pet medical insurance

[klee]

This must be weird to some people, but does anyone have medical insurance for their pets? One visit to the vet can cost hundreds of dollars out of pocket. If you do have medical insurance, is it worth it? I've heard some people say it is. There are so many out there, just like human insurance, how do you know which ones are good and legit? I love my dog, so I just want to make sure she is taken care of.

[MuleShack]

Well let me say that it is valuable if you need to use it and over priced if you dont.

I checked into it last year and the one I looked into just didn't sit right with me.

They had like 2 levels, the basic medical and the full coverage type. The basic medical is just that, covers any stitches, surgeries, etc. The full coverage was applied to yearly exams, teeth cleanings, shots etc and all it kinda seemed like a health savings account for the dog. You pay in monthly payments (which seemed like it would cover the shots etc). Then if the pet needed surgery, you pay the vet the full amount out of pocket and they would reimburse you the 80%.

Maybe I read it wrong or I choose the wrong insurance to dig into but If i'm going to pay money out of pocket to an insurer, they should cover the bill and then bill me the amount I owe, not the other way around.

I guess what got me off on the wrong foot was my dog had drank some bad water and got a stomach bug and was on medication for a few weeks to clear it up. When I inquired about costs and terms and such, she asked about medications and I mentioned this and she said they this pet wouldn't be covered for 6 months. Whaaat?

I didn't go thru with it after that.

With 3 dogs (2 GSP's), I always fear the ACL injury, but having insurance on all 3 of them would be expensive. Trying to play roulette and get insurance for just one that it may happen to is a dump shoot as well. I think the math for paying for 3 dogs over 5 years is the equivalent to providing 1 dog and ACL surgery

[cavalierowner]

I am part of a breed-specific meetup group that gets together at least once a month to socialize our dogs. The insurance question is one that we discuss somewhat regularly. I will say that most of the people in our group opted not to do it; they and I take the money we would ordinarily pay to the insurance company every month and put it into savings. So far, after several years of doing this, I am a lot of money ahead. There are several companies out there, just be sure to read VERY CAREFULLY what is excluded and about pre-existing conditions. Remember even if you talked to your vet about a condition your dog didn't have and it's noted in the vet's records, it will probably be considered a pre-existing condition. IMHO insurance is only worth it if you have a major problem, so it's really a crapshoot. Remember that insurance companies are in the business to make money.

[nofishfisherman]

I've thought about it but haven't looked into real indepth.

There are two areas of a dogs life that will cost you the most, that is the first year and last year of its life. I'd be interested to know if an insurance stops covering a dog at a certain age or won't start covering a dog until its out of that first year.

I did do a puppy plan through Banfield when I got my dog that covered everything for the first year (shot, spay/neuter, office visits, and gave a 20-30% discount on any meds that might be needed). They offered it as a monthly payment or a one time payment that I think was around $200 at the time. In the end that saved a fair amount of money since just the neuter alone would have been about that.

I have a feeling for most dogs you are better off just setting money aside each month for any future care. If you need it then its there, if you don't need it then you're money ahead.

[klee]

I looked at a few last night and they seem complicated. Like mentioned before, it doesn't make sense for me to pay the bill and then have them reimburse me afterwards when they can just pay the vet and I can pick up whats left. It seems too fishy and complicated. So far we've only gone to the vet once a year for her yearly vaccinations, other then that she is pretty healthy.I would rather setup a savings account.

[ikes71]

We looked into the pet insurance when we got our new lab this winter. We ended up going with it. We are able to get it through my wife's work, just like human health insurance. It only cost $12 a month and covers up to $15,000 over the life of the dog. Plus for a extra $10 a month, the cover most of the yearly cost of the dog, Frontline, shots, exam, Sentinal, etc. Since it is through work, it is an automatic deduction, so we don't have to think of it. If my dog never gets hurt, then it is a waste of money, but yet everyone I have had before, has ended up with atleast one major issue. That is why we went with it.

[LexiG]

I had pet insurance but I didn't really find it to be worth it; they have a dump ton of exclusions, etc. that by the time you pay your deductible you're paying out a lot more than you're getting from them. I do have a membership with a discount program called "Pet Assure". I guess I like them because it's more straightforward; I pay about 8 bucks a month and get 25% off at the vet no matter what the conditions is. Something like that could be a good option instead of "real" pet insurance.

[duckbuster]

I use Pet Plan like a lot of other Field Trialers. I do it for the sole reason of a Cruciate tear.

Like any type of insurance, pay, pay, pay, until you need it one day.