Pet Insurance For Your Beloved Pets * Spotlight My Health

DOGGIE INSURANCE

Have you been thinking about pet insurance for your beloved pets? I’m sure many of you feel toward your pets like we do. Our Bear gives us so much pleasure; my heart smiles when I see him. He came into our lives about 3 years ago and I swear our lives revolve around him. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, I want to know where he is and if he wants to come with me.

And he gets many car rides, which he loves. The only place he doesn’t follow us is into the pool. For some reason, he doesn’t seem to like going into the water. Oh well, he lays near the pool……but then we start worrying that it’s too hot for him. See what I mean about life revolving around him. 😊

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DECIDING TO GET PET INSURANCE

That’s why a year or so ago, I started looking for health insurance for him. Not long after he joined our family, I knew I would never be able to make a decision between him, if sick, and my checkbook. No way, no how.

So, I had a discussion with my hubby to see what he thought, and he wholeheartedly agreed.

The first thing I did was look up dog insurance and realized I needed to take notes. There was so much information that I couldn’t keep it straight. I wanted to make sure I remembered what features or options I might want on the policy. And as I kept going, I realized there was a lot I didn’t know, but might come into play when I got to the point of purchasing. That’s what I’m going to share with you.

WHAT IS PET INSURANCE?

Before you think it, let me tell you, its not as expensive as I thought it would be. The small amount it may cost each month could very easily save your pet’s life—but I digress….

Pet insurance does for your pet what our own health insurance does (or should do) for us. In an emergency with your pet, you won’t have to decide between your wallet and your pet. You can make the best choices for your beloved pet. It’s peace of mind and will help with unexpected vet bills.

TYPES OF COVERAGE:

Basically, there are three types of coverage: accident, illness and wellness.

Accident

We can’t plan or prevent an accident, but you can prevent it from costing so much. This is the most common type of pet insurance and can include things like broken bones, bite wounds, torn ligaments, abscesses and much more.

Illiness

This coverage can be limited and will get more expensive as your pet gets older. This covers things like allergies, cancer, arthritis, etc. And because this coverage gets more expensive as your pet ages, you would want to get insurance for your pet at the youngest age possible. This would also reduce the possibility of preexisting conditions.

Wellness

This type of policy is for routine vet visits and is almost always considered an option. Wellness coverage may include annual exams, routine blood work, spay/neuter, teeth cleanings and more. These plans are becoming more popular so more companies are offering them as add-ons. This is a good thing since a typical yearly exam for your pet could cost upwards of $300.

WHAT SHOULD I PAY ATTENTION TO DURING MY RESEARCH

After researching general information on pet insurance, the next thing I did was pull up about 10 different companies to see what they offered for their plans. I actually printed out the information so that I could take my time. As I read, I would mark up things that I wanted to keep track of. Some of that information follows.

Policy Coverage:

What exactly is covered under each policy for the company I was looking at.

WHY DO I NEED PET INSURANCE?

I had two main reasons; to help my wallet and to keep my wallet out of the decision making if something big were to happen to Bear. Accidents and illnesses do happen, no matter how good we take care of our pets. And these instances can hit your wallet pretty hard.

Because many of the policies are customizable, you can construct one that fits what you need and what you can afford.

WHAT ARE MY COSTS?

An Insurance policy will be based on your pet’s breed, age, and any pre-existing conditions along with other variables. Prices for the policies vary by plan and provider. It’s best to comparison shop.

Plan Options:

What or how many plan options were offered. Some companies offer $100, $250, $500 or $750 annual deductibles and the reimbursement for claims could be 70%, 80% or 90%. Some companies had no cap on their claims, per incident, lifetime or otherwise. That option alone could make a big difference, if your pet were to get very sick.

Yearly Limits:

The limit amounts go two ways; one policy may cover all covered incidents during the year vs. companies that pay back after each incident, once the deductible has been met.

Customer Service:

When I had questions, I’d call the company I was looking at. This accomplished two things: I got my questions answered and also got a feel for the way I’d be treated when I might have to call if I chose their company. Some companies have pet helplines 24/7.

Pet Insurance for Beloved Pet and puppies

Premium prices:

This was important but wasn’t necessarily the deciding factor when I went to choose a company. I thought of the premiums this way. Bear was around 6 years old at the time and if I got a plan that cost $30-$40/month, what would my out of pocket be after, say 1.5 years and he got sick.

I took the middle ground and used $35 x 18 (1.5 yrs of payments) = $630

Then I did the same with the higher amount; $40 x 18 = $720

I looked up the vet costs for three different issues that happen to dogs.

Broken leg=$200-$1000; cancer=$9000 or skin abscess=$458. I didn’t like the cost of any of them, but it helped me realize that even paying $40 per month for a year and half, I would be ahead of the ballgame, except for the abscess.

But still Bear would be covered and on all three instances I would be reimbursed at the lowest 70% of the cost, after the deductible if that’s the policy I went with.

Emergency Only Option:

This plan would not cover exam fees or specialty treatments. Your pet would only be covered in case of an unplanned emergency. These plans may have an annual limit.

Customizable Plans:

Some insurance companies let you choose the options you want that best fit your needs and budget. You have your choice of annual deductible and/or reimbursement rate. And as mentioned above, getting just the emergency only plan.

Expanded Plans:

I found that several companies offer coverage for things such as advertising for lost pets, cancelled vacation due to pet illness and a few other things. I was shocked by this finding, but loved it.

After looking over some of the different companies, you can do some elimination right away. Eliminate if there is criteria you see that you don’t like. I whittled my way down to just three providers, then went to those three company websites and applied so I could get a quote.

After that, I compared the three against the items I knew I definitely wanted in Bear’s policy. The policy I ended up choosing costs me around $37 a month. I’m comfortable with that and its definitely worth the peace of mind I felt almost immediately after getting the policy. Bear is taken care of. Wooohooooo!!!

ADDITIONAL TIDBITS OF INFORMATION

Before you even start your research, it’s a good idea to get your pet’s records from the Vet. That way you’ll have them if your provider wants to see them right away.

You may want to check with your final three providers to see how much their policy premiums increase per year.

You should read the policy before you sign on the dotted line. If you are too bored with that, make sure to at least read the exclusions. It’s as important to know what your policy doesn’t cover as much as what it covers.

And last, but not least, there is also cat insurance for those of you that go for cats rather than dogs. (We have a big ole mean cat!). Cat insurance is usually less expensive and it’s worth asking the company if you can get a discount for more than one pet.

Well, there you have it—the information I gleaned from my research. I hope this helps in deciding what to do for your pet or pets. It’s something I’m very glad I took the trouble to find out about and make a decision on.

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