Dr. Shawn’s Blog

Pet Insurance-Good to Have But Check Out Your Policy Before Buying

December 2, 2011 on 7:36 am | In General Posts | No Comments

I’m a big fan of pet insurance. For those pet owners who might not be able to afford expensive care for their pets and have to seriously consider euthanasia for the pet that suffers from expensive yet treatable condition, pet insurance can literally be lifesaving for the pet. And when you consider that the average cost for an emergency is over $1000, and the average cost to treat a pet with cancer is between $5000 and $10,000, it becomes apparent that having pet health insurance is a must for many pet owners.

However, it’s important to check out potential policies before purchasing them. Some policies have a limit on how much they will pay for a procedure (for example, $100 for an X-ray even though the X-ray might cost $300,) whereas others will cover most of the cost (typically 80%) of a procedure once a small deductible is paid for by the pet owner, regardless of the actual cost of the procedure.

One piece of advice I give to my clients who are considering purchasing pet health insurance is to call the company and find out what will be covered, what won’t be covered (usually pre-existing conditions and congenital problems will not be covered,) and how much reimbursement the owner can expect for common procedures such as emergency clinic visits, emergency surgeries, treatment of common conditions such as skin and ear infections, and cancer therapy.

Finally, since most pet owners are interested in using some sort of natural therapy to help their pets, is very important to find out if the policy you are considering purchasing will cover natural therapies including nutritional supplements, herbs, homeopathics, chiropractic care, acupuncture, etc. Not all policies cover these therapies, even though these therapies are often less expensive than conventional medical therapies and improve the pet’s health, which results in lower medical expenses over the life of the pet.
The good news is that once you find a policy that meets your needs, you can go to any veterinarian you wish. The veterinarian is not involved in the transaction at all other than to sign your insurance form which allows you to be reimbursed for the cost of your visit once you submit your claim to the insurance company.