Pet Insurance - Myths And The Facts

Pet insurance is without doubt a thorny issue for many. If I insure my pet and never need to make a claim then it’s a waste of money isn’t it - money that I could well have spent on other necessities - if on the other hand if I don’t insure and suddenly find myself with a vet’s bill that looks set to break the family bank... what then?

Naturally these are questions for the individual to ask of themselves and each person’s situation will come with its’ own individual set of circumstances. However this article sets out to help dispel some of the myths and to make clear some of the facts that we struggle to get to grips with when it comes to insuring our pets.

Some of the Most Common Misconceptions:

1. Pet Insurance is expensive – here the issue is really about finding the right insurance for you and your pet. Choose the wrong insurance and then, yes, it is expensive in as much as it doesn’t come up to scratch when you want to make a claim.

2. Cheap pet insurance is cheap because it’s no good and is too heavily weighted in favour of the insurer – again, not so. The cheaper policies quite naturally cover fewer eventualities, but if what they are covering suits your needs then why pay for more. Reading the small print and weighing it against your requirements is a must for all would be purchasers.

3. If Pet Insurance is a good idea why doesn’t anybody I know have it? Well this is a moot point – sometimes it could be that you just don’t know what others have in the way of insurance – researching this article I was surprised to find that a neighbour of mine has extensive cover on their miniature pet rabbits. Apart from this though it has to be said that perhaps like you, they just can’t make their mind up about it.

4. Pet Insurance is too difficult to understand making the policies almost impossible to decipher. Any pet insurer worth their salt will be more than happy to find out your needs and recommend the best policy they have to suit you. And before you say... oh yeh... think about it for a moment. What insurer in their right mind would really do otherwise and risk you being dissatisfied and telling all your friends how bad they were??

5. It’s purposely difficult to make a claim – again no worries – 99% of veterinarians will fill out your claim form for you – this way they know they are going to get paid!

In the main, it would appear that most pet owners don’t decide that they are against the idea of insurance cover more that they are anxious about making the wrong decision and wasting precious money out of the household budget.

By spending some time on looking into the facts though you could save yourself not only money but perhaps unnecessary upset too. If a pet falls ill and you are unable to meet the costs for treatment then the experience can be one of considerable upset all round.

Some truths about Pet Insurance:

1. Evaluating pet insurance is easier than you think – there are many online reviews where the footwork has already has already been done for you.

2. Pet Insurance is not the same as a health insurance – a lot of people cite the reason for not getting pet insurance as being a dislike of their own health insurance policies. The truth here is that pet insurance provides a fee-for-service indemnity cover that is better described as being more similar to car insurance or, home-owner insurance than anything else. So if you can get your head round those then why not pet insurance too...

3. Pet health Insurance is not more expensive than human health insurance!

4. In the event of illness or accident good pet insurance is always going to work out better than merely having put money by for veterinary costs. With veterinary charges spiralling way above inflation rates your savings are not going to ever keep pace with the monetary market.

At the end of the day most people don’t actually decide against pet insurance as much as put off looking into it properly – yet you’d never dream of doing that with regard to your house or your car would you?

And if this hasn’t been enough to make you at least consider investigating then take away this one last fact as reported by the MailOnline... every year we are seeing more and more people unable to afford their vet’s fees...