Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on January 3, 2009 at 10:23am

Hope this may help you.

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Permalink Reply by E on January 3, 2009 at 12:11pm

I saw the thread but I really wanted more information. Even though there were several who carried dog insurance, only one listed the provider.

Thus, I would like to know the specific provider.

Some listed the $$ per month but I would like to know what it covers. Is it accident/illness or is it comprehensivie (covers everything, including routine exams, shots, vaccinations, hearworm test, heartworm prevention, deworming, etc).

If you have the comprehensive policy, is it $$ worth having?

Are there any sneaky exceptions? For example, PetFirst will not cover any preexisting conditions that occurred under a previous policy year. with them. This means that if you had PetFirst as your provider and your dog came down with a thyroid problem in 2008, your dog would not be covered in 2009 (the thyroid problem would be considered pre-existing in 2009).

Basically, I would like more specific information.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on January 3, 2009 at 1:17pm

Pet insurance depends on a lot of things, very similar to human insurance.

1. Age
2. pre-existing condition
3. deductible amount
4. coverage

So it depends who you ask, their quote will vary, some get sick and have accidents more than others, some never does and only get their annual shots...etc.

May be you can be a little more specific on your current situation? like how old is your dog, how many times do you see the vet and for what reasons, any pre-existing condition...etc. It'll be easier to compare similar coverage with similar background. Usually insurance company charges more for pre-existing conditions, just like human insurance, they CAN go back and dig up medical history that was not reported on application and will deny claims. Make sure you read your policy very carefully.

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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on January 22, 2009 at 1:01pm

I think your best source is getting a list of providers and then just calling them to get the quotes and coverage boundaries they offer. This way you can get specifics and they can e-mail you the information or mail it to you which will make it easy to have all the information right there infront of you to compare each one.

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Permalink Reply by Becky on January 3, 2009 at 12:58pm

Sorry no input on specifics but if you work for a larger company your employer may offer a discount on pet insurance. So you may want to look into that.

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Permalink Reply by Carlie on January 3, 2009 at 1:24pm

We have ASPCA pet insurance. I'd be happy to give you specifics but their website does a pretty thorough job of outlining the different packages. If you'd like to know more just message me. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Christine on January 4, 2009 at 3:03am

My boyfriend and I are doing the exact same thing right now. I made a comparison chart of the 3 insurance plans (illness & accidents only) - PetPlan's bronze plan, ASPCA, and VPI. Everything's based on what i read on the websites and the estimate is based on Bandit and he's almost 5 months old. I attached the comparison chart to this thread. Hopefully you will find it helpful. And of course, don't rely on this chart solely when you make your decision. Like Sam said, you will have to put your pet into consideration first.

RIght now, we are still not sure which one we will get. We did have the ASPCA Primary plan for our cat and our last corgi. My cat has a lot of random accidents, so having the insurance really helps. BUT ASPCA only pays for up to 80% of the bill after they decide how much of the charges are usual and customary (benefit schedule). So at the end, i really don't get much back. This is why i am looking into other insurance to see if we can get better coverage for Bandit.

Attachments:

• pet insurance.xls, 20 KB

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Permalink Reply by Sybil on January 6, 2009 at 4:29pm

I have 2 corgis and each is on a different plan.
One is on the AKC plan. This plan has been good to us, although they do not cover alternative treatments, and they do not cover hereditary illness. So far we have not had any hereditary problems, so the plan has worked well for us.
My other corgi is on Pet Plan. Good plan-as they cover the hereditary stuff and alternaive treatments-but I don't like how there is a per incident deductible. AKC plan only has a yearly deductible-which I prefer. So there are trade-offs.
Whichever plan you decide on, it's really important to get on ASAP so you reduce the "pre-existing conditions".

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Permalink Reply by Ann B., Scout and Summer on January 22, 2009 at 12:57pm

We have VPI, and don't have the wellness plan. They paid very well (80%) for Scout's leg surgery when he was one yr old. We were afraid they would consider it a congenital condition (premature closure of growth plates), but our vet said it could have been caused by trauma, and they paid. It is currently $328 per year.

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