- Joined
- Oct 26, 2014
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Hello!
Some background:
I'm only 20 and because I've never owned a car and get free healthcare, I have absolutely no experience with comparing insurance policies. For the past few months, I've been living with my boyfriend temporarily while I looked for a new apartment, so my little kitty, Gandalf, has been an outdoor cat for that time. We move into our new place in December, so he has a couple more weeks of roughing it before he returns to a life of luxury. Please, no criticism for this. I understand the risks of letting your cat outdoors (and have suffered them personally with previous cats), and Gandalf will resume being an indoor only cat once we move. We didn't really have a choice for this due to a housing emergency, so we've done the best we can. I do think that our environment is relatively safe, and Gandalf is very well-equipped, so I've taken all the precautions to make it as low-risk as possible. We live in the Puget Sound, so it gets very cold and rains a lot here, especially now that we are approaching the winter months. For that reason, we made him a warm, cozy little shelter. However, it got VERY cold last night (below freezing) and this morning he seems like he's not feeling very well. He seems a little lethargic and his nose looks a little runny, so I'm worried he's caught a kitty cold. Which got me thinking that he's never really been to a vet before (he was chipped, neutered and immunized at our humane society through a low-income program), and I have no idea how much that generally costs, but I'm sure it's something that we would consider expensive on our budget. Gandalf is really healthy otherwise, and he's on a raw diet so I'm not very worried about kidney issues or diabetes or anything of that nature, but I was thinking that getting him some pet insurance might be a good idea that way he can have routine check-ups, he can be seen when he gets infections (like this, presumably) and in case of the random accidents you hope never happen (like what happened with my last cat). He is only about 18 months right now, and I know it's a lot cheaper to enroll them when they are young.
Anyway, so I've been looking into this a little bit today, but I'm confused about the options. A lot of them seem identical but have really different premiums? What's the best way to compare plans? For the record, I'm trying to find something that will cover visits to the vet and routine check-ups, not just illness and accident coverage. I'm a broke college kid with limited savings, so I'm aiming for a deductible between $100 and $200, and hopefully 90% reimbursement which has already eliminated a few companies for me. Right now, I'm comparing PetPlan, PetsBest and Embrace. I am interested in looking at ASPCA's plan, but I can't get the quote estimator to work!
PetPlan:
$16 monthly premium and $200 deductible, with 100% reimbursement.
That's awesome and really affordable, but PetPlan doesn't have any "wellness care" options, so routine visits wouldn't be covered.
PetsBest:
$17 monthly premium and $100 deductible, with 90% reimbursement OR $15 premium and $200 deductible, with 90% reimbursement.
They have a wellness plan, although I am not sure how much extra it is. They also cover behavioral issues, which is a big plus for me because Gandalf has had erratic behavior before, and it something I wanted to consult with someone about (I will note that we haven't had any issues since he was neutered, but he has also been outside so who knows if it will come up again since the issues we had weren't directly tied to him being fixed or not).
Embrace:
$30 monthly premium and $200 deductible, with 90% reimbursement.
They claim to have a lot more coverage than other companies, and they have a wellness plan. However, they have a plan comparison tool and comparing claim allowances, their numbers are nearly identical to PetsBest. Their wellness plan is very comprehensive, although they only cover $200 a year for an extra $15 per month, or $400 a year for an extra $29 per month. Neither of these make very much sense, because the first plan would put my monthly premium at $45 a month, and yet the wellness plan would only save $20 a year if I used all $200 worth. The more expensive option would save $50 a year if I used all $400, but I'm not going to pay $60 a month for insurance to save $50 that I might not even have to use. I'm not even sure how much of a difference $200 would make in routine care costs per year? Does the cost of routine care count towards my deductible? Because if it does, that makes the wellness plan extremely redundant.
ASPCA:
Interested in this plan but I have no clue what it covers or how much it costs. They have a wellness plan, also, but again, not sure of the cost.
QUESTIONS!
1) Is it even worth it to get a wellness plan? I do not know what it costs to see a vet for a check-up, but I live in Seattle, so I'm sure it's pricey enough. Gandalf has already been neutered, microchipped and immunized (I'm not too keen on excessive immunizations, either), so his "routine care" would consist mostly of check-ups and preventive care.
2) Would the cost of routine care count towards my deductible requirement? Or do I only satisfy the deductible by paying for care that the insurance covers?
3) Is it better to pay a higher premium, or have a higher deductible? Does it balance out? Looking at the PetsBest plan, I only have to pay $24 extra per year to have a deductible that is a $100 lower, which saves me $75. BUT, that's if I have to use the insurance and file a claim, right? I like the idea of having to pay less myself (since money is usually tight and I don't often have hundreds of extra dollars lying around), but is the higher premium worth it if Gandalf doesn't need to go to the vet very often and is low-risk for developing a costly illness?
4) What companies have you done business with and what has your experience been? Are any of these companies ones that you would recommend or caution against?
Thank you SO MUCH for any help or information. It is greatly appreciated!
Some background:
I'm only 20 and because I've never owned a car and get free healthcare, I have absolutely no experience with comparing insurance policies. For the past few months, I've been living with my boyfriend temporarily while I looked for a new apartment, so my little kitty, Gandalf, has been an outdoor cat for that time. We move into our new place in December, so he has a couple more weeks of roughing it before he returns to a life of luxury. Please, no criticism for this. I understand the risks of letting your cat outdoors (and have suffered them personally with previous cats), and Gandalf will resume being an indoor only cat once we move. We didn't really have a choice for this due to a housing emergency, so we've done the best we can. I do think that our environment is relatively safe, and Gandalf is very well-equipped, so I've taken all the precautions to make it as low-risk as possible. We live in the Puget Sound, so it gets very cold and rains a lot here, especially now that we are approaching the winter months. For that reason, we made him a warm, cozy little shelter. However, it got VERY cold last night (below freezing) and this morning he seems like he's not feeling very well. He seems a little lethargic and his nose looks a little runny, so I'm worried he's caught a kitty cold. Which got me thinking that he's never really been to a vet before (he was chipped, neutered and immunized at our humane society through a low-income program), and I have no idea how much that generally costs, but I'm sure it's something that we would consider expensive on our budget. Gandalf is really healthy otherwise, and he's on a raw diet so I'm not very worried about kidney issues or diabetes or anything of that nature, but I was thinking that getting him some pet insurance might be a good idea that way he can have routine check-ups, he can be seen when he gets infections (like this, presumably) and in case of the random accidents you hope never happen (like what happened with my last cat). He is only about 18 months right now, and I know it's a lot cheaper to enroll them when they are young.
Anyway, so I've been looking into this a little bit today, but I'm confused about the options. A lot of them seem identical but have really different premiums? What's the best way to compare plans? For the record, I'm trying to find something that will cover visits to the vet and routine check-ups, not just illness and accident coverage. I'm a broke college kid with limited savings, so I'm aiming for a deductible between $100 and $200, and hopefully 90% reimbursement which has already eliminated a few companies for me. Right now, I'm comparing PetPlan, PetsBest and Embrace. I am interested in looking at ASPCA's plan, but I can't get the quote estimator to work!
PetPlan:
$16 monthly premium and $200 deductible, with 100% reimbursement.
That's awesome and really affordable, but PetPlan doesn't have any "wellness care" options, so routine visits wouldn't be covered.
PetsBest:
$17 monthly premium and $100 deductible, with 90% reimbursement OR $15 premium and $200 deductible, with 90% reimbursement.
They have a wellness plan, although I am not sure how much extra it is. They also cover behavioral issues, which is a big plus for me because Gandalf has had erratic behavior before, and it something I wanted to consult with someone about (I will note that we haven't had any issues since he was neutered, but he has also been outside so who knows if it will come up again since the issues we had weren't directly tied to him being fixed or not).
Embrace:
$30 monthly premium and $200 deductible, with 90% reimbursement.
They claim to have a lot more coverage than other companies, and they have a wellness plan. However, they have a plan comparison tool and comparing claim allowances, their numbers are nearly identical to PetsBest. Their wellness plan is very comprehensive, although they only cover $200 a year for an extra $15 per month, or $400 a year for an extra $29 per month. Neither of these make very much sense, because the first plan would put my monthly premium at $45 a month, and yet the wellness plan would only save $20 a year if I used all $200 worth. The more expensive option would save $50 a year if I used all $400, but I'm not going to pay $60 a month for insurance to save $50 that I might not even have to use. I'm not even sure how much of a difference $200 would make in routine care costs per year? Does the cost of routine care count towards my deductible? Because if it does, that makes the wellness plan extremely redundant.
ASPCA:
Interested in this plan but I have no clue what it covers or how much it costs. They have a wellness plan, also, but again, not sure of the cost.
QUESTIONS!
1) Is it even worth it to get a wellness plan? I do not know what it costs to see a vet for a check-up, but I live in Seattle, so I'm sure it's pricey enough. Gandalf has already been neutered, microchipped and immunized (I'm not too keen on excessive immunizations, either), so his "routine care" would consist mostly of check-ups and preventive care.
2) Would the cost of routine care count towards my deductible requirement? Or do I only satisfy the deductible by paying for care that the insurance covers?
3) Is it better to pay a higher premium, or have a higher deductible? Does it balance out? Looking at the PetsBest plan, I only have to pay $24 extra per year to have a deductible that is a $100 lower, which saves me $75. BUT, that's if I have to use the insurance and file a claim, right? I like the idea of having to pay less myself (since money is usually tight and I don't often have hundreds of extra dollars lying around), but is the higher premium worth it if Gandalf doesn't need to go to the vet very often and is low-risk for developing a costly illness?
4) What companies have you done business with and what has your experience been? Are any of these companies ones that you would recommend or caution against?
Thank you SO MUCH for any help or information. It is greatly appreciated!