Your Pet Insurance Guide

Make Sure Your Pet Insurance Policy Covers Alternative/Rehabilitation Therapy

The field of alternative/rehabilitation therapy in veterinary medicine is evolving. Veterinarians now have an option to specialize in this field. Consequently, more and more pet insurance companies are covering alternative/rehabilation therapy. I believe this is an important coverage to include in your pet insurance policy. Some companies broadly define alternative/rehabilitative therapy as "treatment that does not generally fall within the realm of conventional veterinary medicine as used by the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians (AARV)." 1 Other companies may limit which of these therapies will be covered. Look at a sample policy to determine exactly what alternative/rehabilitation treatments a company... Read more →

How To Evaluate A Pet Insurance Policy

Perhaps the most important step to take before purchasing pet insurance is to read and understand a company's policy. Understanding what you read is critical. I recommend that you download and print the sample policy, highlight any sections/clauses that you have questions about and then call and talk with a company representative for clarification on these concerns. In my experience talking with pet owners, most of them fail to do this, and therefore, don't really understand what they are purchasing. More often than not, this leads to surprises and regrets down the road when they file claims that are denied... Read more →

Bike Ride Seeks Funds To Support Charity and Raise Awareness of Pet Insurance

Determined Pet Owner Channels Grief into Action with 1,200 Mile Ride to Honor His Late Dog Hope’s Ride - A Journey of Healing Cleveland, OH - August 15, 2017- On August 19th, Air National Guard member Rick Dreyer will get on his bike in Amelia Island, Florida and start a 1,200-mile journey to Embrace Pet Insurance’s headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. He’s taking this ride, accompanied by his wife, Yvette, in honor of their late dog, Hope, who passed away from an aggressive cancer this past spring. The Dreyers’ goal is twofold: Raise money for The Hope Chest Charitable Foundation Increase... Read more →

Embrace Pet Insurance: Claim Examples

A few days ago I had a post about claim examples from Petplan. Just today I found a page on Embrace's website where they have many examples of claims they have paid. Embrace allows pet owners to select among several annual maximums, deductibles and copays. This allows you to custom design your own policy to get a premium you can afford. However, remember these guidelines when designing your policy. Notice as you look at these claim examples how the annual maximum, deductible and copay that was chosen affects the reimbursement the pet owner received. I think it is instructional to... Read more →

What Dog Breed Would Be Best For Me?

My son emailed me yesterday because his in-laws are thinking about getting a Great Pyranees puppy. They want my input as a veterinarian. I mentioned a couple of things in my reply, but also sent them to Embrace Pet Insurance company's Pet Health Center. It is an amazing resource for reading about the characteristics of many breeds of dogs and cats as well as various medical and behavioral conditions, etc. So, if you're trying to decide which breed dog or cat to get or just want some advice about various medical or behavioral conditions, check out this resourse. Another good... Read more →

Embrace Introduces The Healthy Pet Deductible

Perhaps you've heard of automobile insurance companies offering a "diminishing deductible" or a similarly named plan. In other words, for every year you go accident-free and don't file a claim, your deductible decreases. Embrace pet insurance company has added this feature to all of it's accident and illness policies. For every year you don't file a claim that results in a reimbursement, your deductible will decrease $50. If you recieve a Wellness Rewards reimbursement, it doesn't affect your deductible, since it's separate coverage from your accident and illness policy. Some folks get pet insurance and don't file a claim very... Read more →

How Pet Insurance Statistics Can Help You Prevent Accidentally Poisoning Your Pet

How many of the things in the list below were you aware of before reading this article that can either poison your pet or make your pet sick so that you might have to visit your veterinarian or emergency clinic? Deadly Dark Chocolate Contributes to 100,000 Cases of Pet Poisoning in the U.S. According to Embrace Pet Insurance NEW YORK, Mar 01, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- --Can a little table-side reward really hurt your dog? Embrace Pet Insurance has opened up their database to reveal the human foods that poison the most pets the company insures, ahead of Poison Prevention... Read more →

Pet Insurance Coverage for Behavioral Problems

I just came across this article written by the Laura Bennett, the CEO and Co-Founder of Embrace pet insurance company. Not all pet insurance companies cover behavioral issues. Some offer partial coverage while others offer coverage just like any other condition. As a veterinarian, I see behavioral problems not too infrequently. Many times we have to run a battery of tests to rule out medical problems. For example, if a cat is urinating outside the litterbox, we may have to run blood tests, urinalysis, urine culture, xrays or ultrasound before concluding that the problem is behavioral rather than medical. As... Read more →

Embrace Pet Insurance Claim Example - Cushing's Disease

Cushing's is a chronic disease and this pet owner will be facing ongoing monitoring and lifelong medication to keep the symptoms under control. The good news is that pet insurance will pay most of the expense! I ran across this claim example on the Embrace blog. There are a couple of lessons to learn from this example. Make sure your pet insurance policy has coverage for chronic illnesses beyond the intial year when it is first diagnosed. With some companies, this is optional coverage. Also, make sure their coverage for chronic diseases is adequate. Embrace makes coverage for prescription medications... Read more →

Pet Insurance Claims for Cancer Treatment

Today, I'm writing a teaching post. I am including a couple of claims from Embrace for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Although we think of cancer as being primarily a problem in older pets, notice that both of these pets were young. The thing I appreciate about these examples is that Embrace gave detailed information about the claim and how much the pet owner was reimbursed. The first claim was on Maggie, a 2 year old Dachshund with a rectal tumor. The second claim was on Coney, a 3 year old cat with lymphoma. Both pets are doing well... Read more →

Embrace Pet Insurance - Changes To Their Policies

Yesterday, I posted about Embrace's new Wellness Rewards programs. Today I'm providing a link to the company CEO's blog where she outlines recent changes to their policies. At the end of the blog post are other links to even more explanation. They have changed underwriters. A notable change is elimination of the 25% of annual limit on chronic conditions. Read more →

Embrace Improves Wellness Rewards

Embrace recently expanded their wellness rewards package. Be sure and download their wellness reward certificate to get a better idea of all the coverages. You will have to decide if it is worth it. One good thing about their wellness coverages is that they are flexible - there is no limit per procedure, and you will usually get back slightly more than you pay in extra premium if you spend up to the annual limit. As always, I will try to let you know about changes in policies as soon as I'm aware of them. Read more →

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... Read more →

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... Read more →

Pet Insurance Claim Examples From Embrace

I read pet forums weekly and pet insurance frequently gets negative comments with people saying it is just not worth having. After over two years of researching pet insurance, some of the criticism is warranted because there are both good and bad policies that pet owners can select from. The key is selecting the best ones. I designed the Pet Insurance Toolkit to help you do just that! On Embrace Pet Insurance's blog, they are focusing on the topic of cancer in pets this month. Below are a couple of links to actual claims that Embrace paid for pets that... Read more →

Embrace Pet Insurance CEO tells her story

I read a great article today about Embrace Pet Insurance CEO, Laura Bennett, and why she decided to take the plunge and start a new pet insurance company. I hope you enjoy it too! Read more →

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... Read more →