Pet Health Insurance Part 2

Not Covered

In Most Plans

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Emergency Vet

Pet Insurance Cost

It is widely known that pet health insurance policies and plans are available in plenty for your pets.  The key to get the best pet insurance is time consuming.  To get a birds eye view about your options helps you narrow down your choices and take the ultimate decision worth your effort.  Then you will need never worry about emergency vet but only need concern yourself with pet insurance cost.  Both your veterinarian and your pet will appreciate your thoughtfulness.  Remember that your dog cannot take care of itself, it depends on you.[1]

If you are adopting a dog, you may want to talk with the adoption facility, their recommendations can be valuable.  Generally, they try to work with the adopting person so that the animal will have the best.  Listen and check out any recommendations that they may have.

Four General Types

Mainly the insurance plans can be categorized into four: traditional, customizable, accident only, and discount.  Traditional policies are standard pet health insurance plans that offer design options that covert pet illness, accidents, and preventative care.  Based on the chosen plan your insurance company will pay all or part of your vet bills up to a pre-determined amount.  The customizable set of insurance plans is like the traditional policies except that it offers more freedom in terms of mixing and matching the necessary provisions such as deductibles, co-insurance percentage, maximum annual coverage amount and copays.  The third set is accidents alone where cover is only for accidents and not for illness or preventative care.  The fourth set is the discount plans where you can take the pet to any veterinarian or hospital with the network of hospitals the insurance company opts.  You will receive a discount on the services obtained.  Some do have an out of network discount although it is not as deep.

You may already have some idea which category you will fit in, and that will begin your process of selection.  Still, it is a wide open area and you will have to be thorough to get the best deal possible.  Your furry friend will appreciate your efforts.

Wound With Flies

Wound could be covered

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Good Introduction to Choices

Easy Reading

You, Your Pet and Pet Health Insurance: Ways to Save Money on Vet Bills
Amazon Price: $14.95 $14.20 Buy Now
(price as of Jul 13, 2014)

Best Pet Insurance

Veterinarian

The type of pet insurance you would opt depends on your budget, the age of your pet which includes checking of any pre-existing conditions, pets breed  and your veterinarian.  Be careful to understand what exclusions to coverage may exist. [2]

It is the exclusion that can be so frustrating.  You think you are covered and then find out the condition was excluded!  Be careful in looking into the exclusion clauses.

The commons exclusions in pet insurance are:

     Hereditary conditions which depends on the policy and if at all it is covered it will be covered at a lower level.

     Congenial conditions are not covered due its pre existence.  They include patellar luxation, entropion, ectropion, liver shunt, etc.

     Fleas and parasites are included in some insurance policies and are in the form of preventative medications against parasites which might not include eradication of parasites.

     Preventable diseases and chosen procedures like getting a vaccination to prevent diseases are generally not covered.

     Dental care is provided in case of accidents but dental preventative care like teeth cleaning is not generally under coverage.

Good resource in

Selection

Pet Insurance 101:How to Select the Best Pet Insurance Policy, Including 8 Important Tips and Popular Pet Insurance Alternatives
Amazon Price: Buy Now
(price as of Jul 13, 2014)

Dog Flea

Preventative May Be Covered

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Digital

Resource

What's your policy? Why pet health insurance is a good idea, and how to choose a plan.(CONSUMER ALERT): An article from: Whole Dog Journal
Amazon Price: $9.95 Buy Now
(price as of Jul 13, 2014)

Pet

Emergency Vet

     Pre-Existing Conditions is common to see in the category of exclusion in pet insurance as it is for human insurance.  Any pre-existing condition your pet has before the policy start date does not come under insurance cover.  This includes conditions that may not have been diagnosed until after the date.  Just because you have not identified such pre conditions by taking it to the vet and are unaware of the condition, the plan does not guarantee that you will get covered for the particular condition.

Additional Payment

Some companies will allow you to cover these potential problems with an additional payment.  In some cases the local veterinarian will be able to warn you about any exclusion.  Getting the right health insurance just needs careful overview of the plans that suit your pet and your budget.  You may not find a "perfect" match, but you will certainly find some closer to your needs than others.[3]

The one thing you want to avoid is not having it when you need it.  Better to take your time and make a reasonable decision than to need it and not have it available.  Policies that do nothing for you should also be the first to be dropped from your list.

Summary

A trip to the emergency vet could convince you of the necessity of pet insurance cost, and finding the best pet insurance for your veterinarian and your pet will take some researching.

Video

Do's and Don'ts of Insurance