Pet Insurance Pre Existing

darcifinn

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hi -

I am thinking about getting pet insurance for our new kittens. The one challenge is the Vet said one may have feline herpes. He has not been tested and has only been seen once when he was stuffy. Would this still count as a pre existing condition? Does anyone know.

Thanks,

Erin
 

Pixxelated

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Well, insurance companies are funny like that... if your vet wrote in the notes on his medical history that it is suspected herpes, chances are the insurer will terminate your policy if you don’t declare it. Or if you don’t get the correct level of cover (in their eyes).

You could get a cover that also covers pre-existing conditions, but it might be very expensive.

Another thing to watch out for with pet insurance is the company you go with... personally I have had nothing but headaches with mine, to the point where I had to get the government regulator involved here in Britain.

Might be different for you and where you live. But I would definitely not risk not declaring it, personally.
 

Neo_23

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I actually just terminated my pet insurance because the vet wrote down so many notes on our first visit with my newly adopted cat that I knew everything would be considered a pre-existing condition and wouldn't be worth it. In my opinion pet insurance is only worth it if you have recently adopted a cat that has been given a clean bill of health on their first visit.
 

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Your cats are so gorgeous! They look similar to mine too...a black long haired kitty & a grey & white long haired kitty :hyper:

If your vet wrote a diagnosis OR even symptoms in the patient's chart notes, then when your insurance company asks for the records, it will be considered a preexisting condition.

My cats have been insured with Embrace Pet Insurance since 2014. I have never had to use the "insurance" part of my plan (for accidents & illnesses) but I have used the "wellness rider" and have been pleased so far. There are some insurance companies where the "wellness riders" are not worth adding because you spend more then you get back & it's a waste of money. With Embrace, I paid $390 for the Wellness rider when I renewed last year and they gave me $450 back, which I used for his annual checkup, senior profile, krill oil supplements and some raw goat milk & fish stock. It was basically a free $60.

Back to your question...the good news is, even though the Feline Herpes will be considered a preexisting condition (if your vet did, in fact, document it in the chart notes), you will still be covered for anything else that may come up in your cat's life, such as tumors, cancer, hypothyroidism, etc. Besides, I don't think Feline Herpes is very expensive to treat.

If you do end up deciding to get insurance, ask if they will do a MEDICAL HISTORY REVIEW. Embrace offers this service when you first sign up for a policy. My cats were 8 years old and 3 years old when I signed them up in 2014. I had my vet office send over the "chart notes" for each cat so embrace could perform a "medical history review". Kali(3yo) was found to be completely healthy so any accident or illness will be covered for life, as long as my policy is in good standing. For Malibu, my vet had in his notes that he had some tarter buildup on his teeth so they excluded "Periodontal Disease" for the life of the policy. Anything having to do with the teeth and/or gums will not be covered.
 
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darcifinn

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Sorry I have not responded. I appreciate the feedback. I am still conflicted about insurance. Knowing the cost and the deductible meant I needed about 2k a year worth of vet bills to make it worth it. My husband and I are lucky to be in the position to be able to afford the care if we have too. I am just trying to do the smart thing.
 
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darcifinn

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Your cats are so gorgeous! They look similar to mine too...a black long haired kitty & a grey & white long haired kitty :hyper:

If your vet wrote a diagnosis OR even symptoms in the patient's chart notes, then when your insurance company asks for the records, it will be considered a preexisting condition.

My cats have been insured with Embrace Pet Insurance since 2014. I have never had to use the "insurance" part of my plan (for accidents & illnesses) but I have used the "wellness rider" and have been pleased so far. There are some insurance companies where the "wellness riders" are not worth adding because you spend more then you get back & it's a waste of money. With Embrace, I paid $390 for the Wellness rider when I renewed last year and they gave me $450 back, which I used for his annual checkup, senior profile, krill oil supplements and some raw goat milk & fish stock. It was basically a free $60.

Back to your question...the good news is, even though the Feline Herpes will be considered a preexisting condition (if your vet did, in fact, document it in the chart notes), you will still be covered for anything else that may come up in your cat's life, such as tumors, cancer, hypothyroidism, etc. Besides, I don't think Feline Herpes is very expensive to treat.

If you do end up deciding to get insurance, ask if they will do a MEDICAL HISTORY REVIEW. Embrace offers this service when you first sign up for a policy. My cats were 8 years old and 3 years old when I signed them up in 2014. I had my vet office send over the "chart notes" for each cat so embrace could perform a "medical history review". Kali(3yo) was found to be completely healthy so any accident or illness will be covered for life, as long as my policy is in good standing. For Malibu, my vet had in his notes that he had some tarter buildup on his teeth so they excluded "Periodontal Disease" for the life of the policy. Anything having to do with the teeth and/or gums will not be covered.
Your cats are so gorgeous! They look similar to mine too...a black long haired kitty & a grey & white long haired kitty :hyper:

If your vet wrote a diagnosis OR even symptoms in the patient's chart notes, then when your insurance company asks for the records, it will be considered a preexisting condition.

My cats have been insured with Embrace Pet Insurance since 2014. I have never had to use the "insurance" part of my plan (for accidents & illnesses) but I have used the "wellness rider" and have been pleased so far. There are some insurance companies where the "wellness riders" are not worth adding because you spend more then you get back & it's a waste of money. With Embrace, I paid $390 for the Wellness rider when I renewed last year and they gave me $450 back, which I used for his annual checkup, senior profile, krill oil supplements and some raw goat milk & fish stock. It was basically a free $60.

Back to your question...the good news is, even though the Feline Herpes will be considered a preexisting condition (if your vet did, in fact, document it in the chart notes), you will still be covered for anything else that may come up in your cat's life, such as tumors, cancer, hypothyroidism, etc. Besides, I don't think Feline Herpes is very expensive to treat.

If you do end up deciding to get insurance, ask if they will do a MEDICAL HISTORY REVIEW. Embrace offers this service when you first sign up for a policy. My cats were 8 years old and 3 years old when I signed them up in 2014. I had my vet office send over the "chart notes" for each cat so embrace could perform a "medical history review". Kali(3yo) was found to be completely healthy so any accident or illness will be covered for life, as long as my policy is in good standing. For Malibu, my vet had in his notes that he had some tarter buildup on his teeth so they excluded "Periodontal Disease" for the life of the policy. Anything having to do with the teeth and/or gums will not be covered.

I am going to look at Embrace it may be a better option. Thanks for taking the time to detail it! Also thanks for the compliment on my kittens!
 

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I'm very thankful right now that Radar had insurance - his vet bills for his polyp surgery are currently up to £6k (around $8.5k USD) - the insurance at least covers the first £4k of that. We're still going to be on a tight household budget for the forseeable future, but I don't want to think about the alternative.

By all means, if you are good at saving money and can put $8.5k of savings aside per cat, then go for it uninsured.
 
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darcifinn

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We actually spent 8k in August trying to save our Maine Coon Finny from Chylothorax. Unfortunately we couldn’t but it was money well spent because we know we did everything we could.
 
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darcifinn

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I'm very thankful right now that Radar had insurance - his vet bills for his polyp surgery are currently up to £6k (around $8.5k USD) - the insurance at least covers the first £4k of that. We're still going to be on a tight household budget for the forseeable future, but I don't want to think about the alternative.

By all means, if you are good at saving money and can put $8.5k of savings aside per cat, then go for it uninsured.
I do want to say I hope your kitty is ok and the polyp surgery was a success.
 

epona

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We actually spent 8k in August trying to save our Maine Coon Finny from Chylothorax. Unfortunately we couldn’t but it was money well spent because we know we did everything we could.
So sorry to hear that. And yes I think it's important for your own peace of mind to know that you tried as hard as you could and acted in the best interests of your little beloved one.

I do want to say I hope your kitty is ok and the polyp surgery was a success.
Thank you, the surgery itself went well but he's been on a feeding tube (e-tube) since, it's ups and downs. Like for a few days he has eaten well by himself, but today nothing so far - I may have to give a tube feed later and try an appetite stimulant again. I'm feeling a little down at the moment, because it's 2 steps forwards 1 step back...
 
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darcifinn

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So sorry to hear that. And yes I think it's important for your own peace of mind to know that you tried as hard as you could and acted in the best interests of your little beloved one.



Thank you, the surgery itself went well but he's been on a feeding tube (e-tube) since, it's ups and downs. Like for a few days he has eaten well by himself, but today nothing so far - I may have to give a tube feed later and try an appetite stimulant again. I'm feeling a little down at the moment, because it's 2 steps forwards 1 step back...
Please try to focus on the two forward. It is so easy to get discouraged.
 

ailish

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I have PetPlan and it seems to be similar to the Embrace, in that it won't cover anything related to herpes if he has it, but it will cover anything else.
 
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