The costs of veterinary care seem to have skyrocketed since I was young, and most things that go wrong are still costing a pretty penny even if they are fairly minor issues that antibiotics can deal with. But insurance costs are steep too, especially with four pets to cover. I was thinking it might not be the worst idea to pick one animal out of the bunch that I would really be heartbroken over not being able to give the best treatment to regardless of costs, and just insure that one with full coverage and the rest on catastrophic accident only type in case of injury, but not chronic illness. In this case, the youngest kitten would be the beneficiary of the comprehensive plan, and I'm considering the fact that Embrace actually covers the exam costs and has the deductible reduction per year without claims, but Healthy paws has lower premiums, and Figo has the option for 100% coverage after a $500 deductible. Does anyone have any experience with this or perspectives to offer in making a choice between providers?
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what do you all think about pet health insurance?
- Thread starter VOXLEO
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Have a good look at all the providers. A couple of years ago I found one that was started by a group of people that were fed up of paying high policies so joined together and created a company. They are brilliant, cheap for a reasonable coverage and so quick to pay out with no hassle. I live in the UK but maybe there is something similar where you live.
A good insurance is the safest bet and I wish I could get one. The only pet insurance available in Turkey covers only accidents. So really hard to give much thought without knowing the full details of the insurance.
In a situation like yours I would check if there is an insurance plan/company that does discounts when you have multiple pets. If you can't get insurance for all the pets, another consideration is getting a cheaper insurance for all of them if available, or putting money every month and invest it and save up for the vet expenses. Your plan of getting insurance for only one of them will not work well if that one stays well and another gets health problems.
In a situation like yours I would check if there is an insurance plan/company that does discounts when you have multiple pets. If you can't get insurance for all the pets, another consideration is getting a cheaper insurance for all of them if available, or putting money every month and invest it and save up for the vet expenses. Your plan of getting insurance for only one of them will not work well if that one stays well and another gets health problems.
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I don't think pet insurance is worth it. It usually doesn't work like people insurance - you have to pay 100% up front and then the pet insurance reimburses you (depending on your coverage). Pre-existing is NEVER covered (from all the plans I looked at). Of all the vets in my area that I called, only one took insurance "up front" (Tru-panion I think it is called).
IMO, better to just keep putting that money into pet emergency savings account. Care Credit is a good card to have and fairly easy to get.
IMO, better to just keep putting that money into pet emergency savings account. Care Credit is a good card to have and fairly easy to get.
It can be worthwhile but you REALLY need to do your research on several different providers so you know what you're getting into. Some are scummy and will do everything they can to get out of paying, and many (like was mentioned above) will make you pay out of pocket first then reimburse you, and are anything but timely.
You also need to pay close attention to deductibles and "we don't cover this" clauses.
You also need to pay close attention to deductibles and "we don't cover this" clauses.
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Call to your local vets and vet ER. You will find most will not take pet insurance as an "up front" method of payment.
Some pet insurance companies are pretty good about reimbursements, but if you are looking for an "up front" payment method, I would not consider pet insurance the solution.
At around $ 35.00/mo for a kitten or healthy young cat, plus a $ 500/deductible, you are looking at 920.00/yr before anything is covered.
Some pet insurance companies are pretty good about reimbursements, but if you are looking for an "up front" payment method, I would not consider pet insurance the solution.
At around $ 35.00/mo for a kitten or healthy young cat, plus a $ 500/deductible, you are looking at 920.00/yr before anything is covered.
I have three cats who are insured, the three youngest, and made a mistake that I am still kicking myself for in not insuring an older dog given where his health went AFTER I declined the insurance.
If you are absolutely able to save thousands for vet bills, it is not necessary, but I do mean that literally....not like once in a while you put 50 dollars in a savings account.
I have ASPCA and have been happy with them, but friends have other companies as well. They have paid exactly what the plan specifies. Some vets will take assignment but most want you to pay up front; however, you will be reimbursed by the company.
It also depends on what level of care you want to provide for your pets, and I don't mean that some people are not good or responsible pet owners. One of my friends who is an excellent pet owner puts all animals to sleep as soon as they develop any serious condition. Just the way he looks at it...no dogs in dog carts and no cats being treated for cancer.
The only caveat I would give is to make sure with which ever company you choose that you ask about changes in the policy. Choose carefully initially because most of the companies have clauses where if you change the terms of the policy such as having a lower deductible it creates a "new" policy and everything that happened before that is pre existing.
If older cats have pre existing conditions they might have those conditions excluded, so be sure to ask.
I would have been beyond thrilled if I had paid $1000 up front on most serious vet treatment and that was the end of it.
If you are absolutely able to save thousands for vet bills, it is not necessary, but I do mean that literally....not like once in a while you put 50 dollars in a savings account.
I have ASPCA and have been happy with them, but friends have other companies as well. They have paid exactly what the plan specifies. Some vets will take assignment but most want you to pay up front; however, you will be reimbursed by the company.
It also depends on what level of care you want to provide for your pets, and I don't mean that some people are not good or responsible pet owners. One of my friends who is an excellent pet owner puts all animals to sleep as soon as they develop any serious condition. Just the way he looks at it...no dogs in dog carts and no cats being treated for cancer.
The only caveat I would give is to make sure with which ever company you choose that you ask about changes in the policy. Choose carefully initially because most of the companies have clauses where if you change the terms of the policy such as having a lower deductible it creates a "new" policy and everything that happened before that is pre existing.
If older cats have pre existing conditions they might have those conditions excluded, so be sure to ask.
I would have been beyond thrilled if I had paid $1000 up front on most serious vet treatment and that was the end of it.
I do think it's a risk. In the US we know how difficulty navigating health insurance can be for humans, and veterinary insurance is newer and less regulated. If you can save up what you would have paid to insurance each month for a veterinary expenses fund instead, you'll probably be better off most of the time, at least in the present.
I'm not saying that there aren't occasions where pet insurance is the right choice, but I do think you have to be very careful. My cat is FIV positive, so in theory every single condition she could ever develop and need treatment for wouldn't be paid for, because she has a pre-existing condition and who's to say the FIV didn't cause it? The exception would be injury due to accident, which is so unlikely that it makes more sense to save for it.
So many cats come from shelters with at least 1 minor thing that's already been diagnosed or suspected, so it's hard to avoid pre-existing conditions altogether, and that's a good place for the insurance company to get tricky about covering claims.
I do think it's possible that the value of pet insurance will increase over time as the market grows and customers get more savvy and have higher expectations and more options. Maybe for future cats I'll consider it. But I'll definitely want to follow the advice given here in this thread and do very thorough research and calculations first.
I'm not saying that there aren't occasions where pet insurance is the right choice, but I do think you have to be very careful. My cat is FIV positive, so in theory every single condition she could ever develop and need treatment for wouldn't be paid for, because she has a pre-existing condition and who's to say the FIV didn't cause it? The exception would be injury due to accident, which is so unlikely that it makes more sense to save for it.
So many cats come from shelters with at least 1 minor thing that's already been diagnosed or suspected, so it's hard to avoid pre-existing conditions altogether, and that's a good place for the insurance company to get tricky about covering claims.
I do think it's possible that the value of pet insurance will increase over time as the market grows and customers get more savvy and have higher expectations and more options. Maybe for future cats I'll consider it. But I'll definitely want to follow the advice given here in this thread and do very thorough research and calculations first.
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I have trupanion pet insurance for my 3 kitties, and had it for my first cat. At first I wasnt too happy when I was fighting for payment for teeth removal and the fact they upped it $20 so it became $64/month for my 14 year old cat. But then Felicity got very sick, her vet bills the last 4 years of her life would have been well over $22,000. She had teeth removed due to forl, pancreatitis issues, mammary tumor removed, and gi lymphoma. And since trupanion does direct bill I don't have to worry about covering costs up front which is nice. Vet bills are just insanely costly, and I can't afford a $5,000 vet bill but since I don't want my babies to suffer I budget the pet insurance in to my monthly budget. To me, being low income and only getting $19,000/year pet insurance is a must.
Jethro already would have costed me over $1,000 at 10 months old when he injured his jaw playing and it was very painful for him to eat. He just would frantically paw at his mouth and wouldn't eat much at all. He would barely drink and just seemed so uncomfortable. He got dental xrays, xrays, and medication, plus it costed $170 just to send the xray to a specialist to take a few minutes to review it... like wow lol. Their vet is a bit more expensive, but she is force free which to me means everything. Felicity had such a horrible time at the emergency vet that she was extremely fearful at the vet afterwards. It broke my heart, so I wanna take my kitties to a vet who will handle them with care.
Pet insurance to me is worth it as I can not afford emergency vet bills. Straight up lol.
Jethro already would have costed me over $1,000 at 10 months old when he injured his jaw playing and it was very painful for him to eat. He just would frantically paw at his mouth and wouldn't eat much at all. He would barely drink and just seemed so uncomfortable. He got dental xrays, xrays, and medication, plus it costed $170 just to send the xray to a specialist to take a few minutes to review it... like wow lol. Their vet is a bit more expensive, but she is force free which to me means everything. Felicity had such a horrible time at the emergency vet that she was extremely fearful at the vet afterwards. It broke my heart, so I wanna take my kitties to a vet who will handle them with care.
Pet insurance to me is worth it as I can not afford emergency vet bills. Straight up lol.
Off topic I know, but just wanted to point out you aren’t paying just for the specialist time in the moment but the 12+ years of education it took them to become the specialist and the experience they provide. Not saying I agree with the fee amount but just wanted to provide my $.02.
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Yeah, the amazing advances in veterinary medicine of the last few decades and the increased cost of care are two sides of the same coin unfortunately. The more vet care starts to look like human health care with the types of specialists and advanced procedures available the more pet insurance makes sense imo
Completely agree! Add to the mix the never ending rise in education costs. Vet school tuition at Kansas State University in 2000 was $5,674 per year for in-state. Current in-state tuition, $26,000 per year! A 458% increase in 20 years!
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I would have pet insurance if it worked like people insurance, but it doesn't. You can't just show the card and then get a bill later. Although one vet ER in my area does take Trupanion up front, but that is the only one. And I researched many.
I would suggest contacting the vet or ER you would be going to in an emergency and see what insurance (if any) they take. Perhaps base your decision on that.
I would suggest contacting the vet or ER you would be going to in an emergency and see what insurance (if any) they take. Perhaps base your decision on that.
