Ohio.

Let me say that you are smart to be considering pet insurance for your pets. The best time to get pet insurance is when they are young and healthy because there are no pre-existing conditions. Your dog’s allergies may be an issue, you should definitely clarify what impact this will have on your dog’s coverage for allergies in future.

Now, that said, let’s talk a little bit about what insurance is for. Insurance is designed to cover unexpected, undesirable, expensive events.

So things like accidents & illnesses clearly fall into this category. The exception to this is a condition that’s pre-existing because it is not unexpected.

Things like routine care do not meet the criteria for insurance. When you buy pet insurance you should make sure that routine care is not part of the insurance itself because all you’re doing is paying $1 to get less than $1 back. Some companies sell routine care as a side product and that tends to make a little more sense financially.

Let’s talk about the expense side of pet insurance. Veterinary care nowadays can be incredibly expensive. Our company just received a claim for $5,500 for a young Labrador puppy that ate string. Despite all the technology and everything available, the vet was unable to save this puppy’s life. But the pet parents did everything they could and they did not have to worry about how to pay for it. That is the essence of what pet insurance is about: responsible pet parents get pet insurance, it’s the right thing to do for your pet but you have to get the right type of insurance.

Here are some other questions you should ask of any pet insurance company that you talk to:

1. Does the pet insurance company give you a choice of deductibles, maximums, and copays to design a plan to suit your budget?

2. Does the plan cover genetic conditions?

3. Does the plan cover chronic or recurring conditions? So if your pet gets sick in year 1, does it cover the same illness again in year 2?

4. Does the plan come loaded with coverages that you’ll pay for but probably never use, like “Lost & Found” or “Accidental Death”?

5. What is and is not covered? Is it clearly stated on their website or over the phone?

6. Does the plan pay claims based on a restrictive benefit schedule or the actual vet bill? You want to avoid benefit schedule plans because they will leave your pocket with a big hole.

7. Are there per-incident limits that effectively cap the amount you could receive back? For example, some plans have a $3,000 per-incident limit. If you had a claim for $5,000 with one of these plans then the most you would get back would be $3,000.

8. How long does the company take to pay claims?

9. What are the rules around pre-existing conditions? Are they excluded permanently or temporarily?

I encourage you to visit Pet Insurance Review at http://www.petinsurancereview.com as it has reviews of all the major pet insurance companies including ours.

So hopefully I’ve given you some ammunition to ask some hard questions. Make sure you get good service and don’t let anyone hard sell you. You want to feel comfortable with your decision, so take a deep breath, take your time, and don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions.

Alex
Embrace Pet Insurance
http://www.embracepetinsurance.com

Bauser answers:

I can think of about a billion better things to do with a few cents a day. Don’t own a dog if you can’t keep it out from under a car or pay for a vet.