What Dog Health Insurance Covers

So when we start searching for health insurance for our dog our first question is: What is exactly does it cover? This is a good question and the answer depends on the type of coverage plan you choose. I have already mentioned that the three major coverage types are: Routine Care, Major Medical and Cancer. Each insurance provider will have variations on the names of the plans, but they should all fit one of the three types. Now, lets look at each one and see what they cover.

Types of Plans

1. Routine Care – This plan could also be called a maintenance plan. It covers all basic health issues that every dog owner should be concerned with. This means: vaccinations, heartworm testing, spay/neuter, flea medication, checkups and exams.

2. Major Medical – This plan provides coverage for the unexpected: This usually includes: accidents, surgery, serious illness, x-rays and hospitalization.

3. Cancer – Unfortunately K9 cancer is on the rise and can be very costly if your dog needs treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments can run into the thousands. If this is a concern you will find companies that over coverage.

In conclusion, coverage depends on the type of plan you choose. It depends on how much you are willing to spend. For further investigation read What it Costs.

Cheap Dog Insurance

Pet insurance may seem like an unnecessary expense to some dog owners, but reports show that Americans will spend $334 on vet bills this year. That’s more than $25 billion on animal health care and its not getting any cheaper.  Some new procedures cost more that $5000. Having a solid dog insurance plan could save you thousands in the event of an emergency.

Its important to understand that having your dog insured won’t cover all vet expenses. Just like your own health insurance you have deductibles and co-pays. There are also limits to how much the policy will pay out yearly.

Dogs are more expensive to insure than cats or smaller pets because they are a bigger animal. Fortunately, bargain hunters have plenty of providers to choose from. You can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $75 a month, but the average is $25 for $40 for a decent plan. This includes a deductible of around $50 and a copay of 10 to 20%.

The costs really begin to increase if you have a dog with a genetic or pre-existing health problem. Many companies will not even offer plans. One company that does offer insurance for hereditary conditions is Embrace Pet Insurance. Although these plans are expensive it is a better alternative than going into debt or putting your dog to sleep.

Cheap Pet Insurance

Is cheap pet insurance really the way to go? A lot of people are looking for the cheapest dog insurance on the market. In my opinion, that is not the way to go. I say this for three reasons: First, your coverage is very limited. Second, cheap pet insurance usually means bad customer service. And third, claims will most likely be difficult to process in a timely matter if at all. Lets cover the three reasons in detail.

Limited Coverage

Buying the cheapest pet insurance can be the wrong move if the coverage you are looking for is not sufficient. For example, if your plan covers accidents only then you will be stuck with high bills when an illness occurs. The chances of your dog getting sick are significantly higher than getting hit by a car.

Questionable Customer Service

To me customer service is one of the top considerations. If I call customer service to ask specific questions about plan details or what if situations, I want quick and professional answers. If the answers are unclear or if there is a lot of putting me on hold that is a big red flag. A good rule of thumb is cheap insurance means low quality customer service. There are exceptions to the rule, but it is something to think about.

Claim Processing

If you read the Internet forums you will find countless horror stories about claims being rejected or delayed. Usually this happens when people fail to read the policy’s fine print. The cheap pet insurance plans usually contain numerous disclosures that buyers simply overlook. I can almost guarantee that the cheapest policies will have some pretty important information.

In conclusion, the cheapest pet insurance plans usually are not the way to go. Just make sure you read the fine print, ask the customer service department plenty of questions, and heed the adage, “you get what you pay for”.

Top Dog Insurance

Things to Consider

There are several things to consider when choosing a dog insurance plan.

Consider the max coverage amounts per incident and the max per year. Each plan will have its own maximums. You may want to pay a higher premium if you suspect that your dog will need an operation in the near future.

Ask yourself these questions:

Do you want pet insurance primarily to guard against major problems and emergencies?

What do you currently spend on veterinary care?

Do you intend to spay or neuter your pet?

Do you want dental cleaning?

Is preventive care important to you?

Comparison-Shopping Made Easy

Here is my step-by-step procedure for comparison-shopping:

1. Evaluate the past year’s vet bills and receipts. The vet will have this information on file if you don’t have it handy.

2. Determine what was absolutely necessary and what was extra. Consider all the costs of prevention and routine care.

3. Decide if there is something you would have liked to purchased, but did not for financial reasons.

4. Now, you should have a fairly accurate idea of what you need and what you want.

5. Armed with this data will make comparison-shopping infinitely easier. Most of the insurance provider’s websites have a side-by-side comparison of their particular plans.

6. Choose three to five companies to investigate and start matching plans to your needs and wants.

7. Finally price out the selections. Of course, you don’t necessarily want to choose the cheapest plan. I like to also consider customer service and claim processing speed.

I hope this helps.