Pet Health Insurance
""Pet health insurance is becoming an essential part of the care you provide for your dog, cat or other type of pet. Like human health care costs, pet health costs are also increasing, particularly in light of many human treatment advances being effective in pets." According to the Wall Street Journal, pet health expenses totaled $12.2 billion in 2009, making health insurance an important part of paying for all that pet care."
Pet Health Insurance Premiums
Dog health insurance monthly costs can range from $10 to $75 a month. Fees will vary based on where you live, the type of dog and a dog's age.
Buy puppy insurance or kitten insurance, said another way, when your pet is young. Most policies will not cover pre-existing conditions. Some, but not all insurance companies will not offer older dog insurance or older cat insurance.
According to the Chicago
Tribune, the average cost of a dog is $1,350 per year. Dr.
Louise Murray, who is the author of "Vet
Confidential: An Insider's Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health
Dr. Murray recommends that $1,000 to $4,000 be set aside for pet health emergency expenses. The ASPCA reports that pet health insurance costs $19/mo. for dogs and $15/mo. for cats. Typical deductibles are $200 for each incident and claim reimbursement at 80%.
Questions to Ask When Comparing Pet Health Insurance Plans
- Reimbursement for specific types of treatment or health procedures
- Out of pocket expenses
- Well pet care such as teeth cleaning, checkups and vaccinations
- Check if premiums will rise every year when the policy is renewed such as as your pet gets older
- See if premiums will rise based on the number of claims you submit
- Determine if you need to pay pet medical expenses up front or will the insurance pay the veterinarian directly
- Specialist Care (dermatologists, oncologists - cancer)
- Ask about Multi pet Discounts
- Coverage for congenital problems
How to Buy Dog and Cat Health Insurance:
Comparison shop different plans and ask for a quote for your specific dog, cat or pet. Most plans offer a basic level of insurance and then premium levels. The difference is usually the lifetime limit of total health care expenses, annual limit and per incident limit.
- A per
incident deductible that is applied to all treatments
associated with an incident, which is usually $100 in total,
with all other expenses over $100 paid in full by the insurance
company when you total all expenses together covered.
- Per incident limit: a basic plan will usually pay up to approximately $2500 for incident or problem. A premium plan will pay up to $14,000 per incident.
- Lifetime limit: This can range from $42,000 to $100,000.
Click through some of the links below and look directly at the insurers website vs. relying on information that is summarized on line.
Popular Pet Health Insurance Companies:
Pets Best Pet Insurance: This was the first pet health insurance company. It was founded by a veterinarian who was upset that owners couldn't afford pet health care. They offer three levels of plans and allow you to visit any veterinarian . They do offer health insurance for older dogs.
Trupanion Pet Insurance:QuickCare Pet Insurance Coverage
References:
North American Pet Health Insurance Association
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I heard about pet insurance last year from my cousin so I looked into it when I got my puppy last winter. I found that Trupanion pet insurance had the ...
