Is pet insurance really worth it?
Friday, November 25th, 2011 at
7:07 pm
I have two dogs and a cat, and normal vet bills can really add up. Just wondering if pet insurance was really worth it.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for all the advise, especially about the wellness plans. They are exactly what I am looking for.
Filed under: Pet Insurance
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One of my kids has VPI insurance and it’s saved her a great deal of money with her Chocolate Lab
I personally do think it is . However if you do decide to find out find out FIRST what best suits your costs and needs . find out just what is covered and what % find out your deductible , monthly or annual insurance will cost you . God forbid your dog gets sick or injured , the bills will pile up , even if as a last resort he – she has to be put down . I hope it never happens . Now e,g, my friends rot was hit by a car broke his left rear leg in 2 places and he had to have it amputated . after all the bills therapy classes etc he had spent nearly $ 4000. I am sure insurance would wave helped a lot . I have ins on both my pittys and Boxer . I guess in the end its up to you to make the decision for yourself . Hope everything works out for ya .
Consumer Reports says no.
1. Does not cover pre-existing conditions.
2. Does not cover congenital defects
3. May not cover issues common to some breeds
4. High deductibles
5. High co-pays
Usually, the combination of the premiums plus co-pays cost more than most vet services except for extreme situations. Pay the premiums into your savings account and if you need it, you’ll have it. If you don’t need it, you’ll still have it.
http://www.consumerreports.org/pets/0307vet2.html
depends if you got from a breeder that health tests stock or not
my papillon is from a pet store and i am looking at $6000+ surgery bills
so for she has only cost me $100 a month in pills
how big are your two plus a cat
have to talk and ask what the policy covers and costs and make a decision
i put $5000 in an emergency vet fund
I just use a pet savings account that I put money in monthly. If I used pet insurance it would be a major medical type policy and not one that also pays for the normal yearly stuff. I can easily pay for the normal stuff. A $1500 ACL surgery would be a big ouch for me without the savings account. If you decide to go with pet insurance read the policy very carefully. Call the company with any questions before writing the check. Many of these companies have a lot of breed exclusions.
We almost got it. For our dogs shots,we buy this one shot that protects them from all kinds of stuff and we give it to them ourselves then we just get the vet to do rabies. And it saves alot. Also,if something is wrong with your pet,call a few vets first and see what they think you can do (home remedies ect) and that will also save you lots of money. There are tons of ways to save money on animals vet bills. So I would say try this stuff first then see if you really need pet insurance.
It depends on your perspective. If you expect pet insurance to be an investment that pays you more than you put in, you are likely to be disappointed. When you buy car insurance you don’t expect to get a return. The same applies to home owners insurance.
You buy pet insurance for the peace of mind that if you have a serious issue you won’t be in the position of making life and death decisions based on whether you can pay a Vet bill.
There are many plans that might suit you needs. High deductible policies have lower premiums but protect against big bills. If you buy insurance when your dog is young as a puppy it’s unlikely that you will have any pre-existing conditions, and there are companies that cover hereditary conditions if they are not pre-existing.
PurinaCare is one of the most straight forward, comprehensive pet insurance companies around. Spend some time on their web site below. They have a variety of plans that might suit your needs. You can even compare their plans with all the other plans in one place on the web site.
You can insure cats very inexpensively. Skip a couple of Lattes and you’ve got the monthly premium covered in most cases.
if you want to have insurance for pets some of the officers of the that related company will come with doctors whether your pets are healthy or not. If your pets are healthy they will get the insurance for your pets for some amount with some timeperiod. They will put some tags to your pets that they have insurance. If they die with in the timeperiod they will give you 80% of money on which amount they insuranced
IMO I prefer a wellness plan. It covers all vaccinations and problems associated with my breed. Like hip testing and hip surgery. I haven’t looked into pet insurance, because the only person I knew that had it was paying 200 a month. I can afford that, and I feel that the wellness plan coverage let’s me decide which category suits my dog and their needs. I’m able to upgrade my plan at anytime. And its 20 dollars a month.
Pet insurance is good for unexpected accidents and illnesses. They can get expensive quickly, so it’s nice to have insurance to cover the costs. Pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions, so if your pet is already sick or injured, it is unlikely that pet insurance will cover the costs to treat it.
For other costs like regular exams and vaccines, it’s best to self-budget since these costs are expected. Some pet insurance companies offer coverage, but it is typically not cost-effective. (Imagine paying an extra $200 per year on your premiums for $200 worth of routine coverage…)
A few good questions to ask when researching pet insurance are:
1. Does the policy cover everything? Hereditary and congenital issues?
2. What are the payout limits? Will it be enough money for my worst case scenario?
3. How much does it cover for each condition?
4. What are the pricing and deductible options?
5. Is it an ongoing policy? If my pet has an illness during my first policy year, will it be covered the next policy year?
Be sure to do thorough research – Some plans don’t pay based on your actual bill, but have lists of predetermined dollar amounts that they will pay for each condition which can be shockingly low in many cases. I would recommend getting an actual insurance plan that covers based on your bill so that you are never faced with a difficult and expensive situation when you *thought* you were covered.
We cover 90% of the actual bill for diagnostic testing, treatments, surgeries and medications including emergency and specialist visits. Trupanion is also the only provider to offer a $0 deductible option.
Feel free to give customer service a call and get a no-obligation quote to ask all the necessary questions and find out what’s best for you.