From Therese
I've been pretty fortunate when it comes to my pets' health. I've never been faced with exorbitant veterinary bills. I used to keep a bank account for my pets, which was sufficient (I was lucky!). In January, 2008 though, I looked at the balance and realized it wouldn't go very far if something serious happened. Since I don't want to base their health care on finances, I decided to look into health insurance for all my two dogs and one cat. After quite a bit of research I decided on Petplan for my dog Lydia and my cat Tequila. Unfortunately, Petplan doesn't write new policies for dogs over 8. My other dog, Archie, who was 9 1/2 at the time, is insured with Pets Best since they write new policies for older dogs.
Lydia and Tequila are on Petplan's Gold Plan, which has a $200 deductible and $20,000 per incident limit. Co-payments are 10% for care with their regular vet, and 30% for specialist care. Archie's plan with Pets Best includes a $75 deductible, $7,000 per incident limit, and 20% co-payment. I opted not to buy the wellness options (routine care) for any of them because these are things I can plan and save for. It's the unexpected health issues I want to be covered.
In July 2008, just 6 months after getting everyone insured, Lydia was diagnosed with cancer. She was only 7-1/2 at the time and I wanted to do what I could to help her beat it. So when her vet referred us to an oncologist I didn't worry too terribly much about the medical bills. She's been seeing him once a month since July 2009 and her treatment to this point (April 2009) has included, chemo, ultrasounds, x-rays, medication, and blood work. All together it has amounted to many thousands of dollars. Fortunately though, since I do have health insurance, I've been able to base my decisions for her care on what's best for her rather than on what's best for my bank account. The 30% co-payment has been a bit of a struggle at times, but without insurance I would be heavily in debt.
My experience with Petplan has been positive from the very first phone call. Whenever I have a question or concern about coverage I can call or email someone and get personalized service. They're friendly, they remember me, are eager to answer questions, and seem to be genuinely concerned about Lydia. They haven't questioned the cost, procedures, or any aspect of her care, and when I file claims I get the reimbursement check within a few weeks. Some of the Petplan staff have even taken time to read about Lydia on my blog and leave comments from time to time.
Archie has had a few issues come up since being insured. As I mentioned, his insurance company is Pets Best. For the most part, my interaction with them has been good but not the stellar experience I've had with Petplan. With the exception of one claim, they have reimbursed my vet bills without question and within about a month after I've filed them. The charge on one claim they denied was for a problem Archie had about six months ago. They covered everything but one lab test. When I asked them about it, I was told the test was considered routine preventive care. Even though, in this case, it was clearly for diagnostic purposes they still considered it to be preventive and therefore not covered.
At this point Archie, Lydia, and Tequila have had health insurance for a little over a year and for Lydia it's paid for itself many times over. With Archie and Tequila I've probably paid a little more in premiums than I've saved in vet bills. Even so, it's definitely worth the expense, and I know getting health insurance for them is one of the best things I could have done for them. Knowing I can them to the vet for emergencies, chronic illnesses, accidents, or even expensive medical procedures without worrying so much about the money is huge! And in Lydia's case, since I haven't had to stress about the money issue, I know it's helped me help her fight cancer. So, you can bet that as long as I have pets, they will have pet health insurance!
Thank you, Therese Kopiwoda, for taking the time to share your pet insurance experiences with us.
Insurance companies referenced in this article:
Pets Best
Petplan
See all: Pet Health Insurance Company Interviews
Related Reading:
Pet Insurance - Is It Worth It?
Readers Respond - what is your experience with pet insurance?
I met Therese through my Twitter page. You can find her on Twitter @PetSitUSA or via her web site at PetSitUSA.com.
