As veterinary medicine becomes more technologically advanced, the cost of care increases because of the higher costs associated with the equipment, facilities and training required to provide these higher-quality services. For some pet owners, the cost of care can cause some anxiety. Pet insurance can help by offsetting some or most of the costs of diagnosing, treating and managing your pet's illness or injury.
But pet insurance isn't for everyone, and there's no magic formula that will tell you if it's right for you and your pet. If you're considering pet insurance, talk to us about our recommendations and do some research on your options. For a great site that covers a great deal about pet health insurance, reviews, etc go to www.petinsurancereview.com! In general, our clients really seem to like Trupanion, Embrace, Pet’s Best and Pet Plan for their pet coverage. Probably around 20% of our clients have some sort of coverage for their fur-baby—sometimes wellness is included, but we typically see more medical (accident, illness, injury) coverage over anything else.
Have you been considering getting coverage for your pet? After your pet receives an examination at our office you can take advantage of 30 days of coverage for your pet with companies like Trupanion. This give you an opportunity to review the coverage, review plans and pricing, and see if it is something your family wants for your pet. Additionally, if you enroll for coverage following an exam, companies like Trupanion either lower or waive the waiting period you would normally experience if you were to enroll your pet in medical coverage on your own.
Pet insurance plans are generally reimbursement plans – you pay the bills up front and are reimbursed by the insurance provider. Ask the insurance provider how claims are processed as well as the timeframe for reimbursement when choosing a provider. Our office has recently starting utilizing Trupanion Express—which allows us to process your claims for you, and also makes it easy for Trupanion to pay the coverable amount of your invoice for you-right at check out!
Check out this wonderful story provided by one of our clients who decided to purchase health care coverage for her fur-baby on the off chance she might need it. And give us a call or check out the links above if you have any questions about pet insurance today!
Pippi Shortstockings entered my life four years ago, the third Clumber Spaniel I have owned. Pippi was different from my others in that she was an 8 month old mill rescue, of dubious breeding, and I knew she had only the poorest nutrition and NO opportunity to be outside a tiny crate for her short eight months. Even healthy, well bred, Clumbers can have inherent health issues, as can all pets. I decided to insure her through Trupanion, "just in case."
Well, "just in case" came to call when she was a year old and I came home to find her curled in an agonized ball, unwilling to move. Thanks to outstanding care at MRAH and Medvet, Pippi survived nicely, but lost a front leg due to an irreparable elbow break, likely due to breeding, poor food and no exercise in her early life. Almost exactly one year later, she broke the OTHER front elbow, which was deemed possibly repairable, but the outcome was less than ideal. She gets around just fine now, doing a sort of army crawl, pain free, and a happy, if handicapped girl.
Of course, I contacted Trupanion immediately after the first accident. Throughout these difficult times with Pippi, I have been consistently amazed by their response. There is minimal paperwork; they worked closely with my vets to ensure accurate claims, and they paid either the vet or me extremely promptly. Since this is all related to the initial broken elbow, I have only paid one deductible and a 10% copay. Their representatives are unfailingly polite, knowledgeable and professional. I can honestly say that Pippi would no longer be with me today, simply because of prohibitive care costs, had I not had Trupanion as a benefit, well worth the monthly premiums.
The adventure is not over. I just ordered front wheels for Pippi so she can join her brothers and me on longer walks. We look forward to getting her used to them and expanding her world. My Trupanion plan has also covered this cost. In short, Trupanion has been a gift to me and "my pack!"