we are getting 2 new kittens and am looking for a great health insurance for both of them... had I known more about pet insurance before all of my pets would have been insured...Ive found a number of different ones but wonder what in your experience has been good to work with?
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Best Pet Insurance?
- Thread starter jesi
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I'd just like to encourage you to read the policy in full before paying your premium. Call customer service. They CAN send a sample policy. Carefully check all the definitions of terms. Carefully check all the limitations and exclusions. Make sure you understand how they calculate what they pay. The reason I'm saying this is that normally I'm a person who reads every contract I sign in all its detail. And yet I didn't get what I thought I had coming because I didn't understand an unnamed company's definition of pre-existing condition.
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So far the best (from the site) I can see it Pet Plan, it has the highest rating at 9.57 while others look pretty low... but still I wonder if representatives from that company are helping with the rating... im always leary of stuff like that!
soo anyone have any personal experience with this ins? TIA!
soo anyone have any personal experience with this ins? TIA!
I have the VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) for my 2 babies and so far I have been very, very pleased with what it has covered. My one male persian Simba is always sick. Every other month he has something. I just got the insurance last December and so far they have wound up paying me more then what I have put out. He is 9 years old and I only pay $13 something a month for him. My other cat is 7 and I pay $11 for her. I didn't get it for the general maintenance stuff, but more so for the big ticket items. Simba just had a biopsy on his ear and they paid about 60% of it.
I have Petcare Insurance and have had excellent experiences with them (there are some other threads on this board you can search for in which people compare their insurance). They seem to be very efficient and pay quickly. They're going broke with my cat... he will hit his cap of $2,500 in payout for his heart condition next year, though he'll still be covered for other illnesses.
Also, if this is of interest to you, I think VPI just came out with a plan that includes routine office visits. That's something I don't think any American pet insurance offered before.
But really the important thing is to look for the policy that has the right coverage and price for you. Since you have two, you might want to look for one with a multi-cat discount.
Also, if this is of interest to you, I think VPI just came out with a plan that includes routine office visits. That's something I don't think any American pet insurance offered before.
But really the important thing is to look for the policy that has the right coverage and price for you. Since you have two, you might want to look for one with a multi-cat discount.
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I went to http://www.petinsurancereview.com/ and it was very interesting. I also talked to reps at PetPlan (the highest rated insurer) and learned some more things.
I asked about rate increases and they said rates go up about 11% a year until the cat is 15, then it freezes for the rest of the cats life.
You get 10% off if the cat is microchipped, or 10% off for another animal, max discount is 15% for combined discounts.
They also reimburse for undiagnosed illnesses (some companies don't) and if a cat develops a chronic condition, they never cut you off and will treat the condition (and meds) for life.
I asked about rate increases and they said rates go up about 11% a year until the cat is 15, then it freezes for the rest of the cats life.
You get 10% off if the cat is microchipped, or 10% off for another animal, max discount is 15% for combined discounts.
They also reimburse for undiagnosed illnesses (some companies don't) and if a cat develops a chronic condition, they never cut you off and will treat the condition (and meds) for life.
Did you ask about their reimbursement rates and about their policy limits? How about their fee schedule? They may say they treat chronic conditions and all that, but then somewhere in the mice type there's a dollar limit for each condition, plus the reimbursement is much less than paid. I'll just make up an example; I don't have time to dig out my old policies, but my last policy might have been something like this:
$100 deductible per occurence
$2500 limit per illness
$2500 limit per year
reimbursement at 80% of Usual & Customary after deductible
This means that if your pet had an ongoing condition, you'd pay out of pocket $100 + everything billed over $2500
You'd also pay out of pocket 20% of the U&C plus the difference between the U&C and the actual cost
That's where they really get you. As a practical example, I had some lab work done for one of my cats that was billed at $42.75. Upon submitting the claim, they allowed $20 as the U&C and paid 20% of that, or $16. So if you think you're going to get 80% of what you pay out of pocket, think again. I paid the vet $42.75 and I got $16 back. That's a reimbursement rate of 37%. You actually need a fairly high amount of vet bills to get your premium back.
$100 deductible per occurence
$2500 limit per illness
$2500 limit per year
reimbursement at 80% of Usual & Customary after deductible
This means that if your pet had an ongoing condition, you'd pay out of pocket $100 + everything billed over $2500
You'd also pay out of pocket 20% of the U&C plus the difference between the U&C and the actual cost
That's where they really get you. As a practical example, I had some lab work done for one of my cats that was billed at $42.75. Upon submitting the claim, they allowed $20 as the U&C and paid 20% of that, or $16. So if you think you're going to get 80% of what you pay out of pocket, think again. I paid the vet $42.75 and I got $16 back. That's a reimbursement rate of 37%. You actually need a fairly high amount of vet bills to get your premium back.
Ummmmmm......maybe not. The policy should have a definitions section. You might want to check out what they define as "covered expenses." Covered expenses is insurance company code for "there are some things we don't pay for."
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I've had this Petcare Insurance for a few years and am well aware of the terms.
The example I gave wasn't hypothetical; it was an actual claim paid out two weeks ago. I specifically mentioned covered expenses, which clearly means covered expenses. In two years I've only had one condition rejected, and that was for a body system my insurance never covered. Every other claim has been paid, and always at 100%. That was my point to the original poster and others seeking insurance: you can get deductible-free 100 percent coverage for a reasonable price. I don't care for the plans that have a deductible or only pay a percentage of covered expenses.
OK, though it should be pointed out you have one of the premium plans, not the basic plan. I've been with that company, too.
I've also been in the insurance business and I know what covered expenses means....it means whatever the company says they say is covered. You have to read the fine print in your policy to find out what that is. Some people who buy insurance are under the impression that "covered" means "everything" .... not true, which they find out later to their major annoyance.
I've also been in the insurance business and I know what covered expenses means....it means whatever the company says they say is covered. You have to read the fine print in your policy to find out what that is. Some people who buy insurance are under the impression that "covered" means "everything" .... not true, which they find out later to their major annoyance.
I just have Quick Care Plus for Cats, which is a middle-range policy, not premium. It's about $15 or $16 a month. Though I just went to look it up on their site, and it now has a $75 deductible for some things; that must be a recent change. I guess I'm grandfathered, since I've had it two years.
Could you give us the link to their website, Emmylou? Thanks!
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I see what you mean though, an owner should definitley investigate and KNOW what is being covered and what isnt. It would be a rude surprise to realize you werent covered for something you thought you were. Ive been really skeptical about that because I know how tricky insurance companies can be...Originally Posted by coaster
OK, though it should be pointed out you have one of the premium plans, not the basic plan. I've been with that company, too.
I've also been in the insurance business and I know what covered expenses means....it means whatever the company says they say is covered. You have to read the fine print in your policy to find out what that is. Some people who buy insurance are under the impression that "covered" means "everything" .... not true, which they find out later to their major annoyance.
