There are two types of veterinary visits to consider when you are looking into a pet health insurance policy.
1. Wellness – shots, annual check-up, routine screenings
2. Everything else – emergencies, accidents, end of life scenarios
Pet health insurance is a huge market in the United States. Many of the companies have a long list of boxes to check or leave unchecked when they determine the monthly price as well as figuring out your exact coverage.
Dr. Derine Winning, from The Vet Is In segment on It Takes Two, offers her advice as a pet owner. For starters, she considered her personal dog and went online to check out these companies. She filled out the forms and, with a healthy younger dog, she saw prices ranger from $30 to over $100 per month. Some are just for catastrophic occasions (such as being hit by a car or ingesting something that needs to be removed) while others carry part/all of the wellness examines too.
“You get what you pay for,” is Dr. Winnings analysis.
Just like human policies, you are also dealing with preexisting conditions which can make the process all the more difficult. A skin irritation as a puppy might make your adult dog ineligible for allergy treatment. So you’ve paid, but can’t use the service. Remember, that pet insurance company is a business and their business is to make money.
Read the fine print – seriously, read it. Bring it into your vet and ask questions. What does this term mean or how often does a breed of cat require this treatment. The more you know before you sign on the dotted line – the better.
Lastly, these are insurance policies that rely on a reimbursement strategy. What does that mean to you? Well, it means you are still going to have to shell out thousands of dollars for emergency surgery and after submitting all the paperwork to the insurance company, they will issue you a check. It could be weeks or months before you see the money come in – even though you paid your premium on time every month. Could you survive with a sudden $2,500 balance sitting on your credit card until the payment is processed?
The ultimate consensus is this – pets cost money. Especially their medical care. If you can responsibly set aside $30 a month in a special savings account, you will come out on top. Start right away when you get the new pet and know that should the unthinkable happen…you have a nest egg. Talk with your bank about putting together a savings account that automatically takes out the fund every month or every pay period. Its much easier than you think!
(Dr. Derine Winning in the KFGO Studio)
Additional episodes:
The Vet Is In – Discussions on Wet Fur, Expired Human Food and More
The Vet Is In” Allergies, Pancreatitis and More
The Vet Is In: Cannabis for Dogs?
(Amy Iler & JJ Gordon are talk-show hosts at 790 AM KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. “It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ” can be heard weekdays 11am-2pm. Check out the show page on
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Follow Amy on Twitter
@AmyKFGO
. Follow JJ on Twitter
@JJGodon701
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