Health Care insurance for cats?

[marilyn]

So there is a Health care insurance company that i seen on here, and they have different packages that you can choose from to have coverage for your cat/dog. Does anybody have this, and is it even worth it for the vet bills? thinking about it but thought to ask here first. any help would be appreceated. thanks

 

[ckutkuhn7]

I've noticed that too and was wondering the same thing. Great question!!

 

[holly_savage]

Well we are with PetSecure (I hope that I am allowed to post this...if not please remove it and I will PM anyone who would like the info).

We went with the one level below the full coverage deal. It ends up costing something like $20 a month and it covers 80% of your costs plus the yearly dental cleaning and accident or illness coverage up to $3000/year/medical condion or accident.

So for less than $300 dollars a year you get 80% your money back(after the detuctible), and I am sure that just about all of us has spent that in 1 or 2 visits let alone a whole year!

Just be aware of all the fine print, you can cancel it anytime you want, but the cost does go up with the age of the cat and they will exclude any pre-existing medical conditions...the best time to sign up is when you are getting a new kitten and have your vet sign you up on that day!

Again, this is only my opinion, but it has already paid for itself 3 times over and we've only had it since December.

 

[Inferno12]

I looked into getting pet insurance and IMO it was a crock! You pay these high monthly fees and then if you go to the vet you pay and then submit to get reimbursed for a PORTION of the services. Its no guarantee either. I calculated the costs and I didnt think it was worth it. I figured that If I put the same amount away into a savings account then I would have a good chunk to put towards the bill if I ever needed it. It was like $50 a month or something. You figure if you put that away for a year then you would have $600. Thats a good portion of a large bill.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[ckutkuhn7]

Great info...so you pay for everything upfront and wait for them to send you your money back from whatever they covered? Just want to make sure I understand correctly.

 

[holly_savage]

Yup, that is how mine works at least.
The time we went to the vet's and had the xray and blood work and bacterial culture test done, the total was about $500! The vet faxes the form right then and there and in about a week we had the reimbursement already...it was for about $390 I think

 

[ckutkuhn7]

I figured that If I put the same amount away into a savings account then I would have a good chunk to put towards the bill if I ever needed it. It was like $50 a month or something. You figure if you put that away for a year then you would have $600. Thats a good portion of a large bill.

Good luck in your decision!

Thats what I do currently. I just set something aside from each pay and she has her own little savings and should she ever get sick I can tap into that.

Only trouble is I'm very spend thrifty and love to buy things and her account is getting rather bulky and she is doing great. lol Its so hard to not touch some days...so far so good!!! I don't carry it around with me so then its not so tempting. lol

 

[ckutkuhn7]

Yup, that is how mine works at least.
The time we went to the vet's and had the xray and blood work and bacterial culture test done, the total was about $500! The vet faxes the form right then and there and in about a week we had the reimbursement already...it was for about $390 I think

Thats not so bad I guess. Atleast the reimbursement is quick and your money isnt tied up too long.

 

[holly_savage]

Christina, look into it, but just know that they would not cover any of Snuffies Herpes related illnesses or treatments...and the problem I can see with that is that they could theoretically assign any type of URI type sypmtoms to it, so I don't know if it would be worth it at this point.

I think it is only really worth it if you get it from day 1 so to speak. The new kitten will be signed up on her initial visit and as long as nothing is wrong then, or for 14 days afterwards...ev erything would be covered.

 

[ckutkuhn7]

Christina, look into it, but just know that they would not cover any of Snuffies Herpes related illnesses or treatments...and the problem I can see with that is that they could theoretically assign any type of URI type sypmtoms to it, so I don't know if it would be worth it at this point.

I think it is only really worth it if you get it from day 1 so to speak. The new kitten will be signed up on her initial visit and as long as nothing is wrong then, or for 14 days afterwards...ev erything would be covered.

You read my mind!! lol I didn't even have a chance at getting her insurance really since I didn't even get her until she was 8 months old. I was exactly thinking any URI's she may have in her future (hopefully NOT) wouldn't be covered. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. Its working and she is healthy so we are doing good. *Knocks on wood*

 

[holly_savage]

Well we were lucky, the only exclusion is anything to do with her conjunctivitous...and as I am sure most of us know they seem to be mostly caused by URI!!! But they will cover her URI's, just not anything Eye-related...go figure, I guess they aren't cat owners or members of our informative Lair!

 

[Inferno12]

Again, this is only my opinion, but it has already paid for itself 3 times over and we've only had it since December.

This is good to know! Im glad that someone is getting good use of the insurance. I just keep my fingers crossed that Johnny stays healthy and I dont need to worry about his savings account or insurance

 

[Jinxlover]

Only trouble is I'm very spend thrifty and love to buy things and her account is getting rather bulky and she is doing great. lol Its so hard to not touch some days...so far so good!!! I don't carry it around with me so then its not so tempting. lol

Lol.. That's me.. My cat would be dead b/c I spent all the money, but hey I'd have a new lap top... My hubby is way better with the $$ than me, so I give it to him and he puts it away for pet emergencies...( and doesn't tell me where)

 

[ilovemysphynx]

With these pet insurances can you use any vet you want or do they has a list of vets you have to pick from?

 

[Sam lewis]

I have both my cats insured, I daren't not! I tink if I tried to have their own savings account there wouldn't be very much in it! But atleast I know I have piece of mind if something bad happened the insurance company would pay the bill. If I spend over £60 on one vet visit, I pay the first £60 and they pay the rest. It's a bit of a pain paying out every month coz I guess you could go months or years and not claim. But its only £12 a month and it gives me piece of mind to know I wouln't struggle to pay the bills if something major did happen. I don't have any savings to fall back on and with the baby on the way it's the best thing for me personaly!

 

[holly_savage]

With these pet insurances can you use any vet you want or do they has a list of vets you have to pick from?

with Petsecure I know you can use whichever vet. Ours is happy to fill it all out for me, all I have to do is sign and date the bottom and they fax it along with the receipt to the insurance people right away.

 

[ilovemysphynx]

with Petsecure I know you can use whichever vet. Ours is happy to fill it all out for me, all I have to do is sign and date the bottom and they fax it along with the receipt to the insurance people right away.

Thanks sounds like I may be looking into this! I think my vet would do the same and wait for payment from the insurance company. That would be great.

 

[railit]

I have Petplan. I pay at the vet, the vet faxes everything and I get reimbursed. So far there haven't been any problems. Also, I can use any vet I want- they don't give me a list of "approved" vets. I have also looked at Trupanion and think their plans look slightly better if you start the coverage when your cat is young. I may go with them on my next cat but will stick with Petplan for now since if I switch there will be preexisting condition issues.

I know that sometimes I can go for years without any significant vet bills but for less than $20 a month I have the security to know that if something does come up I'll be able to pay for it. Also, chronic conditions can add up really fast.

-Raili