TIPS AND QUESTIONS ON HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PETS
The cost for a visit to the veterinarian office is increasing each day. Just like us our pets need health insurance to help cover the cost. I hear everyday people choosing to euthanize their pet because the cost of an injury or the cost of a needed surgery is too high for some people. Pet insurance is just like our health insurance it helps to pay the cost of these services. There are several factors that will affect the cost of the insurance. You will need to compare each of the companies to choose which one will best fit your situation. Some of these factors are:
- Age of the pet
- Sex of the pet
- Breed of the pet
- Pre-existing injury
- Pre-existing illness
- Type of coverage
- Policy limits
- Type of the pet (cat, dog horse…)
- Geographical location
- Which company
WHY HAVE PET INSURANCE
Most people consider their pets as an important member of their family. The devotion that pet owners have for their pets is real as the hundreds of dollars each year they spend on their pets. This money is spent on supplies, veterinarian care, food, vaccinations, toys, bedding, grooming, heartworm, fleas and tick treatments and many other items. Even with loving care the best efforts at providing preventive measures, unforeseen accidents and illnesses happen.
Most Pet Health Insurance plans include:
- Initial & follow-up visits
- Laboratory test and diagnostic procedures and blood test
- Non-elective surgery
- accidents
- illnesses
- Hospitalization
- Anesthesia
- Prescription medications
- Euthanasia for humane reason
Some treatments and conditions that may not be covered include;
- Routine care
- Vaccinations
- De-worming
- Dental care
- Chronic illnesses
- Cosmetic procedures
- Pre-existing conditions
I did find some companies that will offer coverage for routine wellness but in most cases this well double your monthly premium.
When comparing insurance companies here are some questions you need to ask;
- Will my premium increase due to pet aging?
- What is covered if my pet becomes sick or injured?
- What are some of the exclusions I should be aware of?
- What are the policy payout limits?
- What are my deductible options?
- What is the percentage of the cost the policy will pay?
- What will cause my premium to increase?
I have compared several pet insurance companies using the following; one year old American Shorthair male cat, neutered with no pre-existing conditions. The response from the companies offered 90% reimbursement, with a one hundred dollar deductible too two hundred and fifty dollar deductible and an average monthly premi.
Here are some of the companies that offers pet health insurance:
- Hartville/Aspca
- 24 Petwatch
- VIP
- Pet Assure
- Pets Best
- Trupanion
- Embrace
- Purinacare
- Petplan US
- Healthy Paws
- Pet Paertnes
- AKC
Here are some companies that offers pet health insurance in Canada:
- Petcare Canada
- Petsecure
- Vetinsurance
- Purinacare
- P C Financial
- HBC
The purpose of this article is to provide you with some information about pet health insurance and some question to ask.
