OK,
Is there anyone out there that buys Pet insurance and is happy with it?
Is there anyone out there that buys Pet insurance and is happy with it?
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Pet Insurance
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I have Embrace pet insurance for my 8year old. I pay $223 a year for a $10,000 limit with a $500 annual deductible and a 20% co-pay. It would be even cheaper annually if I would have set the deductible for $1,000, which I may eventually do.
It's basically what you would call "catastrophe" insurance. It won't cover the little things that you would bring a cat in for but if ever my cat needs surgery or lots of diagnostic testing or something just insanely expensive, I know I can afford it.
It's basically what you would call "catastrophe" insurance. It won't cover the little things that you would bring a cat in for but if ever my cat needs surgery or lots of diagnostic testing or something just insanely expensive, I know I can afford it.
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Is it accepted at any vet or do they have to be on a prefferred list. The other one I heard about was VCI. I am guessing the insured is per pet - not household?
Embrace let's you choose any vet you want and pays out according to the actual vet bill, not an average of how much the treatment SHOULD be. You can go to your traditional vet, emergency vet, holistic vet, etc.
The three pet insurance companies that I was split between was Embrace, Pet Plan and Healthy Paws (in that order). I chose Embrace but read a LOT of good things about Pet Plan and Healthy Paws too.
Yes, the insured is per pet, not per household.
One thing that I recommend is for you to read the actual policy of your top 2 or 3 companies. This way, you know EXACTLY what each plan covers and excludes. Don't just read the website, read the actual policy and there will be no surprises later on. Then make a list of the pros and cons from each of your top picks and make an informed decision of which policy works best for YOU.
Although I have not had to make a claim yet (knock on wood) I feel at ease just knowing that I have it in case something terrible happened.
The three pet insurance companies that I was split between was Embrace, Pet Plan and Healthy Paws (in that order). I chose Embrace but read a LOT of good things about Pet Plan and Healthy Paws too.
Yes, the insured is per pet, not per household.
One thing that I recommend is for you to read the actual policy of your top 2 or 3 companies. This way, you know EXACTLY what each plan covers and excludes. Don't just read the website, read the actual policy and there will be no surprises later on. Then make a list of the pros and cons from each of your top picks and make an informed decision of which policy works best for YOU.
Although I have not had to make a claim yet (knock on wood) I feel at ease just knowing that I have it in case something terrible happened.
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Thnks for the info. Is there a waiting time before you can make a claim? How do they even know the cat you present is the one in the policy? Just wondering....
No problem! The waiting period is 2 weeks, which is pretty standard with all the companies that I looked at. Whenever you have to file a claim, they will get with your vet and ask for records, etc. Pet insurance and veterinary clinics are real businesses so if a vet helps anyone make a fradulent claim they will get into big trouble, just like regular insurance. Trust me, pet insuramce companies do their due diligence.
No pet insurance company will cover a preexisting condition so all of them will ask for the records of your pet once you make your first claim. With Embrace, you can request a "Medical History Review" up front to make sure that your cat is covered for all illnesses. I had my vet send my cats records over as soon as I signed up.
Since I brought my cat in on March 7th 2014 for an unexplained bout of diarrhea, Embrace will not cover an episode of diarrhea until March 7th 2015. It is considered a preexisting condition unless the cat goes 12 months without having symptoms, then they would start covering it. I was fine with it, as I had read it in the policy before I requested the Medical History Review and I knew they were going to say that.
So as long as Malibu doesn't have any diarrhea for about 8 more months then he officially has no preexisting conditions and will be covered for absolutely everything in the future!
Also, just to be clear, if a cat develops a chronic condition after having pet insurance (and after the 2 week wait) that condition is covered for life with Embrace. Some companies cover the cat, then once you renew your policy every year, it becomes a preexisting condition that they no longer cover. This is why it is important to read the actual policy cover to cover.
No pet insurance company will cover a preexisting condition so all of them will ask for the records of your pet once you make your first claim. With Embrace, you can request a "Medical History Review" up front to make sure that your cat is covered for all illnesses. I had my vet send my cats records over as soon as I signed up.
Since I brought my cat in on March 7th 2014 for an unexplained bout of diarrhea, Embrace will not cover an episode of diarrhea until March 7th 2015. It is considered a preexisting condition unless the cat goes 12 months without having symptoms, then they would start covering it. I was fine with it, as I had read it in the policy before I requested the Medical History Review and I knew they were going to say that.
So as long as Malibu doesn't have any diarrhea for about 8 more months then he officially has no preexisting conditions and will be covered for absolutely everything in the future!
Also, just to be clear, if a cat develops a chronic condition after having pet insurance (and after the 2 week wait) that condition is covered for life with Embrace. Some companies cover the cat, then once you renew your policy every year, it becomes a preexisting condition that they no longer cover. This is why it is important to read the actual policy cover to cover.
Also keep in mind that pet insurance is like dental insurance... YOU PAY UP FRONT ALL EXPENSES and receive a check for the portion covered.
Example, $1,000 vet bill on a policy with a $200 deductible and 90%. You pay the vet $1,000 and file a claim (it is easy, been down that road once, Pet Plan helped me to coordinate all the steps with the vet).
From that $1,000, subtract $200 for the deductible and you get $800. Take 90% of the $800 and you get $720. So on this type of policy, you will receive a check for $720. Depending on the policy, the "condition" for which you initially take the pet in is considered to have met the deductible for any subsequent visits to treat it, so it isn't $200 deductible per vet visit, but per condition.
Cheaper to renew annually rather than monthly payment. I'm happy with it.
Example, $1,000 vet bill on a policy with a $200 deductible and 90%. You pay the vet $1,000 and file a claim (it is easy, been down that road once, Pet Plan helped me to coordinate all the steps with the vet).
From that $1,000, subtract $200 for the deductible and you get $800. Take 90% of the $800 and you get $720. So on this type of policy, you will receive a check for $720. Depending on the policy, the "condition" for which you initially take the pet in is considered to have met the deductible for any subsequent visits to treat it, so it isn't $200 deductible per vet visit, but per condition.
Cheaper to renew annually rather than monthly payment. I'm happy with it.
So how does all this work with newly adopted senior cats? I have vowed only to adopt senior cats. So let's say I adopt a 10 year old cat from the local shelter. The shelter has no record of any current conditions that the cat may have. Is it smart to sign up for pet insurance right away after adopting the cat? I take the cat home and everything is going well. After X amount of time, there's an issue...let's say there's a blockage. So that blockage is now considered a pre-existing condition even though there were no existing concerns at the time of signing up for the insurance? Will the insurance company make assumptions based on age? For example, will they assume the cat has arthritis and thus will not cover treatments for arthritis?
Gosh, I've always hated learning about insurance. The "Risk Management" class I had to take in college was horrible.
Gosh, I've always hated learning about insurance. The "Risk Management" class I had to take in college was horrible.
If you adopt a senior cat and the shelter has NO records of any preexisting or chronic condition, you should definitely get insurance right away. The insurance company will ask you to send over all the records that you DO have from the shelter (actually, the shelter would have to send it over, not you). Ask for a Medical History Review from your insurance company so you will have it in writing that there are no preexisting conditions and your insured pet is covered for all accidents and illnesses that may come up in the future.
Then down the road (after your waiting period) if your cat does develop a chronic condition or illness, it is definitely covered. But this is where some insurance companies mess you over: some companies consider conditions preexisting after the first year, when you annually renew. So say that your cat was diagnosed with IBD, a blockage or some sort of cancer a year into your policy. They will cover treatment for that year but once you renew, they stop covering because that condition is now preexisting. That's why it is important to read the whole policy.
With Embrace (and some other good pet insurance companies), if your pet develops a condition AFTER you already have insurance, you are covered for life. The only conditions that Embrace considers preexisting is any diagnosed condition before you signed up or during your waiting period. They do not discriminate based on age, like your arthritis example. They will cover arthritis in an elderly cat UNLESS the cat was officially diagnosed with arthritis before signing up or during the waiting period. (They will know because you would have sent over all the records that the shelter has on the cat)
Lastly, each pet insurance company has an age limit to sign up. Embrace won't cover purebred cats over 8 years old (must be 8 or younger) or mixed breed cats over 10 years old (must be 10 or younger). So if you are adopting a 10 year old senior mixed breed cat, with no preexisting conditions he will be covered for life (as long as you pay your premium). If he does have a known preexisting condition when you adopt him and sign up for insurance, let's say chronic cystitis, then they will never cover any vet costs due to cystitis. But they will cover anything else that may come up that is not already preexisting.
The policies are actually not very hard to read and understand. I dreaded it at first and thought it would be a bunch of stuff that I didn't understand but once I started reading them, I found them pretty interesting. (maybe i'm just weird!)
Then down the road (after your waiting period) if your cat does develop a chronic condition or illness, it is definitely covered. But this is where some insurance companies mess you over: some companies consider conditions preexisting after the first year, when you annually renew. So say that your cat was diagnosed with IBD, a blockage or some sort of cancer a year into your policy. They will cover treatment for that year but once you renew, they stop covering because that condition is now preexisting. That's why it is important to read the whole policy.
With Embrace (and some other good pet insurance companies), if your pet develops a condition AFTER you already have insurance, you are covered for life. The only conditions that Embrace considers preexisting is any diagnosed condition before you signed up or during your waiting period. They do not discriminate based on age, like your arthritis example. They will cover arthritis in an elderly cat UNLESS the cat was officially diagnosed with arthritis before signing up or during the waiting period. (They will know because you would have sent over all the records that the shelter has on the cat)
Lastly, each pet insurance company has an age limit to sign up. Embrace won't cover purebred cats over 8 years old (must be 8 or younger) or mixed breed cats over 10 years old (must be 10 or younger). So if you are adopting a 10 year old senior mixed breed cat, with no preexisting conditions he will be covered for life (as long as you pay your premium). If he does have a known preexisting condition when you adopt him and sign up for insurance, let's say chronic cystitis, then they will never cover any vet costs due to cystitis. But they will cover anything else that may come up that is not already preexisting.
The policies are actually not very hard to read and understand. I dreaded it at first and thought it would be a bunch of stuff that I didn't understand but once I started reading them, I found them pretty interesting. (maybe i'm just weird!)
Thanks for such a detailed reply @Abby2932! So if I wanted to adopt a 12 year old mixed breed cat, it wouldn't be eligible for Embrace at all. Correct? I'm kind of kicking myself for not doing this with Sebastian. He had no issues other than FHV when I first adopted him in 2010 at 8 years old, but developed chronic pancreatitis last year for which I've spend thousands of dollars for his care.
I know, I've read lots of your threads and to be honest, your story and other members' stories here are the reason I got pet insurance. Malibu is 8 and has no problems right now so I figured he's a perfect candidate for pet insurance.
No, Embrace will not insure a 12 year old but I think Pet Plan will. If I'm not mistaken, Pet Plan has no age limit and they were my second choice, a great pet insurance company! I think @Ritz has them and is super happy.
No, Embrace will not insure a 12 year old but I think Pet Plan will. If I'm not mistaken, Pet Plan has no age limit and they were my second choice, a great pet insurance company! I think @Ritz has them and is super happy.
Well, I'm at least glad that reading about our trials and tribulations have helped you make some decisions about your kitties!
Thanks again!
before piglet had her issues and was still healthy (aside from the suspected herpes), we rescued jake and started looking into pet insurance. at the time, piglet was 7, samantha was 6, jake was about 5 months... maybe? hard to remember. piglet had suspected herpes, samantha had had a tooth extracted and has a discolored molar (genetic, she had a full dental and it was fine), and jake had nothing going on. the pet insurers i contacted at the time would only cover jake. i suppose i can see the benefit for some people in having the policies in place, but i think that they're incredibly restrictive and that they don't cover the normal stuff. like, my insurance covers preventive stuff yearly with no copay; most vet policies that i've read don't cover even a portion of vaccinations or yearly checkups. i'd be sure to carefully read any policy information and be sure you understand it all.
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- #14
Yeah, it does seem kind of nebulous to me. For instance, a cat that winds up in a shelter with no papers... how is anyone going to really know their age? It can be ballparked I guess.
Anyone else with good or bad stories about insurance to help us learn would be most welcome. I know with our 3 cats we have spent about $10,000 over the last 7 years on vets (2 with urinary blockages, 1 with IBD). Probably in hindsight, it could have been avoided simply with better diet... at least the blockages.
DO NOT FEED YOUR CAT DRY KIBBLE!!!! (see catinfo.org if you haven`t yet)
Anyone else with good or bad stories about insurance to help us learn would be most welcome. I know with our 3 cats we have spent about $10,000 over the last 7 years on vets (2 with urinary blockages, 1 with IBD). Probably in hindsight, it could have been avoided simply with better diet... at least the blockages.
DO NOT FEED YOUR CAT DRY KIBBLE!!!! (see catinfo.org if you haven`t yet)
I just wanted to update one thing on this thread: Embrace recently increased their maximum age for coverage for pets. They used to only cover purebred cats 8 and younger and mixed breed cats 10 and younger but now the policy is good for any pet 14 and younger no matter what breed.
Obviously, they will still not cover any preexisting conditions so if you're going to get insurance for your pet, you might want to do that long before they turn 14 but if you are adopting an older pet with no preexisting conditions on their medical history chart from the shelter then Embrace insurance is now an option along with some other good pet insurance companies.
Obviously, they will still not cover any preexisting conditions so if you're going to get insurance for your pet, you might want to do that long before they turn 14 but if you are adopting an older pet with no preexisting conditions on their medical history chart from the shelter then Embrace insurance is now an option along with some other good pet insurance companies.
Thanks for the update. Good to know!
