Pet Health Insurance

RE: Pet Health Insurance Post By Angela (Guest Post) (07/16/2008) Upfront I have to say that I work for Pets Best Insurance, but I will tell you honestly that if I *didn't* work for Pets Best, it's still the insurance I would choose. I became a true believer when I submitted my claim without telling anyone at work and received my check back within two weeks for exactly what I thought it would be (80% of the bill after taking out my $75 deductible). I get to work with policyholders who write and tell us how thrilled they are with our coverage and customer service. Knowing that we're making a difference is a huge incentive for us all to keep working hard to help as many pets and pet owners as we can. My policy costs $32 each month, which is a little higher than some, but the peace of mind I have knowing that I'm covered up to $7000 for each accident and illness is worth it. (If I wanted to, I could chose a policy with a lower premium and be covered up to $2500 per accident or illness. I just personally like the higher coverage as I've seen checks leave the office for $7000 on many ocassions.) Having the help for veterinary bills helps me worry less when my dog is acting sick or hurt. It really does provide quite a bit of peace of mind. Even if you decide it's not for you (since the choice to buy pet insurance is as individual as the pet owner), it's wise to at least know that it's available. One word of advice: buying when your pet is young will help ensure that the majority of illnesses will be covered as most (if not all) companies don't cover pre-existing illnesses. http://www.petsbest.com Report Spam or Abuse RE: Pet Health Insurance Post By William (Guest Post) (05/20/2008) I would recommend considering pet insurance. Many people think of it as an "investment" but it is really an "expense" just like car or homeowners insurance. The advent of pet insurance has really helped to reduce the "economic euthanasia" that used to occur. So often, pet owners would have to put their pet down due to the inability to pay for veterinary bills that were too high. Now for less than what many people pay for cable television each month, a pet lover's pet can be protected from most ailments. It's vitally important to research policies, however, as pet insurance policies are not the same as human health insurance policies. Many customer complaints are due to being mis-informed about terms used in many policies its really important to research before you purchase. I recently found a site, http://www.thebestpetinsurance.com that has some valuable information when researching a policy and determining whom to purchase one from. Hope this is helful. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Pet Health Insurance Post by micksgirl (184) | (04/23/2008) Profile | Contact http://personalinsure.about.com/cs/petinsurance/a/aa051103a.htm This is an article from about.com about pet insurance Report Spam or Abuse RE: Insurance VS Savings Post By BNJ (Guest Post) (04/18/2008) I fully disagree on the idea of putting money aside for a lot of reasons. 1. you have to have the discipline to put the money aside. 2. you have to have the discipline to not 'dip into it' for your own reasons. And most importantly 3. what if your buddy got hit by a car or something happened in a week? Your $30 won't cover squat! It's amazing how many people over-look that. You all really need to think about how much veterinary medicine really costs. Sure you may get lucky and have a pet that never needs anything, but thats like saying your car will never break down or you'll never get in an accident, you just can't plan for that. I think within 4-5 years, pet insurance will become pretty normal. As KB said on the first one, I'd also recommend Vet Insurance (NOT VPI!!!!!) in Canada, which is actually Trupanion in the US. They are based in the Seattle area and what she had said about coverage is true, except that you must get the coverage while your pet is under 1yr old. Its by far the best coverage out there, and they do cover congenital and hereditary things if you want. Please do your homework, and know that just because a company says they'll cover something doesn't mean they really will. I looked into one company (can't remember the name) that said they cover hereditary, but its a one hundred dollar maximum coverage! What a scam! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Pet Health Insurance Post By KB (Guest Post) (04/16/2008) I have worked in the Veterinary Industry for over 6 yrs. Too often I saw the pain on a pet owners face, when they had to make the very difficult decision of financial euthanasia. Because of this, I became territory partners with a company in Canada called Vetinsurance. I enrolled all 3 of my pets over 5 year ago and have made numerous claims. It has been worth it for me and I am extremely thankful that I have that peace of mind. We offer $20 000 of lifetime coverage for accidents and illnesses. There are no limits per year, claim, procedure, illness. It's like having an open chequebook for $20 000 that you can use for those unexpected vet bills. We never increase costs or change coverage as you make claims or as your pet ages. We enroll pets from between 8wks - 13yr. We are now in the United States under a different name. Trupanion. Trupanion only enrolls puppies and kittens between 8wks-1yr. Go to www.petinsurancereview.com to read real consumer reviews. I have numerous friends enrolled with Vetinsurance and they are all happy they have it "just in case". Good Luck! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Pet Health Insurance Post By Mandalyn (Guest Post) (04/16/2008) Why not just make yourself save that 20 bucks you'd be sending them every month and put it someplace safe where you won't be tempted to spend it? That way you don't have to worry about an insurance company ripping you off and if an emergency does happen then you'll have most (if not all) of the cash already set aside. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Pet Health Insurance Post By Brandon James (Guest Post) (04/16/2008) I've actually done a lot of research into pet insurance and I got this free guide to pet insurance on a site, http://www.pet-insurance-information.com - It really helps answer a lot of typical questions and pitfalls some pet owners get into when getting a pet insurance policy. Also, the site has a cool chart that breaks down 5 companies. It's worth the look.. Report Spam or Abuse Request: Pet Health Insurance Post by Laurel_admin (394) | (04/16/2008) Contact Does anyone have any feedback on pet health insurance? How much does it cost, is it worth it? Any feedback would be appreciated. Sam Answers: RE: Pet Health Insurance I don't know that you would call it insurance, but we have a wellness plan with Banfield. It prepays for all the shots and tests that would be needed and gives comprehensive check up twice a year. When you sign up a puppy you are given the choice of a free neuter or spay, or bone scan. I find it invaluable for me as we have 2 animals and always have had trouble finding the money to take care of shots, let alone check ups to catch any problem early. (03/15/2005) By johnsonya RE: Pet Health Insurance sorry, I forgot to mention the cost. The cost is nominal. It costs us approx. $12 for our cat and $15 monthly for the dog. (03/15/2005) By johnsonya RE: Pet Health Insurance I had pet insurance for both of our dogs, one of them just a puppy about 8 or 10 weeks, they would not cover anything other than his regular check ups. BECAUSE of his breed! The other had a major problem before I got the insurance, I was paying 153 bucks a months, and it did not help me out at all. I think in almost a year I got back about 20 bucks from the insurance co. Even our vet told me to drop it! (03/15/2005) By Rosa RE: Pet Health Insurance According to Consumer Reports, pet health insurance is usually not worth the cost. Unless you have an animal who has known tendencies toward hereditary problems or who is very accident-prone, you end up paying more in premiums than you get back in benefits. Consumer Reports recommends instead that you set up a savings account that you regularly add money to, and keep that set aside for veterinarian expenses. That way if you need it it's there, but if you don't need it you still have the money. (03/15/2005) By RE: Pet Health Insurance We purchased pet insurance for our Yorkie when he was about a year old. Previously, the vet found a small heart murmur when he was a few months old. Obviously the heart murmur would have been a pre-existing condition, but after we got the insurance any time we submitted a claim that even mentioned "heart" (heart rate, etc.) the claim would be denied, leading to many letters from vets to the company. This plan that we had did not cover routine shots and check ups. We canceled it. Wasn't worth our money or time! (03/16/2005) By RE: Pet Health Insurance It's pretty expensive. I would say unless you suspect you will have problems its not worth it. The one I looked at was min 35$CAN a month up to 70$ for the 1 visit a year that costs 200$ not worth it. (04/19/2005) By angie79 Report Spam or Abuse