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|  MissStumble | Jun 18, 2007 3:08pm | | Does anyone have pet insurance. As the animals get older they seem to need more and more medication and it can get really expensive. Is Pet Insurance really good to have? Do the vet's honor pet insurance or is it a hassle? Any ideas about which pet insurances I should look into. Thanks so much. |
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| | Canineandabled | Jun 18, 2007 6:59pm | | Hi... I got pet insurance through Banfield Vet hospital... (they're in Petsmarts). I saved a ton...especially when my dogs were puppies; it included all the costs of spaying/neutering. I save a bunch on vaccines as well, and get discounts on heartworm preventative. It's been a blessing for me; as I have three dogs...anything saved is a blessing! If I were to do over again...I would probably join a private insurance company that I could pay extra in the event where someone were to get sick. This happened to my Collie a year ago, and his insurance didn't cover all of the diagnostic tests. Hope this helps ;-) |
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| | MissStumble | Jun 19, 2007 8:59am | | Thank you so much. I seem to live at Petsmart so I cannot wait to check this out. |
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| | babu357 | Jul 8, 2007 6:59pm | | this is interesting. I was thinking of getting insurance for my puppy but wasn't sure what it would cover. Sounds like the petsmart would be good to cover what she needs now but I'm going to look into the private insurance, like caneandabled said cause it seems like it might be good for the future. thanks. |
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| | ithaca96 | Jul 25, 2007 12:47am | I'm personally interested in the emerging growth of the pet insurance industry here in the US. There are valid fears of it becoming like the HMO nightmares of human health insurance by both practicing vets and pet owners. Some of the bigger, older companies have been changing some of their fee structures and coverage policies such that there are more complexities in coverage, less clear cut "rules" defining "pre-existing condition" and hereditary exemptions. They've also been trying to give all pet owners everything they seem to want....wellness coverage for routine yearly visits, vaccines,spay/neuter surgeries, medications etc. on one end - and still cover the really dire, unexpected emergency costs of ER medical care for life threatening situations. This has it's pros and cons I'm finding.
Veterinary emergency and critical care costs are what pet insurance was originally intended for, to help pet owners faced with bills into the thousands at times when a sudden life threatening disease strikes their pet. The level of advanced veterinary medical care is rivaling human ER medicine these daysas in surgery, MRI imaging, specialists, and all the bells and whistles. The costs have had to rise accordingly to provide this kind of care of course as well, and none of us are used to paying for our own ER bills out of pocket. Nor do we often how just much they actually are aside from our copays. So, paying a 1-2K vet bill upon taking home "Buddy" after a week in vet ICU's 24 hour medical care is quite a shock to most, and pet insurance for THIS specific purpose has been a superb value, and lifesaver for years. It's the other, routine types of medical visits that aren't profitable for insurance companies, but they've been offering it because the public has clamored for more and more types of coverage over recent years. I suspect this trend may result in coverage policies that become more and more confusing, with complex exclusions and a loss in the excellent emergency coverage it had always done so well.
There are many new options though for pet owners to choose from since there are a host of new companies now to choose from and compare policies and price structure.
I'd be delighted if anyone here would be willing to share their own experiences, good and bad with pet insurance. Also, for people considering insurance, what concerns you most about the idea of getting it for your pet(s)? Any thoughts on this topic would be appreciated, as a veterinarian myself, I'm very focused on how this industry is developing and I'm currently writing an article about pet owner's most significant concerns. We vets basically as a whole just hope they will be able to alleviate the financial burdens many pet owners face to assure the best medical care for their beloved pets. Our costs are fixed for equipment, pharmacy inventory, staffing etc. and traditionally mark up just what we need in order to stay working in the jobs we love with animals. Vets don't sell, nor endorse this insurance at present for the most part (though they'd like us to I'm sure). Vet's really just want to practice medicine, salespeople we're not, nor do any of us want to see changes like billing departments and the red tape of what our human medical colleagues must go through to just take care of their patients.
We see these costs of keeping a vet clinic open rising like everything else, and are hoping this industry trend is a positive thing for everyone, as it is in the UK.
Thanks in advance for any responses that may help my article, Rae |
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