Pet Insurance

I purchased pet insurance for Tyler after I got him. Unfortunately after the first visit. In threads in the past we've named insurance plans or brands of food so I think this is ok. I chose PetPlan. They had something in their policy that did NOT rule out the major conditions associated with a breed. The fine print in some policies have caveats about things like that. There is a deductible for each separate illness (but if you have follow up on same illness, it's already been met). So far it's worked when Tyler jumped from my DH's arms and needed an ex-ray and exam. It paid part of the expense. I almost look at it more as catastrophic, which doesn't take much if your pet is injured or eats something dangerous. Bills can be prohibitive so I wanted to try to avoid that and not have money as an issue down the road when considering treatments. Like people insurance, you have to read carefully and reimbursement is never quite as much as you think. But I also don't think they pull the thing that human insurance does about a fair amount a doctor charges. I think they reimburse on whatever you paid if it qualifies.

Snowbody said:

I purchased pet insurance for Tyler after I got him. Unfortunately after the first visit. In threads in the past we've named insurance plans or brands of food so I think this is ok. I chose PetPlan. They had something in their policy that did NOT rule out the major conditions associated with a breed. The fine print in some policies have caveats about things like that. There is a deductible for each separate illness (but if you have follow up on same illness, it's already been met). So far it's worked when Tyler jumped from my DH's arms and needed an ex-ray and exam. It paid part of the expense. I almost look at it more as catastrophic, which doesn't take much if your pet is injured or eats something dangerous. Bills can be prohibitive so I wanted to try to avoid that and not have money as an issue down the road when considering treatments. Like people insurance, you have to read carefully and reimbursement is never quite as much as you think. But I also don't think they pull the thing that human insurance does about a fair amount a doctor charges. I think they reimburse on whatever you paid if it qualifies.

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PetPlan is my insurance company also!!!!! I absolutely kept telling them they were too good to be true when I would call and ask questions. They told me they hear that a lot and to just wait until my claim was filed. Yes, they delivered and then some. If you go to www.petinsurancereview.com you will find reviews on all of the pet insurance companies.

There are a few things that made Petplan stand out for me.

1. They offer 100% coverage for regular and holistic vets and 80% for specialists. I believe in combining both traditional and holistic veterinary care. So this was huge for me.

2. They do not put a limit on each incident. My last company did. What that means is if you have 10K annual coverage, you can only use like 2K on each claim. With PetPlan, I have 20K annual coverage, which can be used on the one claim if I need it. Also, ER visits are covered at 100% for anything life threatening.

3. They cover hereditary/congenital issues (as long as they were not pre-existing). Most companies exclude things like luxating patellas b/c they are considered congenital.

4. You can customize your total coverage and deductibles to come up with a monthly payment in your budget. I have all three of my babies covered for 20K annually with a $200 deductible for the younger babies and $500 deductible for my older one (to keep the payment down).

5. PetPlan does not have a schedule of fees. So if you live in NYC and your vet charges more than a vet in another city, they will cover within your plan limits.

After spending thousands just to diagnose Kobe's lymphoma, I really started to research pet insurance. He ended up being too sick to treat, but I know that would have been very hard financially if we had his lymphoma treated.

It is hard enough when one of your babies is sick. Taking the financial burden out of the equation can really help.

If anyone has questions, I will be happy to help you in any way. I spent many months doing research before getting pet insurance, and I love passing on good finds to fellow animal lovers.