Your Pet Insurance Guide

5 Key Points To Consider When Purchasing Pet Insurance

This article highlights several key points when considering the purchase of pet insurance:

1) Buy early before your pet is diagnosed with conditions that will be considered pre-existing.

2) Be diligent doing research on all the companies before you buy so you won't later regret your choice of company and/or policy to insure your pet.

3) Unexpected veterinary bills can sometimes be expensive, but $46,000 is the highest I've heard of to date.

4) Reading reviews is an important part of doing your research, but isn't the only thing you need to do before purchasing a policy. I outline 5 steps to choosing a company and policy in the new redesign of the Pet Insurance Toolkit. On the subject of reviews, be sure and check out the podcast episode where I interview the owner of the review site mentioned in the article as well as the video where Mike explains how to get the most from your time on his site. The Toolkit also has links to each pet insurance company's review page on Mike's site.

5) There isn't one company that is the best one for every pet. Your financial situation, your pet's medical history, breed, age and the types of coverage you desire are different from other pet owners. That's why there are a variety policies offered by about a dozen companies in the U.S. The purpose of this blog, the podcast, and the Toolkit is to help you sort out the variables and eventually narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 companies from which you'll make your final selection.

Is Pet Insurance Worth Purchasing For Your Pet?

Following up on the theme of the last post, I found an article where someone had "crunched" the numbers and decided that pet insurance would be a bad deal for him and his pets. Of course, he was doing a "hindsight" evaluation. If some of you did a similar evaluation, you might reach the same conclusion that Bob did. That is, you would have paid more in insurance premiums than you would have been reimbursed by the insurance company. But some of you, after doing a similar evaluation, could say "I would have come out way ahead if I'd had pet insurance."

It's easy to come to these conclusions in hindsight - afterall, hindsight is said to be 20/20.

The article did mention several notable exceptions to Bob's conclusion:

1) If your pet becomes seriously ill early in its life before you’ve had the chance to stick the aforementioned money in the bank, insurance can be very helpful.

2) If you aren’t good about saving money (which isn’t a value judgement: it’s good to know your own strengths and weaknesses) then having insurance to mitigate risk may work out well.

3) If your pet belongs to a breed predisposed toward certain genetic diseases, it can be a good choice as well–even if the company sets different premiums for your pet and its relatives.

Notice the words I've highlighted. The word "if" usually implies something in the future. The problem is that none of us knows the future. The first two exceptions were covered in detail in my last post.

Regarding the third exception, from a veterinarian's perspective, what breed doesn't have one or more potentially costly to treat diseases and conditions that it is predisposed to?

In the article, Bob used the costs he incurred between 2002 and so far in 2013. The costs today and in the next 10 years to treat hereditary conditions (many that are chronic) as well as any serious injury or illness will likely be significantly higher. 

Here's a link to the fill article.

Consumer Reports did a similar hindsight study in 2011 and came to the same conclusions:

If your pet remains relatively healthy and requires treatment for only minor problems, you'd be better off putting money into a savings account. However, if your pet has one or more serious medical problems costing potentially thousands of dollars, you'd almost always come out ahead having insurance. 

Did they really have to do a study to reach these rather obvious conclusions?

So, if you could somehow know the future, it would be possible to easily decide whether pet insurance would be worth it. Otherwise, if you'd have trouble paying for a costly chronic condition or an acute and unexpected "worst case senario" costing thousands of dollars, you should consider purchasing pet insurance.

In the Pet Insurance Toolkit, I try to help you answer these two questions:

1) Should I purchase pet insurance?

2) If so, which company and policy is the best one for me and my pet?

 

What Is Pet Insurance?

I came across an article in a newspaper with the same title and my first thought was "This person gets it!" You'll see why I say that after reading this post. Here are a few excerpts and my comments:

Consumers take out insurance to transfer the risk of something happening to the insurer. For a fee, the insurer then agrees to pay the cost of certain events, giving the consumer peace of mind. Pet insurance, as the name suggests, is simply another form of consumer insurance, which pet owners take out to protect their animals.

Listen to this conversation I had with Dr. Carol McConnell at Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) about consumer attitudes toward pet insurance especially as it relates to the debate about pet insurance vs. a savings account (excerpted from Podcast)

Pet Insurance vs. Savings

Pet insurance is a relatively simply way to protect your pet’s welfare and your wallet. Veterinarian bills can be extremely expensive, and through no fault of your own, you may find yourself unable to pay for the cost of treating your pet. This could leave you in an unthinkable position. Faced with extremely high vet bills, some pet owners are forced to euthanize their pets, because they simply cannot afford the cost. Pet insurance avoids that dilemma.

This really is the bottom line. Pet insurance protects your "wallet." Consequently, it also protects your pet. Dr. Jack Stephens, the veterinarian who started the first successful pet insurance company in the United States 30 years ago, has said that the primary reason he did so was to decrease and hopefully put an end to "economic euthansia." Read the story that motivated him to launch a pet insurance company.

If you are the sort of pet owner that is prepared to spend a lot of time and money looking after your animals, then pet insurance could save you a lot of money. It could also give you peace of mind and need not cost a fortune.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Here's the link to the full article.

Guidelines For Custom Designing Your Pet Insurance Policy

Most of the pet insurance companies now allow you to customize your policy by selecting among several different annual/per-incident maximums, deductibles and copays. You no longer have to choose from 4 or 5 policies that the pet insurance has pre-designed.

Here are some general guidelines you can apply when designing a policy that will limit your out-of-pocket costs, especially when faced with a large claim, and yet fit into your budget:

The Dilemma: Should I Purchase Pet Insurance?

I came across an article describing one family's journey when deciding whether or not to purchase pet insurance for their pets. One reason I think it is worth reading is that it talks about many of the objections that some people have to pet insurance.

First of all, rather than purchasing pet insurance, they decided to open a savings account to pay for their pet's healthcare expenses. They quickly learned that while this strategy works great if your pet remains relatively healthy, it has serious shortcomings if your pet experiences one or more serious accidents and illnesses.

Because they had experienced significant veterinary expenses with one of their pets, when they started looking at pet insurance policies, it was easy to spot those policies that would have left them still having to pay most of the bill out of pocket. Although most claims that pet owners pay will be relatively small, you want your policy to cover you if and when the really expensive events happen. That's why I've always encouraged pet owners who are researching pet insurance to look at a policy in light of what their out of pocket expenses would be should they face a $5,000, $10,000 or even higher bill. The worksheets included in the Pet Insurance Toolkit allow you to calculate your out of pocket expense (including the annual premium) when getting a quote on policies offered by pet insurance companies in the United States.

Be sure to read a sample policy before purchasing pet insurance from a company. Look at not only the lifetime, annual, or per-incident limits, but also look at coverage for items like alternative therapy, prescription pet foods, behavioral therapy, chronic conditions, hereditary conditions, and special treatments like stem cell therapy that might have lower limits or may not be covered at all. Ideally, you want all of these things covered up to the maximum limits of the policy.

One reason I designed and published the Pet Insurance Toolkit is to help pet owners understand how pet insurance works and then provide a step-by-step way to research all the insurance companies and compare them side-by-side in order to make a wise decision. In the Pet Insurance Guide Podcast, I've interviewed representatives of many of the pet insurance companies providing further insight into the pet insurance industry and specifically their policies.

Note: This blog does not endorse specific pet insurance companies, but strives to be an unbiased source of information to educate pet owners about the industry.

Why You Should Consider Pet Insurance For Your Pet

Two pet owners tell the story of their pet's illness in these videos. Listen closely to the reasons they give for having pet insurance. Interestingly, one of them didn't have pet insurance when her dog required two surgeries to save her life, but because of the expense of these procedures, she is a strong advocate of pet insurance now. Since one of these problems is considered by many pet insurance companies to be a congenital/hereditary problem, it's important go get a policy that covers these conditions.

These videos are sponsored by a Canadian pet insurance company. As the readers of this blog know, I focus on companies in the U.S., but I thought these videos were a must see by all pet owners.

 

 

 

5 Pets Who Benefited From Pet Insurance

I've always maintained that a good pet insurance policy chosen wisely is a win - win - win proposition. I believe that the pet owner, their beloved pet, and yes, even veterinarians can benefit from pet insurance. Pet's lives are saved. Pet owners don't have to face that hard decision when their pet is seriously injured or ill and they don't have the money to pay for the necessary treatment. And yes, it does often allow veterinarians to offer and provide the best options for diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

I came across this article that tells the stories of 5 pets and their pet owners who benefited from pet insurance. Perhaps you can identify with their stories. Perhaps it's time you considered getting pet insurance for your pet. 

I encourage you to use the Pet Insurance Toolkit to learn more about how pet insurance works and use the included tools to help you decide which company and policy is best for you and your pet.

The Best Time To Insure A Pet

I received this article via email that recently posted to the PurinaCare Blog. It is written by a frequent contributor to the blog, Dr. Larry McDaniel who is a veterinarian. Although I've written about this in the past myself, I found the sharing of his personal experience to be a worthwhile read:

As most readers know, my dog Darcie was over 18 years of age when she passed away a few years ago.

For an 18 year old she was pretty healthy. She couldn't see too well. She couldn't hear much and she didn't like to take long walks. But hey, if I'm doing as well as Darcie was when I'm 126 I'll be very happy.

Darcie's biggest problem was probably chronic pain from arthritis in her cervical spine.

A Touching Pet Insurance Story You Should See And Hear

I came across a great story told in this short video by the owner of Beau and Bella. I think every pet owner should watch it. 

It drives home a couple of messages for me as a veterinarian:

• The special bond that develops between many pet owners and their pets and how pet insurance can help protect that bond.

• Pet insurance comes in handy for expensive acute and chronic illnesses.

**This is not necessarily an endorsement of the pet insurance company sponsoring the video.

Pet Insurance For Adopted Rescue Pets

Today’s article is a guest post by Donna Baker, the Education and Community Awareness Manager for the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue (DVGRR). She is a subscriber to my blog and has adopted several older Golden Retrievers who were surrendered to their organization. She shares why she ultimately decided to purchase pet insurance and why she enthusiastically recommends pet insurance to all the new owners of pets adopted from DVGRR.

With the continued economic downturn, DVGRR (like many other rescue groups) has seen an increase in dogs surrendered because they developed an expensive medical problem that their original families couldn’t afford to treat. It’s heartbreaking to see a family give up a beloved pet due to financial constraints.

Another Reason Why Pet Insurance Premiums Rise

I received an email recently from Dr. Jules Benson at Petplan in response to a question I’d asked him. Included in the email was a bit of information that I’d certainly not thought of before and perhaps you haven’t either. 

We normally think of pet insurance premiums increasing due to several factors e.g. changing underwriters, a pet’s age, adjustments due to actuarial data and “veterinary inflation.” 

Veterinary inflation is generally defined as the amount a practice raises it’s fees from one year to the next to cover increases in overhead whether that be the cost of drugs, staff salaries, equipment, utilities, etc.

Dr. Benson pointed out that another reason pet insurance premiums rise is due to increased veterinary spending. I guess this could include simply pet owners being willing to spend more on their pets than in past years. Dr. Jack Stephens, Founder and President of Pets Bests pet insurance company, touched on this in a recent podcast when he compared 1982 (the year he started pet insurance in the U.S. at VPI) and the increasing human - animal bond that pet pet owners have with their pets today.

Dr. Benson reveiled another aspect of this by using the example of a claim filed for a dog that is vomiting. I’ve included a table that compares a practice’s fees from 2009 vs. 2010 for an out-patient visit for non-specific vomiting in a dog. 

The practice raised it’s fees 5% from 2009 to 2010 due to veterinary inflation, but the over-all cost to diagnose and treat a case of non-specific vomiting from one year to the next rose almost 30%. Why? The practice started using a new in-house test (cPLI) to rule in/out pancreatitis which is a potential cause of signifcant vomiting in dogs. They also started using a new anti-nausea medication (Cerenia) that seems to be more effective than Reglan which the practice had been using for years as its treatment of choice for nausea.

So, claims may be higher from one year to the next because of new treatments, diagnostic procedures or even surgeries that a practice may choose to use for specific problems. If most practices nationwide start doing the same, you can easily see how pet insurance premiums would rise as a result.

The bottom line is that pet insurance premiums will increase as the human-animal bond becomes even stronger and new and better ways of diagnosing and treating diseases become available and widely used.

 

 

If You Have Pet Insurance - You Should Be Conducting An Annual Pet Insurance Checkup

Pet insurance companies frequently make changes to their existing policies or even decide to offer new policies. They usually do so because they change underwriters, in response to surveys of existing policyholders, or simply in an effort to keep up with their competition. There is also an emerging trend allowing pet owners to customize their policies by choosing from a range of deductibles and coinsurance options.

Your pet insurance premium can also change when a company changes underwriters. Premiums will go up as the costs of providing veterinary care rises. Companies may also adjust their premiums periodically based on their accumulated actuarial data. And, of course, some companies raise your premium as your pet ages. 

Every year about a month or so before your pet insurance policy renewal date, you’ll receive a notice from the insurance company informing you of any policy changes and also whether your premium will change. 

You’ve probably gotten a card or letter in the mail from your insurance agent recommending a checkup (review) of all your insurance to see if your situation has changed in any way that would indicate a change in your coverages is necessary. I think that the renewal date of your pet insurance policy is an excellent time to conduct your own annual pet insurance policy checkup.

Doing such a checkup will virtually force you to become more familiar with your pet insurance policy which is a good thing, and also alert you to any needed changes in your coverage. To facilitate this review, I recommend keeping a file folder that contains all your veterinary invoices, claim forms, benefit/reimbursement statements, and of course, your insurance policy.

I have prepared a Pet Insurance Policy Checkup Worksheet that will help you evaluate your coverage. The image to the right is just one of the pages of the worksheet.

 Download Policy Checkup Worksheet

For those of you who use the worksheet, I invite you to leave a comment after this post and share your experience so that other pet owners who read the blog can also learn how to get and maintain the best possible coverage their pets. 

 

 

 

Interview on Tripawds Radio Show

I was recently interviewed about pet insurance on the Tripawds Radio Show. This show and their website is dedicated to helping pet owners with pets who've had a limb amputated. The host of the show, Rene Agredano and her husband Jim, lost "Jerry" to bone cancer several years ago and it literally changed their lives. I'll have more about that in the next post. 

I hope you enjoy the interview. Rene asked some great questions.

 

Listen to internet radio with tripawds on Blog Talk Radio

Young Pets Need Pet Insurance Too!

Many young people don't think they need health insurance because they are healthy. I've seen the same reasoning applied to young pets. However, young people and pets do get sick with illnesses and probably the most common cause of hospital visits for younger people and pets is accidents.

To illustrate this point, I am going to post a testimonial about Trupanion pet insurance, however, this isn't an endorsement of Trupanion. If you read this blog, you know I don't recommend one pet insuance company over any others, but my focus is to provide information to help you make informed and wise decisions when it comes to the purchase of pet insurance for your pet. To help you decide which pet insurance company is the best one for you and your pet, I suggest you use the Pet Insuance Toolkit.

So, here are several things I want you to learn from this video:

• Sometimes, accidents and illnesses happen only days after getting pet insurance for your pet.
• Accidents and illnesses are unexpected events that can be very expensive.
• There is a philosophy recommended by some that instead of purchasing pet insurance, you should just open a savings account and make regular deposits to pay for your pet's healthcare expenses. While I'm all for having a savings account to help pay your pet's medical expenses, people who recommend this instead of pet insurance don't understand the purpose of pet insurance. This video is a real life illustration of this.
• Pet insurance can sometimes be the difference between your being able to afford the care needed to restore your pet back to health or possible "economic euthanasia."
• You should consider getting coverage for your pet very soon after adoption.

After watching the video, let me know what you think.

 

The Pet Insurance Guide Podcast - Episode 1 - An Introduction

I have been planning for months to start a podcast on pet insurance. In this introductory episode: 

• I tell how I got interested in pet insurance from a veterinarian's perspective.
• I go over the ways pet insurance companies market their product which often determines how pet owners are introduced to pet insurance and how this may influence which company they choose to insure their pet.
• I contrast this to the step by step method of researching and comparing companies and policies that I recommend to help pet owners arrive at a wise decision.
• Lastly, I let everyone know what's in store in Episodes 2 and 3.

 

Click the Streampad player below to listen to the podcast on this page.

Right click to download episode

Items mentioned in the podcast:

• Pet Insurance Toolkit - includes videos on how to use worksheets

• OpenOffice

• The Wise Pet Owner

• Subscribe to podcast on iTunes

 

 

The Pet Insurance Toolkit

If you are considering the purchase of pet insurance or wondering which company and policy is the best one to insure your pet, I've put together a "toolkit" to help answer those and other questions you may have. This toolkit contains the Ebook, Your Guide To Understanding Pet Health Insurance, with all the latest policies of every company that insures pets in the United States. It also contains a Company Comparison Worksheet and Policy Selection Worksheet to help you gather the information you'll need to compare companies and policies with each other.

You can download the Pet Insurance Toolkit absolutely free. If you have any questions or comments after reading the book and/or using the worksheets, leave a comment or contact me via email.

 

Pet Insurance Can Make Financial Decisions Easier In Pets With A Serious Illness Or Injury

I ran across this article about several cases where pet insurance did or would have made a difference in either these pet's lives and/or their owners pocketbook. 

As the article mentions, there have been a number of new companies enter the market in the past seven years and many of the objections that pet owners had for not getting pet insurance for their pet no longer apply. Many of the companies now cover chronic and hereditary conditions, and as you can see from the article, the reimbursements can be significant.

I wrote a blog post recently about the best way to get a quote for your pet - especially since there are about a dozen companies that offer policies in the U.S.

The Best Way To Obtain A Quote For Pet Insurance

After answering the question, “Should I purchase pet insurance,” the next question pet owners wrestle with is, “Which company and which policy is the best one for my pet?” I frequently see this question asked on pet forums. Some of the answers given are good advice and some are bad advice. The better question would be, “How do I go about determining which company and policy is best for my pet?”

The first step in answering this question is to obtain a quote from every company that sells pet insurance in the U.S. There are about a dozen companies that sell pet insurance in the U.S. Your best chance at making a wise selection will come only if you have thoroughly evaluated what each and every company has to offer. 

Let’s look at several ways pet owners are first introduced to pet insurance and how it can influence your choice of company and policy for your pet:

Insight Into How Pet Insurance Companies Set Premiums

This is an interesting article because it gives us some insight into how pet insurance companies use actuarial data when setting premiums for their policies. I don't actually know a lot about it, but when I've asked questions of pet insurance company representatives about their company's actuarial data, they are usually very secretive when it comes to discussing specifics.

In fact, companies use this data to adjust premiums from time to time. If you receive a notice that your premium is going up or down, this is probably the reason. I've read in the past year that some pet owners found that their premiums increased as much as 50%, and I've also read where some pet owners (same company) received the news that their premium actually decreased slightly.  

Factors That Affect The Cost of Pet Insurance

 

Pet insurance premiums are what many pet owners focus on when investigating whether to purchase pet insurance for their pet. There are many factors that affect the cost of pet health insurance. 

 

1) Geographic location

Where you live affects the premium you will pay to insure your pet. For example, pet insurance premiums are generally higher in California than in Tennessee because veterinary fees are higher in California than Tennessee. 

 

2) The breed of your pet

Certain breeds of dogs or cats are known to have more health problems than other breeds, so the pet insurance company calculates this factor into the premium you'll pay to insure your pet.

 

How to Handle Pet Insurance in a Divorce

I have to admit that this is something that has never crossed my mind. Perhaps it's because I've been happily married for 37 years! Thanks, Cindy.

But, apparently it's not that uncommon of a problem for insurance companies and pet owners to have to deal with. This is particularly important because one reason that claims are denied sometimes is because of a lapse in coverage that the pet owner wasn't aware of.

I came across this excellent and detailed blog post by Laura Bennett, the CEO of Embrace Pet Insurance Company, that pet owners whose pets are covered by pet insurance and who are dealing with a divorce need to read.

Switching Pet Insurance Companies In Midstream - Part 2

Merrick, thanks again so much for sharing your story with the readers!

If you read my previous blog post, "Switching Pet Insurance Companies In Midstream," then you know what I went through in order to determine which pet health insurance company I felt was best for my 10yo dog, Frida.  In this “Part 2,” I want to share with you the process I undertook to make sure, in advance, that I wouldn't get surprises after I had signed up. I asked for an Underwriter's Review or Medical Records Review. This is something that the pet insurance companies don't always offer outright, so you may need to press them a bit further and ask for it.

Switching Pet Insurance Companies In Midstream

This is the second installment of guest posts by readers of this blog detailing their journey of researching and finding a pet insurance company and policy for their pet. In this story, Merrick decided to switch companies when his dog was 10 years old. This can present some challenges especially when considering the presence of pre-existing conditions. I greatly appreciated his willingness to share his thoughts during the research process and even now. The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author. Every pet owner's situation is different and may have differing opinions and/or reach different conclusions. However, this story can provide valuable insight into the process of researching pet insurance companies and policies.

 Here is what he wrote:

You and I have been conversing back and forth via e-mail for several months now, so I think it's time to tell my "pet health insurance story."

It's also an appropriate time to do so given that just last month I cancelled my 10yo Lab/Chow mix's policy I had with another company (one that uses a rate schedule) that we had since 2004 -- a full seven years!  She hasn't had any major problems since then, thank heavens, because I obviously want her to be as healthy as possible throughout her life.

But let's jump back to last fall (2010) when I was carrying our old policy, knowing it wasn't the greatest, but giving me at least a sliver of peace of mind, given that I was not aware of any other pet health insurance plans.

Top 10 Most Expensive Pet Health Conditions

I received this information in an e-mail today. I appreciate the fact that pet insurance companies have a database of information that allows them to search for statistics such as this. This information can be helpful to pet owners who are contemplating whether to get pet insurance.

Nation’s Largest Pet Insurer Reveals Most Common $1,000+ Claims

Brea, Calif. (June 28, 2011) — Few pet owners imagine they will ever have to spend more than $1,000 for treatment of a single pet health incident or condition. Unfortunately, data from Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, reveals that $1,000 veterinary bills may be more common than expected. 

Pet Owner's Opinions About Pet Insurance

I really hesitated to even bring this article and all the comments that follow it up for you to read or discuss, but it runs the gamut of pet owner's opinions about pet insurance. Since I visit pet forums frequently, I've seen all this before, but it might be interesting reading for some of you. Some pet owners point out in the comments what I will say below, but you'll find that some people think that all insurance is a scam, especially pet insurance.

Granted, the customer service by this company left a lot to be desired, but as is often the case with pet owners who have bought pet insurance and then had a claim denied, they reach the conclusion that pet insurance just isn't worth it. This is why I stress so much to know what you are buying when you buy it. This is your responsibility as a pet owner and it is usually available in black and white in something called the "policy."

Therefore, do your due diligence and research, research, research. You will be much more likely to be a happy and satisfied customer if you do. 

Pet Insurance For The Accident Prone

I ran across this article today giving some statistics about breeds that seem to naturally be accident prone and warrant emergency visits to the veterinarian. One thing to note from this article is that these visits can be quite costly.

Pet Insurance Can Come In Handy For Older Pets

The title and content of this article reminded me of something that I often tell clients when discussing a diagnostic or treatment plan for their older pet. Pet owners of older pets tend to think that because their pet is older and has a serious condition that it isn't worth pursuing treatment. What they don't understand is that every pet as they get older will eventually develop a chronic disease (just as humans do). This chronic disease can often be treated alleviating the symptoms and giving the pet several more years of a relatively good quality of life.

But, it will usually be necessary to give some sort of medication long-term with periodic rechecks and monitoring which can over time be expensive. This is where pet insurance can help. Even if you don't use your pet insurance much when your pet is younger, eventually you will as your pet ages. You must get the insurance before these problems show up so that they won't be pre-existing and not covered.

There are several insurance companies that will write policies on older pets. Simply go to each pet insurance company's website and obtain a quote to see if your pet is eligible for coverage.

What is that advice that I often give pet owners?

"Old age is not a disease."

A Recommendation In Favor Of Pet Insurance

I'll let this letter speak for itself.

Pet Insurance Comes In Handy

I came across a video blog that summarizes many of the points you should consider when deciding whether to get pet insurance for your pet and also how to decide on a company and and policy for your pet.

I don't think the intent of this video was necessarily to recommend Trupanion because they didn't look at all the companies that offer pet insurance in the U.S. I think the main take away from this video is to show the importance of getting unrestricted coverage for hereditary conditions. Getting this coverage didn't cost any more in monthly premiums, and paid off big time when a claim was filed. As many of you know, getting coverage for hereditary conditions is one of the 4 factors I consider most important when selecting a policy for your pet. Some companies don't offer coverage at all for hereditary conditions. Some offer restricted coverage like VPI and Pets Best in this video. Then, there are several that offer unrestricted coverage up to the maximums of the policy.

Some of the total costs given in the video (based on per-incident or annual maximums, deductible and copay) are inaccurate because Trupanion also doesn't cover veterinary examination fees which would add to the out-of-pocket costs somewhat. Also, Healthy Paws has no annual or lifetime limits. But, the overall message of the video is very well presented. 

Another lesson from the video that I'd like to point out to pet owners is that good coverage can be found for an affordable and competitive price, but it will require you to thoroughly research all the companies, not just these four companies, to pick which one is best for you and your pet.

Top 10 Reasons Pet Owners Take Their Pet To The Veterinarian

The top 3 reasons that pets are taken to the veterinarian according to claims submitted by VPI pet insurance company are often related to the same underlying problem. They are:

1. Ear infection
2. Skin allergy
3. Skin infection/hot spot

"I can't imagine how my pet got an ear infection!" is a comment I hear from pet owners. An acute ear infection caused by a foreign body in the ear canal or getting too much water in the ear canal when giving a bath is actually uncommon. Most ear infections seen by veterinarians are secondary to an underlying allergy, most notably something in the environment like seasonal pollens or a food allergy. These problems are often chronic and you'll likely be faced with occasional flare-ups the rest of the pet's life. It's not uncommon for dogs with allergies to also have secondary ear infections or skin infections (pyoderma).

Dogs, especially, usually first show symptoms of allergies when they are young. Symptoms often include itchy skin manifested by excessive scratching or licking of feet or skin, shaking their head, rubbing or scratching their ears, reddened skin or a rash. Sometimes, you may have several visits to your veterinarian for the same problem over and over and receive the same treatment e.g. steroids and/or antibiotics, ear ointments, etc. If you find this happening, you and your veterinarian should try to find the underlying problem (usually, what's the pet allergic to?) and treat it rather than treating the symptoms over and over with medications that can have serious side effects with chronic use.

These are among the most common problems that veterinarians see - starting when the pet is young and requiring some sort of treatment the rest of the pet's life resulting in significant cumulative costs. Therefore, you should consider getting pet insurance when your pet is young (puppy or kitten) before symptoms start so that they will be covered by insurance. 

Changes Needed for Pet Insurance to Benefit More Pet Owners

Last week, I got a phone call from a gentleman in California whose dog had just had surgery and the bill was $4600. At the time, he didn't have pet insurance, but this episode stimulated his interest.

He did some investigation into pet insurance and found out something that didn't make sense to him so he called me with the following question. "Is it really true that I would have to pay the veterinarian and then seek reimbursement from the insurance company? That's not the way my human insurance works, or for that matter, any of my other insurance works. Somehow that seems almost backwards. Fortunately, I live in an affluent area and I was able to do that. I paid with a credit card. If I'd had insurance, I could have filed a claim and hopefully gotten reimbursed before the credit card bill came due."

This does bring up a point that I've been trying to make for a while now. Many pet owners who could benefit from pet insurance can't right now because the current model is indeed one of reimbursement after the bill is paid in full. The gentleman is right - pet insurance as it exists today is primarily for the affluent and/or those with plenty of available credit.

During his investigation, he had surmised that one of the main reasons for the existing model is that veterinarians by and large refuse to accept payment directly from insurance companies. I've posted before in articles and on this blog why they are reluctant to do so.

Someone will figure this out. In fact, he indicated that he is a businessman and is very interested in working on a solution to this problem that limits the pet insurance availability to many pet owners. Do you have an opinion or idea?

Managing Pet Healthcare Expenses With Pet Insurance and CareCredit

It is common for pet owners to use an available credit source along with a pet insurance policy to help them manage their pet’s healthcare expenses. One such credit source is CareCredit, a health credit card. They offer 6 and 12 month “no-interest” payment plans. This allows the pet owner to file a claim and get reimbursed before the credit card balance is due.

Here are some tips (based on my conversation with a company representative) when using CareCredit (any interest rates mentioned are accurate as of 10/2010 and subject to change, so be sure and ask the company for current rates):

1)    Even if you don’t think you have good enough credit to qualify, apply anyway. I’ve had some clients who were pleasantly surprised when they were approved. You can apply over the phone (1-800-365-8295) or over the internet (CareCredit) . You can also have a co-applicant on your account (sort of like a co-signer) that could increase your chances of approval. They will let you know within minutes whether you are approved and what your credit limit is (up to $25,000 based on creditworthiness). They will give you an account number that you can use immediately until you get your actual card in the mail. It is best to go ahead and apply before you actually need it.

 2)    You should check with your veterinarian, local emergency center and/or specialty hospital to see if they accept CareCredit. It is becoming more commonly accepted. Other healthcare facilities (e.g. dental, vision, etc.) may also accept your CareCredit card.

 3)    They also offer extended payment plans of 24 to 48 months on treatment fees over $1000 and 60 months on treatment fees over $2500. Currently, the fixed interest rate for these plans is 14.9%. If you default on one of these plans, the interest rate increases to 29.9%.

 4)    If you fail to pay off your “no-interest” plan by the end of the promotion period, you will be assessed a 26.9% rate from the date of purchase and until you pay the balance off. If you are late making a payment and/or default on the loan, the interest rate will increase to 26.9% - 29.9%. You can make extra payments to your promotional balance at any time without penalty. I was told that the extra payment would go toward the promotion expiring first.

 5)    Since it is possible to have multiple promotions going on at once, you will want to keep in touch with the company to make sure that each one is paid off before the promotion offer expires. Otherwise, you will owe the above huge interest charges in addition to the loan amount. The bottom line is that while CareCredit can be a great tool to use with pet insurance, you must use it responsibly – that is, avoiding the high interest charges if you fail to pay off the balance before the “no-interest” term expires, are late with a payment, or default on the loan.

 6)    Although you can use your CareCredit card for both large and small purchases, my advice would be to use it only for those large, unexpected purchases so that you don’t have multiple promotions going on at the same time. The more promotions you have going on, the greater the likelihood of losing track of them and ending up having to pay large interest charges on top of the original purchase.

 

Avoiding Claim Denial Because Of A Pre-Existing Condition

Pre-existing conditions are not covered by pet insurance companies. Pre-existing conditions are problems or diseases that your pet may have shown symptoms of or been diagnosed with before the effective date of the policy. Most insurance companies will use the date you first noticed the problem, not necessarily the day it was diagnosed by a veterinarian. Some companies may cover a problem that occurred previously if it was "cured" and not considered a chronic condition (no symptoms or treatment within the last 6 months).

From reading reviews that policyholders write on the various companies, this is a reason that is frequently given when a claim is rejected. See previous post. How can you avoid this? Buy a policy when you first acquire a puppy or kitten and/or before your pet manifests any signs of illness. There will be a waiting period for illnesses - usually 2 weeks or 1 month (varies depending on the company) and 24 to 72 hours for accidents. If your pet gets sick or injured before you purchase a policy or during this waiting period, it is unlikely the condition will be covered. Clients suddenly become interested in pet health insurance when they are in my office and their pet has a serious problem. Unfortunately, that's not the best time to inquire about it.

During the application process, you will usually have to answer several questions about any previous problems your pet may have had. You should be completely honest when answering these questions. Knowingly misleading the insurance company about your pet's previous problems is called fraud and is grounds for the policy to be cancelled. Depending on your answers to these questions, the insurance company may issue a policy on your pet with no exclusions or they may request further information from you and/or request your pet's past 12 - 24 months medical records. Even if you aren't required to send in medical records during the application process, you will likely be required to send in medical records when you file the first claim. If you have forgotten to mention something during the application process, it may become evident when the company reviews the medical record and a condition could be considered pre-existing and excluded from coverage.

Therefore, you should tell the insurance company during the application process that you want to know in writing if there are any conditions that will be excluded from coverage and for how long because they are considered pre-existing. Most of the insurance companies will do this if you make this request, and it is worth asking about so that there aren't any surprises down the road. The last thing you want to do is pay several months/years of premiums only to find out that a claim is denied because the insurance company considers a condition pre-existing before you bought the policy. 

The goal is transparency on your part to reveal any known-about prior medical problems to the insurance company and transparency from the insurance company to reveal (when the policy is initially written) what, if any, pre-existing medical problems are excluded from coverage. If one or more conditions are excluded from coverage and you elect not to insure your pet, you can usually cancel the policy for a refund of premium as long as you haven't filed a claim.

If your pet is older when you apply for a policy, the insurance company may request your pet's medical records to review and/or require a physical exam and/or lab testing to make sure your pet doesn't have a chronic condition that would preclude coverage for illnesses.

 

Pet Insurance - Good Summary Article

A relative sent me this article that appeared in their local newspaper. It contains a good summary of decisions pet owners make when it comes to paying for their pet's healthcare and how pet insurance can help.

Wild About Pets Talkshow Episode on Pet Insurance

I had the opportunity last Friday (7/16) to be the guest on Susan Frank's Wild About Pets Radio Show. We had a good discussion about pet insurance. This show airs every Friday and has expert guests dealing with a wide range of topics of interest to pet owners. I encourage you to check it out.

Pet Insurance Coverage For Prescription Diets

This is a topic that not many people think about. While it isn't a big factor in the grand scheme of things, some companies do provide some coverage for these diets. These diets are usually more expensive than your pet's usual diet.

What is a prescription diet? It is a diet usually available only from your veterinarian for a specific medical condition. There are several companies that manufacture prescription diets like Hills, Iams, Purina, and Royal Canin. Examples of these diets are K/D for kidney failure, S/D and S/O for dissolution of struvite stones, H/D for heart failure, etc. Studies have shown that some of these diets prolong a pet's life while also providing a better quality of life.

The following companies offer no coverage for these diets:

• Purina
• ASPCA/Petshealth
• Pet's Best
• VPI
• HealthyPaws

The reasoning for not covering the diets is that if your MD recommended a low salt diet or low fat diet, you would alter what you eat, but your health insurance policy wouldn't pay for it.

The following companies offer at least some coverage of these diets up to the per-incident, category, or annual maximums for the policy:

• PetFirst - standard plans don't cover prescription diets, but an optional rider can be added for $5 per month to cover these diets. This will cover 25% of the cost of a prescription food up to $250 annually.
• 24 PetWatch - covers 25% of the costs of prescription diets up to 6 months.
• Embrace - covers prescription foods in their new Wellness Rewards Plus program.
• PetPlan - covers any food that is prescribed for the dissolution of kidney/bladder stones for up to 6 months. Other prescription diets aren't covered.
• Trupanion - provides probably the broadest coverage. They will cover foods prescribed for chronic conditions e.g. kidney failure, heart failure, diabetes, allergies, etc. up to 25% of the cost of the food. Diets for weight loss aren't covered. They cover diets to dissolve stones while the patient is symptomatic, but they don't cover a maintenance diet after the stones are dissolved. The decision to provide long-term coverage for prescription diets is decided on a case by case basis depending on the condition being treated (whether it has resolved or is on-going) and in consultation with the veterinarian recommending the diet. 

Pet Insurance Claims For Young Pets - Prevention Is The Key

It is interesting what the most common claims are for different age pets. This article reinforces that many problems that young pets get can be prevented. It also reinforces the advice to get pet insurance when your pet is young. Many pet owners don't see the need for insurance when their pet is young and the picture of health. But, you never know...

The link to insurance comparisons at the end of the article is for British companies.

Pet Insurance Allows Pet To Get Needed Surgery

This is an illustration how pet insurance is supposed to work. Pet needed expensive surgery. Because the pet's owner had pet insurance, she opted for the surgery paying for the bill with a credit card. The dog recovered and she got her reimbursement check from Pets Best insurance company before the credit card bill was due.

The title to the article is a bit misleading. I don't think it means that the spinal problem would have been fatal to the dog, but that the pet owner may not have been able to afford the surgery if she didn't have pet insurance, and might have had to opt for euthanasia.

Why Buy Pet Insurance?

I ran across an article written by Laura Bennett, the CEO of Embrace Pet Insurance Company, that gives interesting insight on her journey from purchasing pet insurance for the first time to actually starting a pet insurance company.

Interestingly, two of the responses to the article were from people who have had pet insurance for a number of years and had negative impressions of the industry. They had purchased a policy from a company that provides limited coverage and/or excluded conditions that many of the newer companies now cover.

You must do your research and know what to look for and what to avoid when deciding if you want to purchase pet insurance, and if so, which company and policy is best for your pet.

The one thing that I keep saying over and over that Laura agrees with is that the pet owner's decision shouldn't be whether to open a pet health savings account or purchase pet insurance, but the wise pet owner will do both. A savings account and a pet insurance policy serve two distinctly different purposes.

I might add that in addition to savings and a pet insurance policy, a major credit card or CareCredit would be helpful in paying your pet's healthcare expenses.

Buy Pet Insurance Early

I recently posted about this subject. Yesterday, I was reading a forum post from a pet owner that had bought pet insurance and when she filed her first claim, the company requested her pet's medical records. After reviewing the medical record, the company denied the claim stating it was for a pre-existing condition. Needless to say, the pet owner wasn't very happy.

Embrace pet insurance has a Medical History Review that can give pet owners peace of mind that there won't be any surprises pertaining to pre-existing conditions when you file a claim. Other companies may be willing to do the same thing if you ask. If the company informs you that there are pre-existing conditions that won't be covered, and that is unacceptable to you, you can cancel your policy early on and sometimes receive a full refund (if the company has a e.g. 30 day money-back guarantee and you haven't filed any claims). Remember though, even if one or more conditions are excluded from coverage, there are still potentially hundreds of other conditions that will be covered under the policy. So, you'll have to decide if the pet insurance is still worthwhile to you even if there are excluded conditions.

***When I include examples from specific pet insurance companies, it is not intended to be an endorsement of those companies. I have endeavored to remain as neutral and unbiased as possible, but will from time to time point out both good and bad when I see it. My goal is always to educate pet owners about how pet insurance works and help them select the best company and policy for their pet. 

Good Information from Trupanion website

As I've stated before, pet insurance companies use their website to promote their product in the best light and sometimes even compare themselves to competing companies. However, some websites also provide very good educational material for pet owners in an effort to help them understand how pet insurance works. When I find such material, I'll pass it on to you - but, that doesn't mean I endorse that particular company, but simply that they have provided something that every pet owner should know and understand about pet health insurance. Here are several pages from the Trupanion website:

Cost of Claims

Truth About Profits and Costs of Claims

Alternatives to Pet Insurance

Best Time To Purchase Pet Insurance

I'm reminded of the question, "When is the best time to plant a tree?" The answer is - 20 years ago. If you had planted a tree 20 years ago, you'd be enjoying it's shade, fruit, etc. today. If you haven't planted a tree sometime in the past 20 years, the followup question is, "When is the next best time to plant a tree? The answer is - today.

Since pre-existing problems aren't covered by pet insurance policies, the best time to buy pet insurance is when you first get your pet before a problem occurs that could be considered pre-existing. Enroll those new puppies and kittens!

Now, Trupanion has offered stats that support this advice.

Trupanion's New Dog and Cat Breed Guides

Trupanion just launched a Dog and Cat Breed Guide that details many of the dog and cat breeds, their characteristics, and diseases that they are prone to be diagnosed with. It is very informative and similar to the Embrace Dog Breed Database which I wrote about earlier, but the layout is different and definitely worth the look. Again, I hope it emphasizes the importance of getting coverage for hereditary diseases when you select the company and policy to insure your pet.

Wall Street Journal Interview about Pet Insurance

Dr. Kenney was interviewed by Anna Matthews of the Wall Street Journal about Pet Insurance. She has written a very good article that pet owners should read. To hear the interview, click on the audio in the article.

The Importance of Hereditary Condition Coverage with Pet Insurance

I just got back from a Continuing Education seminar where one of the speakers talked about liver diseases. There are several congenital and/or hereditary liver diseases that veterinarians see in practice that are expensive to diagnose and treat. Sometimes, even surgery is required to correct/treat the condition.

Not all insurance companies offer policies that cover congenital/hereditary diseases. Some companies offer limited coverage. There are several that cover hereditary, but not congenital diseases, and some companies cover both.

In my book, I outline all these differences and go more into detail as to why such coverage is important - from a veterinarian's perspective. You should make this important factor a key point when doing your research to find the best company and policy for your pet.

I was also reminded of something that I'll recommend to you. Perhaps your veterinarian already recommends it to you. When you take your pet in for an annual or semiannual wellness examination, it's a good idea to do some basic blood tests that can help uncover e.g. liver disease (even though your dog or cat may appear in perfect health to you) before it advances to the point that the prognosis for recovery isn't good. Sometimes our pets don't show symptoms until a disease is advanced and a good wellness program can detect disease even before your pet appears ill.

I'll give an example. Chronic hepatitis in dogs is more commonly seen in certain breeds, and some of those breeds have actually been identified as having a genetic basis for the disease. If you have one of those breeds and your pet's insurance policy excludes hereditary conditions, you'll end up paying for the diagnosis and treatment out-of-pocket - yourself.

One way to detect chronic hepatitis early-on is by detecting an elevated liver enzyme (ALT) usually between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. Chronic hepatitis isn't the only problem that can cause the ALT to be elevated, but it is a red flag that warrants further investigation. In some dogs, if the condition is not recognized until the dog is showing symptoms, the prognosis is unfavorable for response to treatment.

Pet Health Savings Accounts

While doing some research this weekend, I came across several companies that offer Pet Health Savings Accounts. It works somewhat like my own Health Savings Account my wife and I have with two exceptions. First, it isn't tax deductible. Secondly, it isn't tied to a high deductible insurance policy. Unfortunately, some of these companies are positioning themselves to compete with pet insurance companies for pet owner's dollars. 

I believe that a savings account and pet insurance should compliment each other, not compete against each other. The idea behind my HSA is that with my savings I can pay for minor medical issues, medications, etc. and the insurance policy will cover catastrophic medical issues. If I remain healthy, then my savings increase year by year. If I have a major health issue that I can't cover out-of-pocket, then my insurance will cover that. 

I try to put the maximum that is allowed into the savings account every year, and since my deductible is high, most years my insurance never comes into play. Does this mean the insurance is a waste of money (I pay quite a bit for it)? No, because all it takes is one year when you wind up in the hospital with a major illness or surgery to find out how necessary it is to have. 

For those people who advise starting a savings account, but not buying pet insurance leave the pet owner exposed to not being able to cover a major medical expense should it occur before their savings account builds up. And believe me - as a veterinarian, I see it happen.

Theoretically, as your savings build up, you can afford to raise your deductible and lower your insurance premium. This is what I've done over the years with my own health insurance. As premiums rose, it became almost cost prohibitive to keep maximum coverage. This usually meant changing to a higher deductible. The amount you choose for your deductible makes the biggest difference in the premium. What's interesting is to go to the websites of companies that allow you to choose your own deductible and notice the difference in the premium as you change this one variable when obtaining a quote. When choosing a higher deductible, make sure you can cover it out-of-pocket.

So, I prefer to advise the balanced approach. Pet owners should have a savings account, credit card, and pet insurance. Since pet insurance is indemnity insurance, the pet owner usually pays the veterinarian and then receives reimbursement from the insurance company within a couple of weeks after filing the claim. Having a credit card allows the pet owner to pay the veterinarian and then usually receive reimbursement before the credit card bill becomes due. As I said earlier, the savings can help pay for the deductible, co-pay and anything not covered under the terms of the policy.

Dog Breed Database

I was browsing the new Embrace Pet Insurance website today and came across really good information about many of the dog breeds. It details the characteristics about each breed and covers many of the diseases and problems that the breed is predisposed to. This should point out to pet owners the importance of buying a policy that covers hereditary conditions. It is likely that the problems and diseases associated with each breed in this database wouldn't be covered by a company that doesn't cover hereditary conditions. You should also take this into account if a company has limited coverage for hereditary conditions. I encourage you to visit this page. They apparently have a similar page for cats in the works. Thanks, Embrace for this valuable resource!

Pet Assure

Pet Assure is advertised as an alternative to pet insurance. You would be surprised, however, how many times I see it called an insurance company on the internet - sometimes by websites, e-books, etc. who profess to be advisers on pet health insurance.

 

Pet Assure is a company (club) that has a network of participating veterinary hospitals that offer their services at a discount (25%) to members of the club. Usually, the pet owner pays an annual membership fee to belong to this club and be eligible for the discounts. It is not insurance. There are no deductibles or co-pays. Pre-existing, hereditary, and chronic conditions are eligible for the discount. You receive the discount when paying your bill at the veterinarian’s office. 

 

Even though they advertise that there are no exclusions, services and products that aren’t eligible for a discount are any medication you are sent home with, food, flea and tick or heartworm preventatives, boarding or grooming, outside lab tests, referral to a specialist, and any product or procedure that is already discounted. The annual membership for a dog is $99 and $59 for a cat. They do have a family plan where up to 4 pets are covered for an annual membership of $149. 

The main problem with a network such as this is that it requires the veterinarian/hospital to discount their services. Therefore, there are often a very limited number of veterinarians participating in a given city or community. In other words, the veterinarian that you prefer and have an established relationship with may not and/or will not participate in such a network. 

 

You can read the reviews on Pet Assure as compared to insurance companies. You will even find some of the people who wrote the reviews referring to Pet Assure as insurance. For some pet owners - especially those with several pets, and if there are participating veterinarians in the area that they like, Pet Assure may be helpful. As with insurance, know that there are things that aren't eligible for the discount and that your savings are limited to 25%

 

Is Pet Insurance For You?

I want to post today about the limited reach of pet health insurance to pet owners as it exists today. This isn't talked or written about very much. Pet insurance is essentially a reimbursement plan. An insurance policy is a contract between the pet owner and the insurance company. This means that you must pay your veterinarian in full for the bill, then file a claim with the insurance company and wait for reimbursement. This has led many to ask, “If I can afford to do that, then why do I need insurance?” In these cases, the insurance reimbursement will help pay off the credit card debt or replenish the bank account.

Thus, the pet health insurance model of today implies that only pet owners who can afford to pay for a large bill out of their own bank account or with a credit card and then wait for reimbursement need apply. In my opinion, this leaves a large percentage of pet owners who cannot afford to pay a large, unexpected veterinary bill out of the loop.

Some of the insurance companies have provisions to pay your veterinarian directly after you pay the deductible, co-pay and for any non-covered procedures. The drawbacks to this are that your veterinarian may not agree to such a provision because he or she is used to being paid at the time the procedures are done. Veterinarians also fear that if they start filing claims on behalf of pet owners and waiting for reimbursement from insurance companies that extra staff may be needed. This will increase their overhead and they will have to raise fees to cover this expense. They see human doctors who have a whole office devoted just to handling insurance claims and they want no part of that. They are also concerned that if they have to wait on reimbursement from the insurance company (MDs have to wait weeks to months sometimes) that cash flow will suffer significantly. In fact, some practice management experts have stated that such a scenario is undoable for most veterinary practices. The other problem is determining in a timely fashion if the disease or problem they are treating is even covered and if so, how much the pet owner will end up having to pay and how much reimbursement they can expect from the insurance company.

Therefore, veterinarians generally prefer the status quo - present day model. Veterinarians are also wary of any model that may resemble “managed care” (networks e.g. HMOs, PPOs, Medicare or Medicaid) that has plagued other healthcare professions. There is a whole chapter in my book on the importance of veterinarians and pet owners avoiding managed care.

Several insurance companies are working to improve their ability to verify coverage and shorten turnaround times between filing a claim and receiving reimbursement – sometimes as short as 24 hours. The filing of claims and receipt of reimbursements are done electronically, therefore, it involves virtually no paperwork and minimal staff time. I know of one company who is working with at least one veterinarian to test such a system. I was told that the veterinarian files all claims – large and small – for pet owners and the reimbursements are deposited directly into the hospital’s bank account.

If insurance companies can reliably put such a model in place, it should overcome most of the objections that veterinarians have with it and put pet insurance within the reach of pet owners who can afford a monthly premium, but can’t come up with thousands of dollars on the front end should their pet develop a serious medical or surgical problem.

Just because your veterinarian agrees to file the claim on your behalf doesn’t mean that you will walk out without paying anything (like you may be used to doing at your own doctor’s office). You will still be responsible for paying your part (deductible, co-pay, and any non-covered expenses), and the insurance company will pay its part directly to your veterinarian. In my mind, this is how it ought to work to allow more pets to be covered. Some of the insurance companies are now offering larger deductible policies and these may be more acceptable by the veterinary community in such a model because you will be paying (and they will be receiving) a larger portion of the bill on the front end (like a deposit).

Until such a model is commonplace, you can ask your veterinarian if he or she will allow you to pay the deductible and co-pay and file a claim on your behalf. If it isn’t an emergency, some companies will pre-certify a procedure and let you and your veterinarian know the approximate expected reimbursement. Your veterinarian would need to send an estimated cost of the diagnostic and treatment plan to the insurance company (the final bill may vary from the estimate). However, you should only expect to be able to do this with large, unexpected bills, and you will have to get the cooperation of both your veterinarian and the insurance company.

 

 

Pet Insurance Book

 

My new book is now available as a paperback on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. There is also an e-book format available that contains many live clickable links and worksheets that will help pet owners when doing their research.