I have a confession to make: I’ve changed my mind about pet insurance, or at least most pet insurance.
I used to be dead set against it, thinking it would affect veterinary medicine the way it has affected human medicine.
- I feared a situation where an insurance company would rule how veterinarians treat their patients.
- I feared that the cost of care would increase astronomically.
- I feared that, along with increased costs, there’d be a corresponding increase in mind-numbing paperwork and inefficiency.
I might be wrong.
I’ve witnessed how pet insurance from a reputable company can help save pets’ lives. In an emergency or critical medical situation, pets with insurance are much more likely to receive the care they need because their owners are financially prepared for it (instead of the pet being euthanized because their owners can’t afford critical care).
For now, pet insurance companies are not stipulating how veterinarians treat their patients, and the time required to complete the paperwork to assist a pet owner submitting a claim has been streamlined.
The relationship remains between the pet owner and the insurance company. Veterinarians receive no financial incentives from pet insurance companies whatsoever, but we do get the satisfaction of sending home a mended patient and a relieved pet owner.
Types of Pet Insurance Plans
Types of pet insurance plans range from “Cadillac plans” that cover even routine care, to less expensive options that only cover catastrophic events, such as serious injury or illness.
Another option some families choose is to create a pet savings account for emergencies or to designate a credit card for pet emergency care only. The most important thing is to prepare for pet emergencies and unexpected medical needs before they arise.
Pet insurance companies routinely request copies of a pet’s health record, so the best time to apply for pet insurance is when a pet is young, hopefully before any pre-existing conditions exist that might result in exclusions.
There are a number of pet insurance companies to choose from, and it pays to read the fine print very carefully. To learn more about the variety of pet insurance carriers, read reviews at petinsurancereview.com.
