brentd49 Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I'm getting a puppy in a couple weeks and would like to know your thoughts on insurance. What do you have? If you don't have insurance for your pet, why did you decide insurance wasn't worth it? I've heard of Banfield, which sounds pretty good if you can find a banfield vet near you. I've heard it covers all regular treatment (vaccines, etc.) + 10% off everything else for like $220 or so a year. http://www.banfield.net/optimum-wellness-plans-puppies Then there is VPI which seems to be a well known one, but their plans are more expensive. Ideally, I'd like something to cover regular vaccines etc. plus something for high-priced emergencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I don't find the comprehensive plans helpful, mainly due to cost and hassle related to having to file for every little thing lol. I do however have a plan for both Z and Kes that covers accidents/injury/illness up to $8000/yr. Z's policy is $120/yr and Kes' is $135 (Kes is a bigger dog, hence more $$). Each dog has a $250 deductible and the plan pays 90% after that is reach (70% for specialists). I've heard bad things about banfield (crappy vets, poor service, overcharging) and VPI (old references for payout limits on procedures, no coverage for congenital stuff). My plans are through PetPlan and include congenital conditions and do not consider newly developed conditions pre-existing after the first year like many plans. As long as you keep the premium current they will still cover expenses in the following years assuming the pet was diagnosed while under coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandi Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I got Wiley Microchipped and you can get insurance through Home again for only 15.00/yr if you use ANY microchip. Just go to the home again website and search around for it. All you have to do is enter the microchip number, and hit enroll. You will get a little pet "license" in the mail, have an entire online profile on your dog. You get accident coverage, hospital stays, surgery up to 5,000.00 (I think thats how much), covers x-rays etc... Look into it. I was really surprised at all the stuff I got for 15.00 /year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 We did not purchase pet insurance when we first got our pup. My DH read up in "Consumer Reports" and they said "better to invest in a T-bill". Of course, that presupposes that problems mainly occur when a pet is older. My DH also had heard that many of the more expensive conditions are excluded. It turns out that this depends on your carrier and on what type of policy you purchase. Our experience has not been one of "problem-free puppyhood"; our poor pup has run up some pretty impressive medical bills in his first eight months. Had I to do it over again (hindsight is always 20:20, isn't it?), I'd definitely buy pet insurance and keep it for at least the first couple of years, and reassess once the pup was to the point where (for example) expensive orthopedic issues like OCD and CHD (both defined by most insurance plans as "congenital") tend to surface. Depending on what you do with your dog (just a pet to accompany you on walks? herding? dog sports?), it may end up with a greater or lesser chance of incurring injuries that are expensive to repair. But I'd carefully research the carrier and the policy, especially including customer ratings. Trupanion and Embrace were the two carriers that were recommended highly to us at our orthopedic vet. I had also followed with great interest the readers' comments to the "Puppy Diaries" article in the NY Times on Oct. 3 that related to the topic of whether or not to purchase pet insurance: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/garden/05puppy.html?_r=1 (see readers "comments" for an extensive description of different experiences). VPI, which I understand is one of the biggest carriers, seemed to earn an awful lot of criticism. One of the readers of this NY Times article provided a link to a website that compares pet insurance, along with consumer ratings and costs of various plans: http://www.petinsurancereview.com/ . We found their summaries of coverage - as well as consumer reviews - very helpful. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I got Wiley Microchipped and you can get insurance through Home again for only 15.00/yr if you use ANY microchip. Just go to the home again website and search around for it. All you have to do is enter the microchip number, and hit enroll. You will get a little pet "license" in the mail, have an entire online profile on your dog. You get accident coverage, hospital stays, surgery up to 5,000.00 (I think thats how much), covers x-rays etc... Look into it. I was really surprised at all the stuff I got for 15.00 /year! You might want to double check this - I'm pretty sure this only covers accidents that happen if you pet should become lost (ie, it would cover injuries to a lost dog that got hit by a car) To the OP, it doesn't make sense to me to have an insurance program to cover routine costs - this sort of thing can easily be budgeted for. A plan like the one Erin explained sounds like much more the way to go if you want insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthfieldNick Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Instead of pet insurance, I've always had a "vet bill" savings account. After spending a hefty chunk of my summer salary (seasonal job) on Lu's vet bills, then losing her anyway, I wish I had the insurance. I would have spent less on the insurance than I did on vet bills, and I'd still have money in that account. I'm thinking of getting a plan for Nick (and any future additions) like Erin has. It's easy enough to pay for routine stuff, which honestly isn't that much, but it's the triple-0 bills that hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 I do not have insurance at this time, but am considering getting it for my 2.5 year old and will definately purchase a plan if/when we ever get a puppy. I agree w/ the others that getting a plan to cover basic costs seems like a waste. What I really like about Trupanion is that the are their own insurance company, so you don't run the risk of having premium increases if a parent company raises their costs. The other great thing is that your premium is based on the age of the dog at enrollement, breed of dog and your zip code; and your premiums will never go up b/c of your dogs age or claims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 We have petcare insurance on all of our 3 at the moment. I have had it on Ceana since before we got Poke. We have money set aside for routine and small emergency bills, but if something large happened I know money would not be an object even if it put me in the poor house. For example, when Ceana and Poke decided to find, play with and eat a small bottle of rimadyl the vet bill was $5500.00 This happend 45 days before we were closing on our house. (Underwriters don't like seeing that much debt pop out of no where right before closing.) The insurance made things more affordable, yet still painful, and we didn't jeapordize the deal because of it. We eventually hope not to have insurance at all, and just a very large savings account. Unfortunetly we just are not at that point in our financial lives yet. ETA: Petcare is the only company I found that covers "genetic & hereditary," conditions. Their plans were fair and well thought out. I am licensed in health insurance and I wish that companies that insured people were that straight forward. Their claims department has always been incredibly prompt and a delight to deal with. All your vet has to do is let them know what they did and why, you send them the reciept and within 2 weeks you have a check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 I got Wiley Microchipped and you can get insurance through Home again for only 15.00/yr if you use ANY microchip. Just go to the home again website and search around for it. All you have to do is enter the microchip number, and hit enroll. You will get a little pet "license" in the mail, have an entire online profile on your dog. You get accident coverage, hospital stays, surgery up to 5,000.00 (I think thats how much), covers x-rays etc... Look into it. I was really surprised at all the stuff I got for 15.00 /year! It's all true - and the first year was free for me when I registered. There's a $50.00 deductible - but when was the last time you got out the door at the vet's for $50.00? Since this is my first year and (Thank doG I've had no reason to test it) I can't report on their performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCkris Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Trupanion seems to be good. they do not cover costs of annual visits or wellness care but really that only adds up to a few hundred a year. what i think is really important with dog insurance is coverage for the unexpected. that is what is expensive. Trupanion to my understanding pays 100% of any medical issues that arise suddenly but will not cover wellness care. so saving up for the annual visits should be easy, but if you end up with a sudden $2000 bill that may be a different story. VPI is ok. you can probably expect a return of 30% to 60% of your vet bill. the aspca has insurance too that costs more but will reimburse you more than VPI. so i think what ever suits your financial worries (annual vet bills vs emergency vet bills) will be best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Trupanion seems to be good. they do not cover costs of annual visits or wellness care but really that only adds up to a few hundred a year. what i think is really important with dog insurance is coverage for the unexpected. that is what is expensive. Trupanion to my understanding pays 100% of any medical issues that arise suddenly but will not cover wellness care. so saving up for the annual visits should be easy, but if you end up with a sudden $2000 bill that may be a different story. Trupanion pays 90% less the exam fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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