Pet health Insurance

I would like to get some feedback from some of you guy's out there that have health insurance on their Corgi's. With so many different animal health insurance providers out there, if I were to get health insurance on my Corgi I wouldn't know what one to choose. Can anyone tell me if health insurance is worth getting for my corgi Maya, and if so, what ones would be worth looking at. All positive and negative feedback is welcomed.

Thanks, Terry

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Permalink Reply by Priss, Charlie & Kaylee (PK) on January 28, 2013 at 8:12pm

I have no real incite into this one, but I'm interested in other people's responses. Our last vet bill was $90 for peace of mind, a shot and some antibiotics. With a "will eat anything" corgi, would it be cost effective to be insurance?

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Permalink Reply by Terry, Maya, & Brees on January 28, 2013 at 8:23pm

I have to watch Maya, she's only 4 months old and she will put just about anything in her mouth. I hope she grows out of this habit!

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Permalink Reply by Ingrid & Ein on January 28, 2013 at 9:10pm

I've looked into time and again, and I just can't seem to justify it. There's a lot of restrictions on all but the most expensive plans. It seems like the most reasonable route is to put what you'd spend on pet insurance every month into a vet/rainy day fund to use when needed.

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Permalink Reply by Julia on January 28, 2013 at 10:20pm

Here's my question: putting aside the same amount as the premiums for emergencies is often suggested. One of my dogs had two knee surgeries. One had Cushing's disease. I never did the math. In cases like that, or other chronic conditions, has anyone else here done the math?

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on January 28, 2013 at 10:29pm

I've been very lucky considering I have so many dogs...I would put the money in a special savings account and not get insurance. That way you have it if you need it but aren't paying someone else.

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Permalink Reply by Priss, Charlie & Kaylee (PK) on January 29, 2013 at 7:19pm

So, many of these policies say they don't cover preexisting conditions, like human health insurance. Do they usually consider "likes to eat things that make her sick but we really have not idea what it was but she is better not" scenarios preexisting?

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Permalink Reply by Terry, Maya, & Brees on January 29, 2013 at 8:02pm

Thanks for the information.

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Permalink Reply by rae on January 29, 2013 at 10:26am

We have VPI Pet Insurance for the cats, but I'm shopping around for Machete and would like to move the cats to a different provider as well.

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Permalink Reply by Christine on January 29, 2013 at 1:34pm

Hey Terry! We used Petplan for Bandit. We loved their coverage and customer service. PetPlan only covers accidents and illness, so it doesnt cover anything preventative visits, like shots and regular health check ups. It does, however, cover breed-specific genetic issues, which I know VPI and ASPCA don't cover. It also covers alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, homeopathy and holistic treatments.

The best thing about PetPlan is that if you choose the 80% reimbursement plan, you will always get 80% back after the deductable. That is not true for many insurance companies. They usually follow a "schedule," and then reimburse you based on that. For exmaple, we live in San Diego, and an X-ray costs $120. Based on ASPCA's schedule, an x-ray is only $80, so we are only getting back $64 (80% of $80). If we had Petplan, we would be getting back $96 (80% of $120).

We have used ASPCA before, but PetPlan is the most straightforward and honest about their billing and reimbursement system. They also had great customer service. Reimbursements were always done within 2 weeks after submissions.

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Permalink Reply by Terry, Maya, & Brees on January 29, 2013 at 8:02pm

Thanks for the information.

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Permalink Reply by Diane on January 29, 2013 at 11:37pm

This is always an interesting discussion to me as well as I've gone back and forth (and run the numbers) many times about whether or not pet insurance is worth it. I think in a situation where your dog is relatively young and gets sick or something really bad happens it's can be very worth it, especially if you don't have the immediate funds to cover and emergency.

The problem I've had is factoring paying it over the life of the dog, since there is no guarantee the insurance won't go up to an exorbitant amount down the road... then it becomes a lot less clear.