Pet Insurance.. do you have?

They told me that Riley would NOT be covered for hereditary conditions since she will be 2 years old after the 14 day period. They wanted to make sure I knew that, which was actually very honest and helpful. They have to be enrolled BEFORE they turn 2. I was deciding between pets best and pet plan... I enrolled Riley in pet plan so at least it was one of the 2 I wanted.

Now for the kitties.... I might as well go with pet plan since I already have it for my dog, Riley.

Thanks for all of your help. It is sincerely appreciated. Have fun while you are out town!

I love Pets Best as they are great to deal with so far and have answered all my questions. Now I know you say that your dogs birthday is on the 14th of August, is that an actual B-day. I ask only because my dog and 2 cats are rescues so I pretty much made up their birthdays. I know my dog was born in March of 2000 but not sure of the day so I just made up the date of march 15th for him. He could have been born on the 1 or the 31 for all I know. The same with my cats. Oscar was born sometime in April of 2009 so I made his b-day April 9th and my other kittie Kattie was born sometime in 2004 so I just picked May 12. I am getting at the fact that all my dates are guesstimates to their age and may not be entirely accurate but Pets Best took those dates just fine. If your dog is only 2 days short of their cut off date, couldn't you fudge the actual date? Another example is all racing thoroughbreds B-days are Jan 1 whether they were born in march, May or Jan. Just food for thought.
I know they talk about fraud and stuff, but I think that is more hiding preexisting conditions that are there before being insured and then claiming that they are new. I wouldn't really think that guessing a pets actual date of birth would be fraud. 90 percent of owners don't know actual dates that their pets are born and usually give B-days anyways. I only know definite B-days for one of my birds and my rabbit. The rest of my gang have made up birthdays. I doubt that changing the date of birth by a few days would really matter, but then again it is an insurance company after all. I don't want to suggest anything that is against the rules or that would get someone in trouble, I just wanted to put the idea out there as Pets Best really seems like one of the best companies out there.

Her birthday is the 7th and it is in her papers.... So all of that info is at the vets as well. I did a ton of research and probably should have gone with pet plan in the first place (they cover much more than pets best) I got Riley on pet plan yesterday and just finished signing up the cats just minutes ago. I think they are both great but Pet plan had a bit more of what I was looking for. (especially for the dog)

However, I would recommend Petsbest. Their customer service was excellent and they told me right away that Riley's hereditary conditions would NOT be covered. That saved me a lot of hassle and I really appreciated that.

I got the pre-existing stuff under control with the cats with Petplan. Everything is in the clear and I wrote every fine print imaginable

Originally Posted by catwoman87

Her birthday is the 7th and it is in her papers.... So all of that info is at the vets as well. I did a ton of research and probably should have gone with pet plan in the first place (they cover much more than pets best)For cats, what is it that PetsBest doesn't cover? I know of dentals - I also know that Routine is ellective. The rest is covered, so I am not sure what you mean here. I got Riley on pet plan yesterday and just finished signing up the cats just minutes ago. I think they are both great but Pet plan had a bit more of what I was looking for. (especially for the dog)

However, I would recommend Petsbest. Their customer service was excellent and they told me right away that Riley's hereditary conditions would NOT be covered. That saved me a lot of hassle and I really appreciated that.

I got the pre-existing stuff under control with the cats with Petplan. Everything is in the clear and I wrote every fine print imaginable

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great move on getting your babies insured

I know.... I feel SO much better. Stuff DOES happen. I have a credit card put aside for pet emergencies so I have the money up front. Now I have the insurance to reimburse me. I would do ANYTHING for my girls. They are my life!

Think about what insurance is though.

Its simply pooling money for collective risk, minus the administrative cost plus a profit margin for the business, so that you aren't hit with a single large bill at once but rather smaller manageable installments. If you don't have spare cash on hand, its a wise move.

If you have a savings account with emergency funds for (whatever) then,

1) If your cat is of above average health:
YOU LOSE. You will pay in far more than you consume.

2) If your cat is of average health:
YOU LOSE. You will pay in more than you consume, due to costs/profit required for administering the insurance and the fact that you have the potential hassle of getting paid.

3) If your cat is of below average health:
YOU WIN! You will consume more than you contributed, using the surplus created by group 1 and 2 minus administrative/profit costs of the insurance.

If you believe your cat to be healthy, and are offering an above average household healthy environment and food practicing prevention, and you have money in the bank, you're better off paying out of pocket. Say for example that your insurance costs $30 a month, that adds up to around $6000 for the life of your cat and factor in that doesn't cover all procedures and there are deductibles.

Now I absolutely need health insurance for myself, because some procedures can be up to $2 million, and I don't have that kind of cash on hand, but vets are dirt cheap by comparison so pet insurance doesn't make sense for me.

Originally Posted by Ducman69

Think about what insurance is though.

Its simply pooling money for collective risk, minus the administrative cost plus a profit margin for the business, so that you aren't hit with a single large bill at once but rather smaller manageable installments. If you don't have spare cash on hand, its a wise move.

If you have a savings account with emergency funds for (whatever) then,

1) If your cat is of above average health:
YOU LOSE. You will pay in far more than you consume. Sure, provided you don't have an emergency - like emergency surgery, broken limbs, blockages, and others, which can happen ANY time, independent of health or age, and DO happen - I had them with my very healthy and young Lucky and Hope., and cost much more than those savings

2) If your cat is of average health:
YOU LOSE. You will pay in more than you consume, due to costs/profit required for administering the insurance and the fact that you have the potential hassle of getting paid. same as above

3) If your cat is of below average health:
YOU WIN! You will consume more than you contributed, using the surplus created by group 1 and 2 minus administrative/profit costs of the insurance.

If you believe your cat to be healthy, and are offering an above average household healthy environment and food practicing prevention, and you have money in the bank, you're better off paying out of pocket. Say for example that your insurance costs $30 a month, that adds up to around $6000 for the life of your cat and factor in that doesn't cover all procedures and there are deductibles. What procedures are you saying it doesn't cover? My insurance covers everything but dental - so I don't know what you are referring to.Deductible is once per incident, so it is not much really, especially when you have serious, chronic conditions, such as what Bugsy has now - or cancers, surgeries, etc. You only pay the deductible ONCE - see my receipt/explanation of benefits - says deductible: $0.00. Also, $30 is more than my high insurance BTW - pet insurance is usually less than that



Now I absolutely need health insurance for myself, because some procedures can be up to $2 million, and I don't have that kind of cash on hand, but vets are dirt cheap by comparison so pet insurance doesn't make sense for me.

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The thing about insurance, is that people think... well, I will save $20 per month.... sure... in a year you will have $240. That will not pay anything.... Nada... That is scrap in an illness.... Trust me.... And an emergency can happen anytime, it is not going to wait until you save the appropriate amount of $$$, you know?
Now, if you have Care Credit, you can afford to pay the bill in full, plus a healthy savings accounts with a few thousand in it... then... you probably don't need insurance.
But insurance is just this: Insurance: Peace of mind - having how to save your pats life so you don't put them to sleep when hit with an illness or emergency - which WILL happen. I see it so often....
It is not about losing or winning.....
For me, it as been a life saver - I count on it - as I said many times before, if it was not for it, Bugsy would not be alive.
I know today, I can be hit with anything and they will be covered. Yes there are deductibles, and the copays can still be a hit, but 20% is still a heck lot better than 100% when you are talking about a high life saving vet bill and you have no money.

I don't think you're understanding the logistics of how insurance works.

The way you are explaining it, every insurance company in the world would be running at a loss, instead of running at a profit as they do.

To turn a profit, insurance companies have to take in more money than they give out and that is AFTER administrative costs. Most people HAVE to be paying in far more than they take out, its simple math.

You'll note that I did agree that for people that don't have cash on hand, then insurance is "a wise move" as you're paying money for the privilege of being able to pay in installments more or less. But that is why I also stated that while I don't have the cash on hand for what can be hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars up front for my own medical disaster risk, I can certainly pay a couple grand up front without issue for my cat.

Just trying to explain that insurance is NOT right for everyone.

I see both Ducman's and Carolina's sides of things.

Ducman's thoughts were the reason why I didn't get insurance in the first place for my first cat 2 years ago... and I would've continued on with that thought.

When I heard about my friend's bills for their cat, who fell out of a 2nd story window and landed wrong on concrete porch. X-rays, 3x surgeries, pain killers, hospital stay and such, it mounted to nearly 3k! That scared me.

Then I got my 2nd cat, who came in ill with a virus and a cold that won't seem to go away (doing better now).. I got concerned about my resident cat getting sick and the two of them would exchange viruses and colds continuously since now I have a multi-cat house hold.

I have a peace of mind now, knowing that I am paying (only) 20 bucks a month for BOTH cats combined.. As Carolina stated.. $240 a year is nothing, and I think it's worth a peace of mind, in case if anything happens at all!

I know it might not be for everyone, but I like having that peace of mind there. When I worked at a vet as a tech, I didn't have insurance. Now that I don't work in the field at the moment, I got insurance. I saw too many people hit with the decision of whether to save their pet or put food on the table, pay bills ect. It is nice to save and have that buffer, but even several thousand dollars can be gone in an instance with a bad injury or illness. Orthopedics like broken bones can set you back 5 or more thousand dollars, depending on the injury. I have seen insurance help alot of people in their choices of care for their pets. Plus once your savings is gone, you gotta start all over. I personally only have the accident and illness insurance because that is what you can't budget for. Dentals, exams and vaccines are easily budgeted for, but sudden lameness, vomitting diarrehea, foxtail up the nose ect. Those things can happen when you least expect it.
Another example of when insurance would have been a good idea was a thing i heard on the radio. A guy was playing fetch with his dog in the park, the dog ran to get her ball and ran into a stick jutting out of the ground. She basically speared herself in the chest doing something as innocent as playing ball. The owner rushed her to the vet and she was saved, but with emergency surgery and a weeks stay in the hospital the bill was over 15,000 dollars. Insurance wouldn't have paid all of it, but even getting it down to 5 thousand is better than 15. There was a donation thing on the radio for her and all but still. Some people will be lucky and their pets will be healthy or accident free, but we can't all count on that, and I believe that is where the insurance comes in. I've seen a lot of huge bills from unexpected illnesses and injuries and old pet stuff. That is why I got insurance.

Well, the other factor would be if one were emotionally capable/willing to discontinue treatment if medical bills hit a certain dollar amount range. Insurance isn't likely to cover it all anyway, but I have heard of people spending even $25K to treat cancer in their beloved cat or dog, which would certainly factor in to risk assessment and available disaster funds one would need to have available.

I couldn't think of an exact dollar amount, since it would depend on the age of Wesley or Buttercup when the injury/illness occurred (I likely wouldn't aggressively treat cancer if they were 19 years old for example), the likelihood of a full recovery, QoL, and other such factors. However, I can say that if one of my two somehow managed to impale themselves or suffered a spinal cord injury or similar, I would opt out of treatment if my veterinarian provided a $15K estimate. I try to make the home as safe as possible, keep them indoors, get bi-annual vet checkups, and other preventative measures such as quality nutrition and attention to assure they have the best chances of a long and healthy life, but there is a limit for me personally.

I am a college student who works as a waitress. I don't have 3 grand laying around to spend on a sudden illness or accident.. and I will do WHATEVER it takes to save my kitties or dog. That is why I have pet insurance. It is best for my situation.

Geez.... I would refinance my condo to save them.... but I'd rather go with pet insurance

Originally Posted by Ducman69

Well, the other factor would be if one were emotionally capable/willing to discontinue treatment if medical bills hit a certain dollar amount range. Insurance isn't likely to cover it all anyway, but I have heard of people spending even $25K to treat cancer in their beloved cat or dog, which would certainly factor in to risk assessment and available disaster funds one would need to have available.

I couldn't think of an exact dollar amount, since it would depend on the age of Wesley or Buttercup when the injury/illness occurred (I likely wouldn't aggressively treat cancer if they were 19 years old for example), the likelihood of a full recovery, QoL, and other such factors. However, I can say that if one of my two somehow managed to impale themselves or suffered a spinal cord injury or similar, I would opt out of treatment if my veterinarian provided a $15K estimate. I try to make the home as safe as possible, keep them indoors, get bi-annual vet checkups, and other preventative measures such as quality nutrition and attention to assure they have the best chances of a long and healthy life, but there is a limit for me personally.

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The thing is, with insurance, you DO have a choice when you are hit with this. It is your choice to continue with the treatment or not, and for your pet to have a fighting chance. We see here, sometimes, kitties being pts because of a blockage, chronic utis, or an emergency. I know my kitties are covered. My insurance has no annual limits, and pays $75,000 for the life of the pet. They pay up to $7,500 per incident- which means my bills can be up to about what? 10 grand? Would I go up to that and more to save one of my babies? Absolutely. I would do anything to save them. I do take their quality of lives seriously, but that's got nothing to do with how deep my pocket is. At least I don't want to come to that.

I think everyone's situation is different. My 11 yo dog is super healthy and always has been. I haven't had anything major go on with him the entire 10and a half years I've had him. He goes in for his vaccines, routine exam and dental cleanings. He did get glass in his foot once on a walk which happened when I worked at the vet so no biggy.
Now that he is 11, I know that the old dog issues are going to start happening. He is starting to get a little stiffer in the morning and such. I will bring him in for a a full set of Xrays and such on his next visit. That will be covered by the insurance plus any NSAIDS if he needs them. Right now he is on a Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM supplement plus esther c and Salmon oil which helps with arthritis.
I feel good knowing that he is covered and that when something major comes up, my pocket book won't make the decision of when to end his life. Sure if he is 16 and has a bad cancer, I won't put him through the treatment with little hope of remission, but say he goes down in the back end or something that may have a cure, I want to try my best to help him if there is a chance. I saw that exact thing happen at work with a 12 yo Aussie. He pinched a nerve in his back and couldn't walk. The owners persued it and a week and a half later the dog was walking again and lived another 2 anda half years. The bill for the treatment though was close to 2 grand.
Something similar happened to my childhood dog and we ended up putting him to sleep because my mom was strapped for cash at the time. She maxed her credit card just to pay for euthanasia and that has haunted me ever since. It makes me wonder if we gave him a chance, would he have been able to make it through?
Anyways, I love having the feeling of having the option to treat my pet not based on the money I have at the moment. My biggest fear is Uti and blockages as I know they are common and can be expensive. My cats haven't had issues but I know I am covered if they ever do.
As to the dog that speared her self in the park, the owner probably had no idea that that would happen. I wouldn't have. The dog was a big young crazy retriever and they will do anything to get their ball or toy. Sometimes they will get injured. I know of another dog that smacked into the side of a wall chasing a ball and got a concussion. Dogs and cats are like toddlers they will get into things and do stuff that may result in injury. Try as we might, we can't keep them in a bubble and things will happen. My young cat is a perfect example. I will have thought I have cat proofed everything and then he finds something else that is potentially dangerous. He is crazy though.

Originally Posted by Carolina

I am so glad you went with !
I have been with them from day 1 for my 3 kitties, and they have been fantastic through and through. With all Bugsy's health issues, I upgraded their plans - they are on a very good one, up to $7,500 per incident - that will cover pretty big stuff. PetsBest is very black and white, there is no surprises, you will find out soon, their customer service is outstanding, their claim form is SO simple! I advise you to sign up to direct deposit so the claims are deposited right into your checking account. And by the way, they DO offer the choice, if your vet accepts it, to pay your vet directly, so you don't pay the bill upfront. They are the only insurance that does that. You need to download a form, have your vet sign it, and send it with the claim.
You can file the claims by scanning it and uploading it into your computer - don't even need to send it by mail. Your vet doesn't even need to sign it. There is a field for the diagnosis, and vet notes, needed be (i.e. following up on blood tests, etc.) . I think you mad a very wise decision.... I am very very happy with it.

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Actually, I'd disagree with that statement. I have a policy through Best Friend's insurance right now on my dog, she broke her leg and I knew I couldn't come up with the full $2000 to fix it out of pocket, so I called them, talked to my vet, and they simply had my vet write and sign a letter saying they'd accept payment directly from the insurance company, and that's all there was to it. I've also called Trupanion, Pet Plan, and a couple other insurance companies as I've been deciding who I want insurance with and asked them if they allow for that, and all of them have said they do. They may not advertise they do, but if you ask them and your vet is willing to accept it (which can be a challenge - Alot of vets will insist on payment in full at time of services!), they'll pay your vet.

I'm also shopping around right now, there's 3 that I really like - Pets Best I love is so straight forward about what they do and don't cover, but I don't like has such a low limit on what they'll cover for alternative treatments, which my vet and I often prefer, and they can get expensive. Pet Plan I like has options - including a 100% coverage option. I've also been looking at PetFirst, they have a nice family plan that makes things affordable, but if you want hereditary conditions covered it's pricy, they're pretty much only for illnesses/injuries that couldn't be considered to be in any way hereditary.

As for the "should I or shouldn't I" question, I agree alot depends on your financial situation. Personally, I didn't think I needed it. I had 5 dogs, 4 cats, and thought I was better off putting money away. Then in September my house caught fire. Thankfully the fire itself didn't kill any of my babies. I had no choice but to put 1 of my Afghans in boarding and send my other to her co-owner while my house was repaired, and moved in with a friend with my 4 cats and my 3 Italian Greyhounds. My cats all got really sick with URIs and bronchitis, most likely from the smoke, and I spent over $1000 between them to get them well again. My Afghan in boarding escaped from them, and was hit by an SUV. Sadly, she suffered a severe spinal cord injury, and I didn't have $7000 - $10,000 up front I was quoted by the neurologist for the MRI and surgery to try to stabilize her spinal cord and save her life, I had no choice but to put her down and it broke my heart. My care credit and credit cards just didn't have a high enough limit to handle that high of a bill on top of the bills I'd already paid, because as it was I spent over a thousand in the 3 days it took me to get her into the neurologist with the intense care she required and in the end had to put her down. The week after she died, one of my Italian Greyhounds became seriously ill, she was in an out of the hospital for over a month again costing me a big chunk of change, only to find out she had Addisons, she's doing OK now, but is still very fragile health wise, picks up infections easily, and has been really hard to keep stable as we've been working to get all her meds at the right doses. I spent well over $6000 on her care from November until now, and she's still up and down, and we have to do bloodwork every 25 days to watch her electrolytes to know we're in the right spot, and that's if nothing goes wrong in between, which it often does. Then just a week before Christmas, my old IG was attacked by my friend's dogs, 3 days in ICU trying to control massive seizures caused by the trauma and in the end I lost her as well, lucky she only cost me about $900. Then in March, one of my cats got really sick again, spent a few thousand doing ultrasounds, tests, x-rays, tons of blood work, a kidney biopsy, specialist visit, 2 weeks ICU care on heated fluids or his body temp would drop - It was insane! I got him home and only 3 weeks I came home from running errands to find my male cat unable to get up. Rushed him in, he had a urinary blockage, they tried but sadly he didn't make it either. I learned my lesson, my credit cards are maxed out, as is my care credit, if I had paid for insurance on my babies, I wouldn't have maxed out credit cards or care credit, or worried about what I'd do if something else came up.

I got another Italian Greyhound puppy back in May, thankfully I was smart and bought a policy the day I decided to get her, before I even brought her home from the breeder. A week later she broke her leg. A $3000 vet bill was turned into a $600 vet bill, insurance covered 80% and allowed me to seek a specialist and all the physical therapy and rehab that she's still going through getting her muscle built back up and the function back in the leg. Had I had insurance on my Afghan when she got hit, I probably could have saved her. I never want to be in a position again where I'm forced to make a decision based off my bank account, and that's what insurance is for. I hope most people that have it do never need to use it - But if you do, it can be a life saver!


I'm getting insurance on all of them, chances are I'll never have such a run of bad luck again, and I may end up money ahead just putting money aside - But after these last 8 months and over $20,000 in vet bills that have put a huge financial burden on me, I can really see the value in a good insurance plan now!

Part of what you pay for with pet insurance is peace of mind. Some people are really good at budgeting and putting money away and leaving it. I have a good amount of savings, but I like to keep them just that, savings. If I needed to dip into them to pay for my pets' care, I would (and I have), but I prefer not to.

I had Zoey for only about 3 months when she got sick. I think overall, her treatment cost me about $2500. This was just vet visits, minor treatments (ie. IV and medication, but no surgery or anything), and medication. Even if I had decided from when I got her to put $25/month away, I would have been out a ton of money. If I had gotten insurance when I got her (which I really couldn't, because she was technically a foster...long story), I probably would have only been out $500. In the end, we put Zoey to sleep, but it had nothing to do with money and I can rest my mind that we did what we could to save her.

Now, my girls are 3 years old and I've paid $25 each/month since I had them. It gets charged to my credit card every month (which I pay off), so I don't even notice it. I consider my cats to be pretty healthy and always fed them good food, etc., but two Christmases in a row, one of them have had issues. In 2009, Delilah's issues cost me about $400 to treat. I stupidly never got around to claiming that one. This past Christmas, Belle got sick out of the blue and cost $1200 in a matter of a week and a half. Again, no major surgeries, just a few tests and medications. I ended up getting about $900 of that back. Definitely helped! Now, I do know that if I had saved the $50/month in an account, I would have enough to pay for both of those situations. However, then my "vet" account would be back down to nothing and what if one of my girls had an issue again? Perhaps they won't have issues again for another 10 years, but at least I have peace of mind that, if they do, I won't have to worry the money (which while it isn't a huge concern now because I have savings and disposible income, it might be a few years down the road when I have a morgage and children to worry about).

It is luck of the draw. You might have insurance and never use it. You may be like Carolina and use it all the time. You might be like me and use it, but never really get anything out of it other than peace of mind (hopefully!). For me, I'd rather pay $50/month in insurance rather than $1000+ out of pocket, even if it is money that I've put away for that purpose.

If you're really good at putting money away and keeping money away, then insurance might not be for you!

An update to my prior post. I submitted a claim to Petplan for Ritz' UTI on August 9; they paid August 18. As I suspected, Petplan treated Ritz' illness as two distinct illnesses and claims (colitis and cystitis-UTI), so both were subject to a $50 deductible. Except for the deductibles, Petplan paid everything, including pill pockets and compounding Flagyl into a flavored liquid. I'm quite pleased.

Originally Posted by Ritz

An update to my prior post. I submitted a claim to Petplan for Ritz' UTI on August 9; they paid August 18. As I suspected, Petplan treated Ritz' illness as two distinct illnesses and claims (colitis and cystitis-UTI), so both were subject to a $50 deductible. Except for the deductibles, Petplan paid everything, including pill pockets and compounding Flagyl into a flavored liquid. I'm quite pleased.

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Sounds like your deductible is per incident.... Know that for now on, if you need any follow ups at all for these two conditions, you will not be charged a deductible - which is an advantage of per-incident deductible. When you have more than one issue at a time, it can be a drag.... but when you have a long standing issue, it can be a blessing. For a case of an UTI, that can come quite handy.
My Bugsy has had a case of Chronic Colitis - I paid one deductible, and have gone to the vet many many times in the course of almost a year.

Good to know about the "per incidence/illness".
I am assuming that when I go to renew (next May), Ritz' UTI/colitis will not be considered a pre-existing illness.

Originally Posted by Ritz

Good to know about the "per incidence/illness".
I am assuming that when I go to renew (next May), Ritz' UTI/colitis will not be considered a pre-existing illness.

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Correct- not a pre-existing. The only way it would become a pre-existing condition, is if it becomes a chronic illness and at the same time, you stop paying, your policy gets cancelled and you need to get a brand new policy. Otherwise, if you just continue with the same policy, even with a chronic issue, you are fine.