Pet insurance: which one?

cindycrna

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 17, 2015
Messages
138
Purraise
13
I have a 6 month old and am looking to add one more. I have never had health insurance for the cats but wondered if this might not be a good time. Who uses what and what does it cover?
 

abyeb

Charlie's Purrson
Veteran
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
7,565
Purraise
9,599
I know that PetPartners is a popular option
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
I have a 6 month old and am looking to add one more. I have never had health insurance for the cats but wondered if this might not be a good time. Who uses what and what does it cover?
You can review plans at petinsurancereview.com
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
 
Thanks. Our oldest is having issues and it occurs to us to insure our other two while they are younger.
Sure thing.  None cover pre-existing, obama care hasn't come to pets yet.  Plan costs will differ by location not only due to vet costs being different but different underwriters by state.  We waited a few years to insure when they were young as a hedge, saved a bunch of years in premiums, costs go up as they age of course.  You may not recoup your premiums but it does make it easier than paying 1000's upfront.  Our latest cat was adopted at age 10, put on insurance, got very sick and we got 1000's back.  Note you still have to front the money and then you get reimbursed so you need a credit card or similar with plenty of credit on it for insurance to work.  Look at petplan, healthypaws, trupanion.  Figo has good reviews and mixed reviews, cheaper and is VERY NEW, not much of a track record.
 

kittens mom

Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2015
Messages
6,198
Purraise
3,964
Location
Moriarty, New Mexico
We have a basic policy with Embrace. 500 deductible no frills we pay all regular vet bills and dentals. It would offset the cost of a major illness. We're paying about 15 dollars per month for each cat.

I have used it once and Embrace tried to deny coverage because they said Mercy had a pre-existing condition of diarrhea and that dental wasn't covered.

Story here we took her in because she was acting like her back, hips, rear end were causing her pain. We never got a diagnosis despite blood work and exams they did end up expressing her anal glands. During the exam the vet noted she had some bad gum issues and she needed oral surgery. Lesson learned that you need to make sure the veterinarian knows you have insurance and they need to specify the reason you brought your cat to the vet. Probably includes the front desk since they'll likely have your forms on file. They did correct the paperwork.
 

donutte

Professional cat sitter extraordinaire!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
5,775
Purraise
2,554
Location
Northern suburbs of Chicago
We have a basic policy with Embrace. 500 deductible no frills we pay all regular vet bills and dentals. It would offset the cost of a major illness. We're paying about 15 dollars per month for each cat.
I have used it once and Embrace tried to deny coverage because they said Mercy had a pre-existing condition of diarrhea and that dental wasn't covered.
Story here we took her in because she was acting like her back, hips, rear end were causing her pain. We never got a diagnosis despite blood work and exams they did end up expressing her anal glands. During the exam the vet noted she had some bad gum issues and she needed oral surgery. Lesson learned that you need to make sure the veterinarian knows you have insurance and they need to specify the reason you brought your cat to the vet. Probably includes the front desk since they'll likely have your forms on file. They did correct the paperwork.
Yep, my vet has the forms for all my critters on file. They fill out everything for me and send it to the insurance.

I use VPI (Nationwide). I have no complaints thus far. I have the comprehensive plan for four of them, and wellness only for my two old critters. I think wellness only is better with a dog than a cat in my case, because my cat doesn't get year vaccinations at this point, but my dog does because it's the law. I didn't realize the other day that they covered the heart worm test - that was a nice surprise!
 

kittens mom

Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2015
Messages
6,198
Purraise
3,964
Location
Moriarty, New Mexico
Yep, my vet has the forms for all my critters on file. They fill out everything for me and send it to the insurance.

I use VPI (Nationwide). I have no complaints thus far. I have the comprehensive plan for four of them, and wellness only for my two old critters. I think wellness only is better with a dog than a cat in my case, because my cat doesn't get year vaccinations at this point, but my dog does because it's the law. I didn't realize the other day that they covered the heart worm test - that was a nice surprise!
We already budget for regular vet care so the lower premium for emergency visits and accidents made more sense.
 

donutte

Professional cat sitter extraordinaire!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
5,775
Purraise
2,554
Location
Northern suburbs of Chicago
We already budget for regular vet care so the lower premium for emergency visits and accidents made more sense.
I have to budget for 8 regular vet trips a year, which in itself is fine. But then when something breaks down, that ends up getting eaten up. My car along cost me a few grand last year in repairs. I still need new tires. So yeah, this might be more expensive in the long run, but it's less thinking I have to do and more peace of mind. I'm just thankful I can pay for it (that wasn't always the case, otherwise my older ones would have had it a long time ago). Actually, what I couldn't afford at the time was the regular visits that the insurance required.
 

kittens mom

Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 27, 2015
Messages
6,198
Purraise
3,964
Location
Moriarty, New Mexico
I have to budget for 8 regular vet trips a year, which in itself is fine. But then when something breaks down, that ends up getting eaten up. My car along cost me a few grand last year in repairs. I still need new tires. So yeah, this might be more expensive in the long run, but it's less thinking I have to do and more peace of mind. I'm just thankful I can pay for it (that wasn't always the case, otherwise my older ones would have had it a long time ago). Actually, what I couldn't afford at the time was the regular visits that the insurance required.
I buy a separate accident insurance and long term disability plan. It was also my reason for buying the best health care plan for us so that even though it cost more we were covered when the poo hit the fan. I ran the costs on a lot of plans for the cats and decided this was one that would benefit us.

No insurance plan is a good buy if you drop it after a year because it eats into your budget.
 

donutte

Professional cat sitter extraordinaire!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
5,775
Purraise
2,554
Location
Northern suburbs of Chicago
I buy a separate accident insurance and long term disability plan. It was also my reason for buying the best health care plan for us so that even though it cost more we were covered when the poo hit the fan. I ran the costs on a lot of plans for the cats and decided this was one that would benefit us.
No insurance plan is a good buy if you drop it after a year because it eats into your budget.
Absolutely, everyone has to pick the best one for them.

I recommend looking into the fine print on all the various plans. Call and ask questions if you need to get clarification on anything. I've done it more times than I can count. If looking at reviews, make sure you understand that some of these people are not aware of all the details of their plans (that was what I noticed a lot of). For the one I use, there is a "middle" plan, and a lot of folks don't realize what it does and does not cover. So keep that in mind when doing research regarding reviews.

I think I researched mine for a couple of months before deciding to get it. I mainly opted on this one because there is no cap. And the deductible is for overall spending, it's not different for each condition that comes up. And (this is a big one) if they get a medical condition, it will not be considered "pre-existing" come re-enrollment time. That does happen with some insurances.
 

Gaven Kent

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
143
Purraise
159
Location
North West London UK
Does anybody have any experience with being charged huge monthly fees for their cat insurance? My two, 17 and 3 years old have been insured from the moment they came through the door at 8 weeks old. Carter who is 17 came with paperwork that said he was half Burmese but that he also had a heart murmur. This has meant from day one his insurance has always been high. Once he turned 12 it sky rocketed to the point where it's £70 a month. Hugo who is 3 is £10. We've never claimed but last week when Carter needed treatment for an over active thyroid and arthritis (both medications will be for life now) we were told by his provider that his insurance only covers treatment for accidents. I had no idea this was the case and have never seen this stated in anything from them. I'm almost tempted to cancel his insurance and out the money saved into paying for his two medications that he'll need for the rest of his life. I know that in humans having hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism in the UK qualifies you for free prescriptions for life. I stupidly thought that maybe this applies with animals! The monthly cost of carters insurance will just about cover his medication bill. Basically I can make no sense of how the insurance costs are worked out and what exactly we've been paying for or what we can expect after all these years. Any advice folks or similar predicaments?
 
Top