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Everything you need to know about your care options.

Most of us are familiar with health insurance from a human standpoint. You may be wondering if you should have health insurance for your pet and how it works. Here are some important facts to help you with your decision. Does my pet need health insurance?

If you have an illness/injury policy for your pet, this can be a huge relief. You can now focus on making the best medical decisions for your pet without worrying about affording the bill. Some of the most heartbreaking decisions are often made because pet owners can’t afford the care that their pet needs, but you can avoid this if you have a good pet insurance policy. Know before you go! There are plenty of options out there to help you with your pet health finances. Lorem ipsum Pet insurance policies typically come in two types - wellness and illness/injury. Unlike human healthcare which typically includes a lot of your preventative care, pet insurance treats this differently. Wellness services are typically not covered unless you have a wellness policy, and not all companies offer these policies.

Illness/injury policies are the most common type, as these are the expenses that most pet owners aren’t expecting. A trip to the emergency room, depending on the reason, can cost you anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars and beyond. If your pet needs emergency surgery, you could be looking at $5,000-$10,000+ depending on the circumstance. Most pet owners do not have these funds freely available, and while many can use credit to help, it still leaves them responsible for a huge bill that they may not be able to pay quickly. Lorem ipsum

Pet insurance doesn’t typically pay for up-front costs. Most pet insurance companies work by having you submit a claim when your pet receives a covered service, and then they reimburse you for the amount that is covered in the policy. The current exception to this is Trupanion, who can pay participating hospitals directly at the time of care.

It is important to note that you are still able to utilize alternative forms of payment while you await reimbursement from your insurance company. Using standard credit cards, Care Credit, ScratchPay, or other options in the meantime are all viable ways to pay for care upfront. You will then have the peace of mind that you’re going to be able to pay a significant portion of it off quickly once you get your reimbursement.

The younger your pet is when you apply for coverage, the better your premium and coverage will be. When signing up for pet insurance, the company will take into account your pet’s age, breed, and any pre-existing conditions. Generally speaking, anything in your pet’s medical history prior to signing up can be considered a pre-existing condition and the insurance company will likely not cover it under the policy. Therefore, the longer you wait to sign up, the more that they can get out of covering, and the older your pet is, the more they increase the premiums you are paying. This is why it’s a great idea to sign up for coverage when you have a new puppy or kitten in order to receive maximum benefits from your policy.

With human health insurance, you often have to worry about if the provider you chose is in your network. Because pet insurance operates on a reimbursement model, you don’t have to worry about networks and choosing a practice that will allow you to use your policy. Any veterinary office can fill out any necessary forms that you provide to assist you in getting your services reimbursed by the insurance company. The only exception would be if you choose to sign up with Trupanion and wish to utilize the Trupanion Express direct payments to the veterinarian. If you do, you will want to ask your vet office if they are a participating provider (because it requires a special setup). If they aren’t you can still use your Trupanion policy – you would just need to follow the standard pay up front and get reimbursed model.

Ask the pet insurance company you are considering about any exclusions they have based on the breed of your pet. Some insurance carriers will not cover certain problems in breeds that are prone to that issue (for example, allergies or eye problems in bulldogs). Make sure that you are aware of anything like that prior to signing up with an insurance provider. Wellness & Preventive Care

Bottom Title Do your research! There are a lot of pet insurance companies out there and more coming on the scene all the time. Look up reviews for the coverage, ask friends and family members, etc. Keep in mind that people often only say things online when they are having a problem, so you will likely find some unhappy customers. That said, if all that you are finding is negative and there is very little positive, you should probably move on to the next option. Remember that anytime you sign up with a new company you’ll be starting fresh with a new premium and a new look-back for pre-existing conditions, so do your best to choose wisely and try to stick with your chosen company.

Click the button below to check out a chart (which was provided by the Pumpkin insurance company, so keep that in mind) that outlines some key information you should ask about when shopping for pet insurance. Keep in mind that this chart may not be up to date, and it is meant to give you some idea of the key information you need to make an informed decision, NOT as a full and current guide to which insurance company to choose. This is not an exhaustive list of information about pet insurance, but we tried to cover the most important points that pet owners should know. Please check out this additional resource from the American Veterinary Medical Association about pet insurance, which also has a brief listing of some of the most popular insurance carriers: Top Title AVMA Pet Insurance Information

If you decide that pet insurance is not for you and your pet at this time, there are still things that you can do to try to prepare for unexpected expenses.

  • You can opt into wellness plans provided by your veterinarian. In addition to spreading out the cost of wellness veterinary care that your pet needs, they often provide discounts on services not included in the plan (see your vet’s specific offerings for details, or click here to see our current plans).
  • You can start a savings account specifically for veterinary care and have automatic deposits put into it so that you’re saving without even noticing.
  • You can be prepared to open and use alternative payment options such as Care Credit, ScratchPay, or other similar offerings.

Lorem Ipsum If you have any questions about pet insurance or anything else pet-related, please ask us! We want to be your source for pet information so that you get the most up to date and correct information you can. Lean on us - it’s why we do what we do!

*Brush Run Veterinary Clinic does not endorse or support any specific pet insurance carrier. The information provided here is for pet owner education purposes only.