Introduction
The ultimate guide of 2024 chose the right pet insurance The price of seemingly everything has increased dramatically over the last few years and Veterinary Care is no exception. According to Forbes reported in December of 2022 that 42 percent of pet owners could not afford a surprise vat bill as a Veterinary neurologist. It’s very surprising often people with eight thousand dollar estimates for emergency MRI and back surgery. According to CPI data as recent as August 2023 shows that veterinary services are continuing to increase in cost on an annualized basis of about 10 percent every year. With constantly inflating costs of Veterinary Services one industry has popped up to address this issue and that is pet insurance. We will also discuss in this article which best the pet insurance company.
What is pet insurance?
pet insurance is a health plan that the owner pays into on a monthly or annualized basis in exchange for reimbursement of eligible Veterinary expenses, it’s set up a little differently than human health insurance though anyone with their own health insurance knows that when you go to the doctor and show them your insurance card and you pay a pretty small copay like 25 50 bucks. But with Veterinary Pet Insurance, it’s a little bit different repent is seen by a vet for a covered condition the owner pays the vet in full. Then submits a claim to their insurance.
In USA most of the pet insurance plans are for dogs and cats. But a few pet insurers will offer coverage for other animals for instance. For Example,
Nationwide: Nationwide will offer interest coverage for birds, reptiles and other exotic animal species.
ASPCA: ASPCA has health insurance plans that cover horses.
What does pet insurance cover?
Depending on the supplier, a pet insurance policy’s exact coverage may differ. But in general pet insurance is meant to cover three major things: accidents , illnesses and Emergency Care accidents. In Accidents include things like broken bones, dogfight injuries, skin lacerations, and other injuries. However, it’s not uncommon of for accidents involving significant operations and diagnostic tests like CT or MRI to exceed $10,000 in total costs, and that doesn’t even account for ongoing care and monitoring of the pet’s condition. This includes illnesses like cancer infections endocrine disorders like diabetes and Addison’s disease and other health problems. Pet just like people can get sick and require a lot of treatment. Some illnesses can be very expensive to treat oftentimes being similar to major accidents in some cases. So in place having a pet insurance policy can help to make sure that your pet gets a level of care needed to give them the best possible prognosis. Emergency Care includes any care required in an emergency situation such as hospitalizations or surgery after a car accident or emergency MRI in surgery for a disc herniation. When people heard about his pet needing emergency care people were shocked. Because Emergency Care can be very expensive and by definition it’s unplanned .So having pet insurance in place can literally be a lifesaver for your pet.
Hereditary and Congenital conditions.
In these scenarios especially if the insurance company pays the vet directly honestly I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve done an MRI in spinal surgery and the only reason I was able to do that to help save the life of the pet was because the pet owner had pet insurance people just cannot afford to spend eight thousand dollars unexpected now in addition to those three things hereditary and congenital conditions are another class of problems that some pet insurance policies are cover these include things like hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and other things like that spinal malformations. These conditions can be very expensive to treat and having a pet insurance policy can help make sure that your pet gets the care without breaking the bank.
What is not covered by pet insurance?
What’s not covered by pet insurance is somewhat plan dependent. So always read the terms of your insurance policy. Sometimes pet insurance plans do not cover behavioral issues like anxiety, barking and destructive behaviors. Behavioral issues can be surprisingly expensive and even more frustrating to treat. So be aware before decide with any plan.
Explain Pre-Existing Conditions
The feared pre-existing condition is one issue that is almost never covered by pet insurance coverage. If your pet has a health condition before you purchase pet insurance it will likely not be covered. This is because pet insurance is designed to cover unexpected medical expenses, not pre-existing conditions. Let’s explain pre-existing conditions with an example Disc herniations let’s say you the pet owner have a dachshund. Who suddenly one day begins is acting painful not wanting to move and needs to see their Primary Vet. Primary Vet that you go to identifies back pain as the cause of the symptoms. Prescribe some pain medications and rest. The symptoms resolved within a couple of weeks. Then let’s say about one month later it happens again. You do some research and you discover this is very likely a herniated disc in your dog’s back. Your research disc herniations online and gets scared about all the bad things that can result from a herniated disc in dogs. Then you want to look into getting insurance to cover the cost of MRI and surgery in the future. if this problem worsens. But unfortunately it’s too late to get coverage for this or any other disease that could manifest as spinal pain going forward. Because this is now considered a pre-existing condition. Just think of it in this way the Insurance company’s eyes the back pain that occurred a month ago was quite possibly if not probably due to this current problem. Thus the current problem already existed a month ago. Insurance companies will look for any and all possible symptoms in your pet’s medical history and seek to assign those symptoms to a current problem. if there is any possible connection between prior symptoms and a recent disease it could easily be considered pre-existing. And thus not be covered by a plan. So it is very important to get your insurance as early in your pet’s life as possible before they show any symptoms.
Important note for pet lovers
Some breeds like French bulldogs, English bulldogs and brachycephalic breeds. who are inherently malformed by their breed standard it’s important to get pet insurance the absolute minute you get these pets.
How Do I Choose The Right Policy?
Choosing the right pet insurance policy can honestly be pretty overwhelming. But there are three things keep in mind before making a decision these three things are
- coverage
- cost
- customer reviews
The coverage itself, the cost and the customer reviews. Before considering make sure to carefully review what is and was not covered by the policy. look for policies that cover accidents, illnesses and Emergency Care. But also depending on the breed hereditary and congenital conditions may need to be covered as well French Bulldogs.
Consider the monthly premium as well as any deductibles, co-pays and limits on coverage. Ensure that you can afford the policy you are thinking about purchasing and it provides adequate coverage for your pet’s needs. The monthly premiums also give you a good idea how healthy the breed of dog you’re getting is as a whole. Read customer reviews and ratings from the insurance providers. The feedback on the claims process. The customer service and overall satisfaction.