Pet Plan Insurance
insurance options for your pets
Fetch formerly known as PetPlan Insurance
Pet insurance can be quite helpful to owners trying to take the best possible care of their pets. You just have to know your product.
Some insurance companies and plans do not cover annual maintenance costs like vaccines, lab testing or dental work. They consider these normal costs of pet care and the owner’s responsibility. These plans are primarily used to cover large illnesses or accidents.
The bad news is they often don’t cover common and expensive problems. For instance, cruciate tears (ACL in people). This is an exceptionally common knee injury in primarily large dogs, and more rarely small dogs and cats. Surgery is always recommended for this injury but many insurance plans won’t cover it. A few will. So again, know what your plan will and won’t cover.
Another common problem is the dreaded “pre-existing condition” or “breed predilections”. A bulldog with a skin, bone or respiratory problem for instance. Or a German Shepherd with hip dysplasia. These problems might not be covered because they are known problems in these breeds. We’ve even seen where a plan will cover a pet diagnosed with Diabetes, but the next year it is considered a pre-existing and treatment and supply costs are no longer covered.
Service and Pet Insurance Coverage
Many insurance companies offer different levels of service that will cover more problems and even some maintenance costs.
Another key factor in pet insurance is that you will have to pay your veterinary bills up front. Then the insurance company will reimburse you whatever portion they will cover. You will have to handle all communications with your insurance company as veterinarians are not staffed to do the legwork for you.
The take away is that like all insurance, it has its place. Just know what your plan will and will not cover before you sign up.
