2018 Pet Insurance Review

It seems that Pet Insurance is the new hot topic at Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital.  Representatives from different companies are hounding the front desk staff.  Brochures appear in our UPS deliveries.  Posters to hang on our walls materialize out of nowhere.  And clients, you guys, keep asking us what you should do.  So, I thought I would do a little research and share my findings.  Before we start, I need to make one thing perfectly clear.  I am not endorsing or recommending any insurance company or policy.  In fact, insurance  may not be the best thing for you or your pet, it is ultimately up to you to decide.

The topic is very, I mean VERY complicated.  First, you need to decide if you want to insure your pet.  I will say, that if you have a healthy puppy of a breed that is prone to serious health problems, then you should definitely get insurance now. (that translates to Bulldogs and all related mixed breeds).  If you want to know if your pet is a high risk pet, message me on facebook..

Things To Consider When Looking Into Pet Insurance:

• Pet insurance is not an investment.  It is more like car insurance.  You may not get back the amount that you pay into the policy, but if you have a catastrophic illness or injury you want to be protected.
• Different plans have different coverages and different coverages come with different costs  
• There are different deductibles and exclusions.
• You must be sure that congenital and inherited conditions are covered and that insurance is in place before there is any evidence of these problems.
• Wellness plans are available with certain companies.  Some will provide a bit of a discount for routine well care.
• NO COMPANY will cover pre existing conditions.  You have to carefully check their definitions of pre existing conditions.  Especially as it pertains to orthopedic problems such as cruciate ligament surgery or hip dysplasia.
• Dental disease is another grey area as far as what is covered and what is not.
• Complementary therapies such as acupuncture or physical therapy are covered as part of the regular policy, as an additional rider (for an additional premium) or not at all.  You need to check the policy that you are looking at.
• Some policies cover therapeutic diets. (some do not).  The same goes for supplements.

The cost of the policy will depend on a number of things.  First, the deductible and the caps.  I listed some of the companies with good ratings on line in the table below. I tried to use comparable policy offerings.  Look at the comparisons but by no means is this an exhaustive list.  You really need to do your homework.  The column under cost is based on Bella, a 3 year old terrier mix with a clean bill of health.  Your costs will most certainly be different (unless you have a 3 year old terrier mix with a clean bill of health as well).  Cats are significantly less expensive to insure.

Two of the plans in the chart have wellness coverage available.  The monthly premium listed does not include wellness care.  Most of the companies allow you to customize the deductible and the reimbursement.  You will need to go to the web page of that company and see what they offer as far as pricing. As of the publication of this blog, the wellness plan for Embrace Pet insurance amounts to a 10% savings, meaning you pay roughly $410 for $450 worth of wellness care.  I do not know what the other plans offer or cost.

Some companies give better coverage for congenital problems than others.  Genetic conditions are inherited, some companies give better coverage than others for these as well.  Do your research.

Each company name listed below is a link to their web page.  Go ahead, click around. Have a blast. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.  I might not know the answer but it will help if I decide to do a review next year.

	Deductible	Caps	Congenital	Reimbursement	Cost/Month
Healthy Paws	$250 annual Exam fee	Unlimited Lifetime No caps	Yes	80% of covered costs	$27.30
Pet Plan	$300 annual	$15,000 annual	Yes	80% of covered costs	$33.40
Embrace	$300 annual	$15,000 annual	Yes	80% pf covered costs	$49.64 (wellness available)
Nationwide	$250 annual	Unlimited	Limited	Benefit Schedule	$36.54 (wellness available)
FIGO	$200 annual	$14,000 annual	Yes	80% of covered costs	$30.29
Trupanion	$500/incident Exam fee	Unlimited	Yes	90% pf covered costs	$47.65