Can anyone tell me about pet health insurance

[Howard 537]

As many of you know I just lost a dog, and with him a lot of money in vet bills.  We just added a new puppy and I was wondering if health insurance is worth buying, from whom and does it make sense.  From what I can tell the well care stuff is not worth it as it is more a health savings account with maybe a 10-15% savings but if you don't use it you lose it.  The illness and accident, well maybe but I would like to hear comments.  The two companies I was advised to look at (by the Vet) well Embrace and Trupanion.  The Vet seems to have a preference for Trupanion but we met someone in the waiting room that raved about Embrace.  Any other good ones to consider.  Thanks.

[JayWilling 33]

I can tell you it has GOT to be better than human health insurance. Sorry I'm not more help.

[bhunted 887]

I did a lot of research years ago on this. Things to watch out for like typical insurance companies. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

- Most common things may not be covered.

- Most previous illness or disease may not be covered.

- To get good coverage, you have to take their high end plan. This could be extremely expensive.

- Even their best coverage has high stakes like deductibles, co-pays, etc...

Add that with a high annual premium could make it out of bounds for most people.

 

All in all, what I determined was it was too expensive. Based on breed, their common problems and what may not be covered, you be better off stashing away a medical slush fund similar to what we have as humans like an HSA plan....

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

[Howard 537]

I did a lot of research years ago on this. Things to watch out for like typical insurance companies. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

- Most common things may not be covered.

- Most previous illness or disease may not be covered.

- To get good coverage, you have to take their high end plan. This could be extremely expensive.

- Even their best coverage has high stakes like deductibles, co-pays, etc...

Add that with a high annual premium could make it out of bounds for most people.

 

All in all, what I determined was it was too expensive. Based on breed, their common problems and what may not be covered, you be better off stashing away a medical slush fund similar to what we have as humans like an HSA plan....

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

That had always been my thoughts too.  But it seems to have gotten better.  A plan that covers up to $5,000 a year in medical expenses and drugs with about a $250 deductible and 80% coverage runs about $30 to $35 per month.  There are no lifetime caps (just annually) and it covers treatment by any licensed vet in the country.  These do not cover wellcare or routine vaccines, but seem to cover everything else. Some cover pre-existing after a six month waiting period, but for a new puppy this is not an issue.  I have a little time as I signed up for both (no cost or obligation) with one offering a free first month and the other free two months - no credit card or other charge, if you don't sign up after the trial they just cancel it.

[BullzeyeNJ 101]

From my experience I would go with Trupanion. One of the better companies out there and many of their customers are satisfied with what they offer.

[reduck 0]

From my experience with VPI, Trupanion is the better of the two. They do not have caps on specific common illnesses that I know of.. VPI does. I hadn't looked at Embrace but I am pretty sure they are decent too. I've heard good things about all of them.

 

Once the animal is diagnosed with a long term illness, you can not transfer companies and have them cover that pre existing condition. I wouldn't expect them to...That said,having the VPI plan has saved us considerable cash when our youngest rescue beagle started having seizures. Not that I wouldn't do it anyhow, but he's been in and out of Northstar plenty since his first episode back in October. We hit the cap on his illness in March, a month before his plan would rollover. So it cost us out of pocket...you just can't plan for everything..but like I said, we'd do it regardless of insurance..We also bought the normal health plan. If you take them twice a year for check ups and shots, you end up slightly ahead of the cost. If you use heartguard and frontline they cover that too for half a year.

Read the fine print carefully is my best advise and ask a lot of questions. We found out the hard way about the cap, but now that we know he has epilepsy and is being treated, we can corral the costs and VPI will pay for his meds and neurology visits this year entirely.

 

Half the reason you would buy insurance is for peace of mind. You really never want to use it, but when you do you'll be real glad it's there....

Good luck with your new little one and may he stay healthy and never need the plan you choose!

[Howard 537]

Reduck, what do you mean when you talk about a cap?  Is that a cap per illness or an annual cap.  The one I was talking about you pick your annual limit based on what premium you pay but there is no lifetime cap.  I was talking about one that would pay up to $5,000 per year.  Thanks

[reduck 0]

Reduck, what do you mean when you talk about a cap?  Is that a cap per illness or an annual cap.  The one I was talking about you pick your annual limit based on what premium you pay but there is no lifetime cap.  I was talking about one that would pay up to $5,000 per year.  Thanks

 

VPI has per diagnosis caps. So for our little guy..once he was diagnosed with epilepsy, the epilepsy cap took effect. from that point on the max return I would get on treatment was $620 per year. 

which isn't hard to exceed if its uncontrolled. once under control, routine testing and meds will use most of that amount. I don't recall the actual amount. I just kept submitting receipts and they kept sending checks. Until we hit the cap..The cap number is before deductible so depending on what $ you set as deductible, you would pay that amount, then they would pay up to their cap.

They do explain that in their docs. They list a lot of common canine illnesses, and their per year cap here . Also a lot of typical procedures and tests are listed along with maximum yearly payouts.

From what I was told and read, trupanion does not have per diagnosis caps..

[Newtonian 446]

Do you have any examples of premiums, deductibles, and caps?

[Melgamatic 66]

I had a dog that I loved very much, but we had problems at home so we found a great family nearby with a bunch of kids who were great with the dog, so the dog moved in with them.  The great thing was that we still pet sitted for the dog a few times a year for a week.  This was a great arrangement all around.

 

One week during the heat of the 2012 summer, we got the dog for a 2-week stay.  The second day we noticed the 2-year old dog was peeing blood and just not moving.  So, the dog went to the great emergency vet hospital in Raritan.  I get a call from my wife at 6pm, "Dog is close to death, $1000, ok?"  I get a call from my wife the next morning, "another $1000, ok?"  Another call late that night, "Another $800 for XXX, ok?"  After 4 days, I'm into the dog for $4k.

 

Now, I would have paid whatever I could to get the dog better, and fortunately I had the $$.  BUT, the owners (who were incommunicado in Israel) would not have had the money, and the dog probably would have died.  I got them to get health insurance.  Not for the routine care, but for super emergencies like this.  I don't know what they got or if it would have covered this, but I feel better.

 

Turns out the dog got heat stroke, kidneys shut down, etc.  She was OK (and still is).

[Howard 537]

Do you have any examples of premiums, deductibles, and caps?

You can go to their web sites and get pricing but as an example for my pup a plan that covers up to $5,000/yr of sick and illness care including drugs (not well care) that pays 80% of costs at any vet after a $250 deductible would run $31.59 per month.  Its an extra $6.92 per month if you want to include such things as: Acupuncture, Hydrotherapy, Chiropractic, Physical and rehabilitative therapy, Homeopathy.  

[Howard 537]

One week during the heat of the 2012 summer, we got the dog for a 2-week stay.  The second day we noticed the 2-year old dog was peeing blood and just not moving.  So, the dog went to the great emergency vet hospital in Raritan.  I get a call from my wife at 6pm, "Dog is close to death, $1000, ok?"  I get a call from my wife the next morning, "another $1000, ok?"  Another call late that night, "Another $800 for XXX, ok?"  After 4 days, I'm into the dog for $4k.

 

Glad to hear you were able to help the dog out!  I know what you mean about these costs.  Our 4 day adventure with Trent cost about $2,500 and we knew he probably was not going to make it but we had to try. I just did some back of the envelope math and if we had that policy since we got him we would have paid out about $2,700 in premiums and I don't think we ever had any other significant non wellness type expenses.  Similarly when we had Kirby who lived to be 15 we went through 4 surgeries for cancer over a four year period and probably spent about $6,000, but by that point we would have paid $5,800 in premiums.  So, does this make economic sense???  I am not sure.

[Newtonian 446]

You can go to their web sites and get pricing but as an example for my pup a plan that covers up to $5,000/yr of sick and illness care including drugs (not well care) that pays 80% of costs at any vet after a $250 deductible would run $31.59 per month.  Its an extra $6.92 per month if you want to include such things as: Acupuncture, Hydrotherapy, Chiropractic, Physical and rehabilitative therapy, Homeopathy.  

$250/yr is not that much more than what we pay these days for an annual physical and shots for our cats. But the plans don't pay for stuff like that.

 

Depending on the breed, it's likely that you'll have paid about $3,000-$3500 in insurance before you have to use it. Subtract that from the $5,000 cap, and you have a very narrow window of benefit. Let's say a cancer operation and chemo can run $8,000 and up, depending. Meaning you'll have paid (assuming the dog is 10-12) all but $1500 of that. 

 

Do they have anything that just covers accidents? I think that's where the value is, in problems from which the dog is expected to recover.

[Howard 537]

$250/yr is not that much more than what we pay these days for an annual physical and shots for our cats. But the plans don't pay for stuff like that.

 

Depending on the breed, it's likely that you'll have paid about $3,000-$3500 in insurance before you have to use it. Subtract that from the $5,000 cap, and you have a very narrow window of benefit. Let's say a cancer operation and chemo can run $8,000 and up, depending. Meaning you'll have paid (assuming the dog is 10-12) all but $1500 of that. 

 

Do they have anything that just covers accidents? I think that's where the value is, in problems from which the dog is expected to recover.

That $5,000 is an annual cap, not a lifetime cap.  So, like in the case of my dog that had cancer for four years it could have paid out a max of $20,000 over those four years.  There are some that cap per illness or lifetime but not the ones I was talking about.

[Newtonian 446]

That $5,000 is an annual cap, not a lifetime cap.  So, like in the case of my dog that had cancer for four years it could have paid out a max of $20,000 over those four years.  There are some that cap per illness or lifetime but not the ones I was talking about.

 

How old was your dog when it got cancer, and what treatment did it receive? 

[reduck 0]

Do you have any examples of premiums, deductibles, and caps?

Premiums vary depending on breed and age. I picked a 250 deductible cause I was comfortable with that amount. they offer higher and lower deductibles too.

If you follow the link I embedded it should open a pdf of the full list of caps as currently set.

Interestingly enough, our little beagles name is Trent(on) too. Named after where we plucked his ass off the road..

[Howard 537]

How old was your dog when it got cancer, and what treatment did it receive? 

Kirby was 11 when he got cancer, and lived to see 15.  It was a very rapid growing cancer but remained fairly localized on his side.  I almost wanted to install a zipper, as we had him opened up four times and they removed a mass bigger than a grapefruit each time.  The problem was they could never get it all and even try to do so would have required a month or more of radiation.  We opted not to do that as they said they could not be sure it would work, it was very expensive, but mainly because it required a 45 minute car ride each way four times a week and the dog always went absolutely crazy in the car.  We only went through all the surgery because he still had great quality of life.  When he was 14 they did some blood work and the owner of the Animal Hospital told us that had he not known the dog he would have assumed the results were from a five year old dog.  The last year of his life they were doing some experimental herbal cancer treatment that was doing great in shrinking the tumor from both the inside and topically.  But unfortunately he developed some other issues and we had to let him go.

[Newtonian 446]

Kirby was 11 when he got cancer, and lived to see 15.  It was a very rapid growing cancer but remained fairly localized on his side.  I almost wanted to install a zipper, as we had him opened up four times and they removed a mass bigger than a grapefruit each time.  The problem was they could never get it all and even try to do so would have required a month or more of radiation.  We opted not to do that as they said they could not be sure it would work, it was very expensive, but mainly because it required a 45 minute car ride each way four times a week and the dog always went absolutely crazy in the car.  We only went through all the surgery because he still had great quality of life.  When he was 14 they did some blood work and the owner of the Animal Hospital told us that had he not known the dog he would have assumed the results were from a five year old dog.  The last year of his life they were doing some experimental herbal cancer treatment that was doing great in shrinking the tumor from both the inside and topically.  But unfortunately he developed some other issues and we had to let him go.

Sad story. The silver lining is whatever they did for him worked, and he survived for four years long. Most dogs who develop cancer aren't so fortunate. 

[dslar 0]

My 2 yr old pit recently got "Happy Tail" syndrome, which contrary to its name is not happy! She had a cut on the tip of her tail that would not heal and I was finding blood all over my house. Ultimately, the decision was made to cut the tail off, $760 for that. Then a week later, emergency surgery because the stitches split open. Doctor was great and only charged us for the the drugs to knock her out and not the surgery, but it was still $250. She is a rescue and a really great dog, but I've never had so many health issues with a dog. In the past 2 years we've spent at least $4k on different ailments. It never seems to go without complications either!

 

I've been looking into pet insurance myself, thanks for this post it's been very helpful!

[Caraj 5]

I have 5 dogs on the plan that includes $5000 per incident per dog I have to check but I think it's $125 per month or a little more. The good news is with this plan it cost less per month as you add more dogs to the plan. In the last 2 years we saved over $8000 in bills including the plan cost. From a dog that ate mulch and blocked him up, to one that swallowed a sock, to one with a spinal stroke, and my gsd rescue that needed 80 stitches amongst other injuries after a fight with my other rescue who also went to the vet. I even had a dog die and they paid for cremation.

 

So for us it's worth it. They don't pay everything and you must send them the vet bills that they scrutinize and decide how much to pay and mail you a check.

[czechmark 5]

We had 4 pugs with VPI coverage. we're down to one now-he's 12 years old. The others died at 12, 13, and 15. Over the years it's pretty much been a "push", premiums vs insurance reimbursements, but the insurance coverage provides comfort in those stressful times. Pets become family members over time so sometimes expenses can become irrationally high. Some people would spend $15,000 on a dog to extend his life a couple of years. Would you? Pet insurance can provide a cushion but insurance companies are in business to make money, not break even.

 

Choosing the right vet is really more important. For example, we've seen dental visits ranging from $400-$1400 for the same service from different vets. Insurance reimbursement usually would amount to about $200 for this service. Some vets recommend annual dental treatments, others go with every 2 years. . .

[Sticky Grips 4]

I Have VPI for my border collie. I feel its better to pay into it now in the event something gets swallowed, the dog gets hit by a car, or attacked, or whatever could happen.

 

It came in handy when my parents German Shepard had a tumor,

[mipafox 438]

The premium is roughly 10% of the maximum benefit? I don't know, I've never heard of insurance that pricey.

 

Make sure the rehab coverage includes gambling addiction.

[NJSigfan 217]

Plus 1 for VPI

 

we had coverage on our Rottie and it definitely came in handy. Over her 8 year life we easily were on the plus side of benefit versus premiums. They covered annual visits, spaying, heart guard pills, reconstructive knee surgery and finally cremation. The plan was pay up front and get reimbursed but payments were timely and CS was never an issue.

 

Hope this helps...

[Howard 537]

I have a question about VPI that you are suggesting.  When I go to their page the plans seem to all be limited to what they will pay for specific items of care, is that correct?  The reason I ask is the ones from Trupanion see not to be limited by the incident only by the annual cap.  While VPI offers a much higher cap, it seems unlikely you would ever get even close to that unless you pet got sick with multiple things several times a year.  Is that a correct understanding or am I missing something?

[reduck 0]

I have a question about VPI that you are suggesting.  When I go to their page the plans seem to all be limited to what they will pay for specific items of care, is that correct?  The reason I ask is the ones from Trupanion see not to be limited by the incident only by the annual cap.  While VPI offers a much higher cap, it seems unlikely you would ever get even close to that unless you pet got sick with multiple things several times a year.  Is that a correct understanding or am I missing something?

 

that is true. like I mentioned previously, if a diagnosis is made and there is a cap on that injury/illness, it immediately takes effect. VPI has more capped illnesses and diagnosis. Trupanion doesn't from what I read and have been told. That said, we still have VPI. I know we spent over the cap for our Trents seizures last year because we got a few bills returned unpaid due to max payout.

Its all a guessing game really...only the insurers know all the loop holes.

I'd still rather be with VPI than uninsured.

[InFamous 294]

HOLY NECROPOST!

Now that I said it before someone else could, I'm currently doing research on this. It's actually for my younger cat, first she has a weight and a dry skin problem which we haven't been able to rectify with diet. Second we have found a lump on her that needs to be checked out. From what I'm seeing Trupanion is extremely expensive at $78.05/mo for their lowest $200 deductible. I'm finding most of your standard insurance companies around mid $30-$40's a month. Any search for VPI sends me to Nationwide. The final one which Howard mentioned but didn't seem to be talked about was Embrace. They seem to have fully customizable deductions, yearly allowance, and reimbursement percentages. I can actually get it as low as $25/mo. 

I know it's been almost 4 years since this topic but aside from what I've looked at so far any others to consider? Anyone use Embrace? They are the ones I'm leaning towards now.

[Sniper 6,370]

I went with Pet Plan for my new pup. First time I ever took out insurance on a pet. But, I have a lot invested in this little dude, so I figured, why not. (https://www.gopetplan.com/)

I looked at a couple different companies, but this one allows you to pick the deductible, yearly allowance and reimbursement percentage. I'm concerned only with the big hit medical episodes. I'll cover the small ones out of pocket.

Already had one emergency visit to Red Bank on a Saturday night, so my deductible is covered for the rest of the year.

[InFamous 294]

Thanks @Sniper22! I'll check them out!

[JackDaWack 2,653]

We have our 2 dogs on Petfirst pet insurance, I'm not sure of the exact details but I believe we get up to 5,000 per incident, 100 dollar deductible for 75 a month.

It's already paid for itself for a few years, we submit documents on line and they send us a check in the mail.