What about pet insurance

deljo

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After just paying out a fortune ($1100.)for Sweetie and Juno's stays in the hosp. due to recalled food I'm wondering if anyone has pet insurance and if they would share their experiences with it, such as do the companies pay etc. I'm not asking for referrals or insurance co. names. Are the premiums worth it. I've priced ins. for both of mine and it would be $28 per month. Seems to me that's kind of expensive. I don't need ins. for normal care just for hosp. I would appreciate your input. I'm not sure if this thread belongs here so someone can move it for me if I'm in the wrong place.
 

claire1973

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Hi

Well after Humphrey needed surgery twice after an abscess I decided to get pet insurance. The two ops last year cost me nearly £500!!!!!

My pet insurance costs me £13 per month and that covers most things, however I have to pay an £80.00 excess when I claim on it!! I have not had to use it YET so |I cant comment on whether it actualy worth it or not.

Hopefully if I do have to use it, it will be worth it.

Hope this helps a little!

Claire

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catsarebetter

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I actually need to look into pet insurance myself. It's one of those things I need to get around to and will probably take awhile... but.. I do currently have all of mine on a pet plan, prevetative maintenance, which covers their yearly costs (depending on what plans) including organ screenings, and other stuff, again, depending on the plan/price. It doesn't cover extras, though. It offers a discount on meds, and other uncovered costs, and you get unlimited vet visits/checkups. I think our plans are well worth it.
 

urbantigers

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When we've had threads on pet insurance before the opinion of many US posters has been that it's not worth it, but it is different elsewhere. I wouldn't be without it (and have claimed on it twice). The thing to remember is that any policy you take out will exclude any existing or previous conditions or anything that they can relate to a previous condition. I got all my cats as kittens and insured them when they were little so no conditions are excluded and I'm pretty much covered for anything.
 

emmylou

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There were a lot of first-hand opinions in this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...care+insurance

I'm thrilled I got pet insurance for my cat, because of how things turned out and the amount of money I've been reimbursed. But it's not the right decision for everyone... if you have a healthy cat, you'll end up paying more in premiums than you would have paid in medical expenses. But then I thought I had a fairly healthy cat when I got the insurance.
 

urbantigers

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Originally Posted by emmylou

if you have a healthy cat, you'll end up paying more in premiums than you would have paid in medical expenses.
But the time to take out a policy is when the cat is healthy. If you wait until the cat is unwell then that illness will be excluded, and if it's something that can recur or will be a chronic illness then it will always be excluded.
 

althekitty

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I was toying with the idea of insurance but I spoke with a lady at the rescue home and she advised that a lot of the time it isn't worth it especially when the companies are picky about what they will and won't pay for. I decided that rather than put it in insurance, I would save around the same amount of money a month and just keep it in a seperate account. That way, I will have at least the majority amount put away when needed!! My sister does the same thing with her three kitties and it has worked well!
 

hareting

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Be sure to read the insurance policy VERY CAREFULLY.

I've check the insurance policay for the major companies in US and Canada, as far as I know, none of them covers pre-existing condition.

ie: If you cat is dignosed for crystal before, even tho it has been cured at the time you purchse insurance, any issue related to crystal would not be covered in the future.

Also, for most of the company, it's not a 100% coverage, only 80%-90% coverage, and in some of them you'd have to pay the exam fee. (which ranges from $50-$100)
 

sylorna

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just to add to hareting...
Also, if your animal uses more money than the average per year, deductables will go up...so in the case of my cat with a heart murmur, I'd be paying more and more of his yearly ultrasound out of my pocket, plus monthly installments.
 

emmylou

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That's not always the case. My deductibles are fixed at $75 per condition... once that deductible has been paid for that condition, further expenses are 100 percent covered for the life of the policy. All the coverage on my particular plan is 100 percent, rather than 80 or 90 percent.
 
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