Is Pet Health Insurance worth it?

[vansX2]

They can’t insure the cat without knowing if it has pre-existing conditions. You are going to have to provide all your vet records.

I likey will just insure the younger boy first. He's more problematic, getting into to things he shouldn't and chewing on varies items. Sometimes I think I have a Puppy that meows. Jackpot was recently into the Veterinarian for a weeping eye and a 3yr. Rabies shot. So he will be the first insured. I'm wondering if Insurance companies charge owners of Purebreds more than others.

 

[vansX2]

I’ve written a few posts on this. Here’s my experience.

First - you hope you never use it. “Worth It” means you never get a dime back out of it. It’s like complaining that you wasted all your money on homeowner’s insurance because your house didn’t burn down.

I had 5 cats to insure, 3 kittens and two parents. All were under 3 years old when I insured them. I got a policy with Embrace with a $1,000 deductible/90% reimbursement, $15K annual limit, and then started saving for the deductible. The total premiums were initially less than $10 per cat. The deductible goes down $50 per year each year you don’t use it. The premiums held steady until they started getting older and then they were increasing every year, but were still less than one trip to the vet with tests. (Remember once you pick a company you’re committed because now you can’t change without pre-existing condition problems.)

Unfortunately I more than got my money back. The policy has paid out without any problems (e.g., $7,000 for pu surgery). Embrace is easy to deal with, you don’t even need claim forms any more and since I insured them so young, they claims adjuster doesn’t have to worry about making sure there’s no pre-existing conditions.

It’s also nice knowing that I made treatment decisions solely on my cat’s quality of life and not because “that’s too much money to spend on a cat.”

The purpose of insurance is too limit your risk. So for example, I knew that I wouldn’t have to spend more than $1,000 plus the cost of the premiums per year on accident/illness vet bills. This assumes of course that more than one cat didn’t get seriously ill in a year, which was very unlikely IMO.

Do you have to pay the Veterinarian First then submit a claim?

 

[reba]

I’ve always paid the vet first, though I think they will pay the vet directly (but most vet’s don’t go for that). Embrace always paid within three weeks. But like I said, I had the insurance since they were 1 year old, so there was no worries for the processor about denial based on pre-existing conditions. The online portal for submitting claims is really easy; you used to have to get the vet to sign off on claim forms, but now you don’t even have to do that any longer. They just need the receipt and you may have to have the vet send chart notes.

They even paid for the cost of putting him to sleep, though I don’t know if they pay for in-home euthanasia. Probably they just pay for part of it and not the home visit extra fees. Anyway, sorry, bad subject, but I’m still not over it.

 

[vansX2]

After reading a story today of a Cat seeing a Veterinarian multiple times in just one week. That story convinced me not too wait longer about getting pet insurance. I signed up with "Pets Best" having a $250. Deductible, 90 % Reimbursement. Unlimited cap.

 

[reba]

[

After reading a story today of a Cat seeing a Veterinarian multiple times in just one week. That story convinced me not too wait longer about getting pet insurance. I signed up with "Pets Best" having a $250. Deductible, 90 % Reimbursement. Unlimited cap.

Congrats! I hope you never have to use it, but IMO you’ll never regret having it either way.

 

[vansX2]

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Congrats! I hope you never have to use it, but IMO you’ll never regret having it either way.

I'm glad I reached out for help in making this decision. I saw a site on google that had a rating system of Pet Insurance. Pets Best had the highest rating of 98%. I chose a yearly payment over a monthly. Only a $11.61 savings, but this way its once and done. I like the fact that they offer a 24/7 call in for advice as part of the policy.