whats the best pet insurance for my cat? i need it for routine vet care..?
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at
9:14 pm
anyone with past experiences of plans.. or any reccomendations would be great!
Filed under: Pet Insurance
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I know it is very confusing when shopping for pet insurance. There are too many information out there and cause a case of information overload.
No pet insurance are the same and you need to find one that tailors to your cat’s need. You have to be careful when choosing because some insurance company place a low cap on their reimbursement even though you are paying for higher premiums. Some will have low deductibles but will not cover much illness or low coverage for accidents and diagnosis. Many insurance companies will not cover pre existing conditions.
I cannot recommend one that stood out from the rest because what my cat needs might be different from what you need.
However, there is a site with a lot of good and useful reviews on the insurance available that you can look into.
http://www.petinsurancereview.com/
http://www.pet-insurance-info.com
Some guidelines:-
How old is your pet? The best time to purchase a pet health insurance policy is when your pet is young. Most pet health problems happen in the last two years of your pet’s life. So, the younger your pet is, the better
Is your breed prone to medical problems? While policy premiums are generally not based on breed, certain hereditary conditions are excluded.
For instance, Persian cats are prone to polycystic kidney disease (PKD). You can still buy pet insurance for your Persian; just don’t be surprised if it fails to cover related issues (some pet insurance policies may cover this, so check with your provider to make sure before you buy).
Is your pet already sick? Most pet insurance providers won’t cover pre-existing conditions. However, if you can prove your pet had a condition that has been cured, that may be covered.
Can you choose your own veterinarian? For many pet owners, vet choice is key, and for good reason. Some pet insurance companies require you to use veterinarians on their own network. Others don’t. As always, check with your provider regarding your choice of veterinarian.
What is your pet’s lifestyle? If your dog or cat spends most of his time outdoors, that will increase his/her risk of illness or injury.
What is covered? Many pet owners purchase pet health insurance policies to protect themselves from the high cost of future medical problems. Others want regular pet care such as annual physical exams and routine checkups and cleanings.
Just be advised that most standard pet insurance policies cover catastrophic accidents and illnesses. Routine vet visits tend to come as add-ons and/or riders.
What State do you Live In? If you are searching on the internet for pet health insurance, you need to check this. Just because a provider does business online doesn’t mean it services your state.
Check The Insurance Company’s Track Record
Every state in the U.S. has an insurance commissioner. If the insurance company you are considering has had legal/ethical issues that should cause you concern, the insurance commissioner’s office in your state or province should know about it. Check with them before you buy.
VPI
One of the best is ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, and they have all kinds of plans so you can choose which is best for you. I haven’t had this insurance, but I hear that it’s very good.
The cheapest plan for cats starts at $6.99 a month and the most expensive is $47.31, and it coveres pretty much everything.
Here’s the website and you can read about it further. If you don’t like it, then ask your vet, he/she should have some brochures or something on a different insurance company. Good luck with your search =)
http://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/?utm_id=2000
You’ll find that most vets and pedigree cat breeders use and recommend Petplan. In most cases, there is no delay in the payment to you and your vet if a claim has been made. I use Petplan and have all of my cats insured through them. They aren’t the cheapest, but you get what you pay for.
By saying routine vet care, if you mean annual vaccinations, neutering, check ups, worming a flea treatments and dental cleaning, I’m afraid that these are not covered. Very few might cover dental cleaning, but it is only things like an accident or illness and recurring illness treatment (including prescription diets) that are generally covered.
It’s worth doing some reading up first to make sure you get the right insurance as different insurers have different requirements and coverage level. eg some insurers will not treat arthritic problems in cats older than 8 years old, or only cover an re-curring or long term illness for a short term.
There are other methods you can use such putting by an amount of your choice each month into a savings account that has a good interest rate, paying your vet in advance each month (some but not all vets do this) and there is also help for low income people to treat and neuter pets through the PDSA and the Bluecross.
Whatever you choose, just make sure you read all the small print first before signing on the dotted line to make exactly sure you get all the components you want for your kitty!