December 27th, 2009 → 12:32 am @ admin // 6 Comments
I’m thinking about getting pet insurance for my three cats but I have no idea if it’s really worth it. I already go to a low cost clinic but I worry if a real, life threatening emergency were to come up if I could afford the vet bill or not. Does anybody have experience with pet insurance? Did it come through for you or was it pretty much useless?
Tags: Insurance...is, Money, Worth
..Stacy.
2 years ago
Insurance is worth the peace of mind. It’s not about how much you put in and how much you get out. You don’t pay for your OWN medical insurance hoping to make lots of claims!
If you can’t afford a $2000 bill if it were to hit you tomorrow. Then it’s worth it.
I have pet insurance, have had it for about 5 months now and have only used it once for a small bill, but it was repaid 90% like they say, and I got the check in about a week. So I expect, if any bigger problems were to arise, that I am safe and won’t have to worry about costs.
I would definitely recommend my pet insurance company, Trupanion, because I really like them. They don’t have benefits schedules, and no claim limits or yearly limits. Plus they cover ongoing treatments for chronic conditions (many companies will only pay for the first year).
Good luck in your decision!
Bridey
2 years ago
Most of the major ones cover about as well as a health plan for a person. Usually around 80% for the maximum coverage. You have to pay the bills up front, and they reimburse you. I looked into it for our cats, but what I would spend in premiums over time wouldn’t pay off in the end. The premium is around $20 per month per cat. We have 6, so I’d be looking at $120/mth or $1440 right away. It really depends on your disposable income and what you would be able to afford in an emergency. We have money set aside for emergencies, plus I have two credit cards that I keep very little on, so we wouldn’t be dependent on insurance if we had an emergency with one of ours.
Hannah
2 years ago
it depends where you get your insurance from really. i use my pet store (pets at home) because out of all the ones ive looked at they are the only ones who insure for longterm illnesses such as diabetes. the other ones only covered the cat for like a year or so of the illness but pets at home cover them untill they die. just shop around. it really is worth getting insurance because vets bills cost a bomb especially if its something uncureable! good luck and i hope nothing happens to your kittys!! x
Nils
2 years ago
no, usually if they get hurt, they wont make it for very long
denise
2 years ago
defenitly,,,especially if they are sick
Little Foot's Mommy
2 years ago
I had this exact same thought when the issue of pet insurance was asked of me. I thought well I have insurance so shouldn’t my cat? Um hold the phone I need to pick the best and see if it’s even worth the cost. My cat is strictly indoors, fixed, vaccinated and yearly health checks. This is a cost of less then $100 yearly (no more spay) so does she need it. Sure things can happen and accidents can incure huge vet bills. I set out to figure out for myself what it MIGHT cost and what was REALISTIC.
I read this article by consumer affairs and found out tons of useful info. > http://www.consumerreports.org/Pets/ Vets charge whatever they want and the cost is rising.
Then these about cost and consumer reviews on pet insurance companies.http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/pethealt…http://vetmedicine.about.com/lr/pet_heal…
I made a list of medical questions and fake scenarios and called my local vets w/ a list I created. I asked them to take the time to give me actual prices current and accurate. I asked that they please do it at their convenience and w/ cost saving in mind. I sent it or dropped it off for some to 15 vets. I’ve gotten 6 back so far. Now this shows me, six care enough to answer easy questions. Have time to help even when not making a dime (so far off me) and which could easily pull up the info or had first hand knowledge. I also threw in a few nutritional questions to gauge which vets are in line w/ my food choice currently. My next step is to ask all the pet insurance carriers what they charge and if they include long term care for diabetes or cancer. What about UTI’s? I’ll only make my decision after gathering all my info and making the best choice for my cat and my wallet next.
This might seem like a lot but really I asked super basic vet info and food choices. I made one list and called or dropped off the info to local vets. Simple really and I’ll choose from the seemingly small list. I’ll make my choose end of the month and currently live in VA. prices very depending on area I’m seeing online.
Good luck