Pet insurance helps you pay the veterinary costs when your furry best friend becomes ill or has an emergency. Numerous plans offer routine Health and Wellness coverage, which helps you take care of vaccination costs, spaying and neutering, dental, annual exams, and more.
Today because of the rising costs of veterinary treatment, it only makes sense to be fully prepared in an unexpected veterinary emergency.
If you’re like us, our pets are part of the family and deserve the best veterinary care when needed, so purchasing a pet insurance plan that will benefit your pet only makes sense. This blog will examine pet insurance plans and how you can best shop for pet insurance!
We’ve looked at reimbursement policies, coverage, and more to help you make a more informed decision about pet insurance. So here’s the take on pet insurance.
The Guide to Understanding Pet Insurance Plans
You’ve probably been baffled as to which plan you should choose, especially if you have multiple pets. And you’ve probably also wondered whether you could afford pet health insurance and if the costs are worth it.
The good news is that if you’ve recently purchased the wrong pet insurance policy that does not cover what you need, you usually have 30 days to change it.
But first things first! Let’s look at the most important terms when eyeing out that new pet insurance policy for your furry best friend.
Pet Insurance Terms
- Accident – Unintended or unexpected event that results in injury.
- Chronic condition – Lifetime chronic condition that includes an illness or injury.
- Claim – Reimbursement request.
- Copay – Small sum of money that you need to pay during a veterinary visit.
- Deductible – The sum that must be paid each year before veterinary services are rendered.
- Exclusions – Conditions or care that the policy does not cover.
- Maximum lifetime payout – Maximum amount of money that the insurance company will reimburse you during your pup’s lifetime.
- Maximum payout per incident – Maximum amount that is paid out per injury or illness.
- Maximum payout per year – Maximum amount that is paid out on an annual basis.
- Medically necessary – Anything that’s needed relating to the illness or injury.
- Premium – Annual or monthly insurance payment.
- Pre-existing conditions – One of the most important things to consider when choosing a pet insurance company.
- Preventative care – Worming, vaccinations, nail trimming, and so forth.
- Waiting period – Waiting time before insurance is activated.
How Does Pet Insurance Work?
Pet insurance is similar to car or health insurance and is insurance that should cover some or all of your veterinary costs. If you currently have a cat or dog living at home with you, you’ve undoubtedly discovered that veterinary costs might be expensive sometimes.
Yet, taking out a comprehensive pet insurance plan can help soften the financial challenges that come with unexpected injuries or illnesses. These costs can be a financial strain, especially if it’s for a long time, and may also lead to painful decisions that a pet owner may regret later on.
Taking out a comprehensive pet insurance plan can save you lots of money in the long run. A good pet insurance policy should give you the option of covering major medical or surgical procedures and preventative health care. Chronic conditions persist over a long period of time, many with no cure, but can be treated with medicine. These conditions may include:
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- Hypothyroidism
- Cancer
- Pain (also a chronic condition)
- Congestive heart failure
- Kidney failure
- Eye failure
- Hearing loss
- Cognitive dysfunction Syndrome
Pet insurance is similar to car or property insurance. Rather than paying your entire or partial veterinary bill ahead of time, pet insurance will allow for reimbursement after you pay your bill. Pet insurance policies in the U.S. tend to pay on a schedule or after you’ve paid your bill. This is referred to as a deductible.
Who Benefits and Why?
There are numerous times in a dog or cat’s life when he is most vulnerable and requires special veterinary care. Think about pregnant pets, pups, geriatric dogs, and those that may be genetically prone to certain health conditions.
If your pup is a breed that fits into this category, pet insurance allows you to reduce illness incidence by taking a proactive stance with preventative veterinary care.
Living with a pet entails maintenance of good health and care also when there is an emergency. All pets need dental hygiene, parasite preventative care, medication, supplements, and holistic care.
The first and most important decision you will make as a pet parent is establishing a good healthcare regimen for your pet. This will include pet insurance.
Comparing Popular Pet Insurance & Wellness Plans
Pet insurance costs will differ among pet insurance companies, just like a dog insurance plan will differ from a cat insurance plan. Comprehensive coverage or routine coverage includes vaccinations, routine or elective situations, and neutering or spaying procedures. Some companies may place more restrictions than others.
Some plans will cover new injuries and illnesses, genetic conditions, emergency conditions, and more with no caps on payouts. Pet insurance plans are all about protecting your pet 365 days a year.
What you need to do when choosing a pet insurance plan is to check whether hereditary and congenital conditions are covered. Because all pups are susceptible to both, you should check to see if they’re covered for the lifetime of their policy.
Understanding the Terms
To find a pet insurance plan geared toward your pup’s needs, visit the company’s website and read the fine print. Check to see if your pup is covered for alternative therapies and how long the waiting period is for accidents and illnesses.
Hip dysplasia coverage and waiting periods should also be checked out. You should also find out more about how insurance claims are processed, mobile apps that you can use for claim processing, and how soon claims take to process. All-in-all here’s the take with pet insurance:
- Understand the pre-authorization process for expensive treatments
- Find out more about claim payout times.
- Compare complete coverage plans with annual payout limits.
- Understand that pet insurance companies have multiple plan options like accident-only coverage, preventative care add-ons, illness-only coverage, etc. See what your furry best friend needs.
- Can you visit any U.S. licensed veterinarians? What about during travel?
- Can you insure multiple pets under one plan?
- Are there exclusions on pre-existing conditions?
- Is dental coverage is included?
- Are there lifetime limits?
- Are there age or breed restrictions?
- How much of the costs are reimbursed?
- Is there a money-back guarantee?
How to Shop for Pet Insurance?
As with any insurance policy, you’ll need to delve into the fine print and possibly call the company to find out more about their plans and discuss which ones are best for your furry best friend. You may have a copay with some pet insurance companies each time you see a veterinarian.
How Does Pet Insurance Deductible Work?
Every pet insurance company will have a specific list of services that you can claim and how much you can claim. You’ll also need to check out the annual deductibles, which is an agreed amount that must be paid each year before you can claim any veterinary services. Pet insurance costs will vary between companies. Dog and cat pet insurance may differ in rates.
How Much Does Pet Insurance Cost for a Dog Per Month?
When it comes to health, pets are like people, with minimal health problems along the way; others are prone to every illness or injury. You’ll need to look at premiums, which are the monthly or yearly payments needed for your pet insurance policy.
It’s also good to look at the maximum yearly payout that your insurance company will reimburse you for annually and then at the yearly payments needed.
On average, pet insurance covers around $45 to $55 monthly for pups and around $30 for cats. Although there are much cheaper plans, you should opt for a mid-tier plan with good coverage between $45 and $55. Keep in mind that higher costs are linked to pets that are more at risk for health issues. The cost will vary according to the location, age, and breed of your pet.
Understanding Pet Insurance Plans From Odie
With Odie Pet Insurance, you can create a pet insurance plan that works for your budget and your pet. Mixing and matching our different coverage offerings allows you to design the perfect plan to cover unexpected vet bills and other health needs for your pet. With our convenient “Get a Quote” feature, you can choose the right plan without leaving the house.
Unlike other pet insurance providers that like to pull your coverage when you need it most, or leave you partially uncovered for the things you need most, we’ll cover any dog or cat of any breed or age — all from our simple platform. With comprehensive and quality coverage, you’re free to customize your pet’s policy until it works for you, and we’d never stick you with some one-size-fits-all coverage that we all know doesn’t really fit anyone’s needs.
Making Sense of Pet Insurance From Odie
With Odie, you don’t have to spend time trying to understand pet insurance plans. Our plans clearly show you what you’ll be getting up front before you put your hard-earned money down so that you can make the right decision when it comes to cost and coverage. We’ll show you what you’re responsible for at the vet or with certain medication needs, as well as clearly defining your deductible and how much you’ll be reimbursed after any visit.
Odie also allows you to take your pet’s coverage to the next level by picking one of three base plans and adding on the coverage you need. Simply choose your annual deductible and reimbursement percentage (70%, 80% or 90%) to land on a monthly payment that works for your budget. If you want more coverage, check out our optional supplemental benefits.
Supplemental coverage can help you pay for those regular vet visits and exams that you never want to skip, as well as prescription meds that your pet may need after an illness or accident (over 950 medications). It can even help cover rehabilitation following a major injury, or holistic medicine such as acupuncture and chiropractic care so that you can keep your pet happy and mobile.
The Difference Between Routine and Emergency Care
Most pet insurance plans understandably only cover emergencies. Your pet has an accident or something’s wrong and you take them into the vet to see what they need. But with routine care coverage from Odie, you can get reimbursed just for looking out for your pet’s health.
With Odie, you can get one plan that covers all your pet’s preventative care and wellness needs, such as spaying and neutering, teeth cleaning, rabies vaccinations, flea or tick prevention, heartworm prevention, vaccinations, general wellness exams, heartworm tests, parasite exams, microchipping, urinalysis and deworming.
That can help you save hundreds each year just for keeping up with your pet’s health. It’s the same kind of preventative care you’d expect for your own health insurance, so why not extend that level of care to your beloved pet? Instead of skipping that next vet visit because your pet seems fine, you can stay on top of your pet’s health with routine pet coverage from Odie. That’ll keep your pet from getting sick and ahead of any diseases that could sideline them from their running, jumping and overall rambunctious life.
The best part is that you can use your Odie routine care plan right away. No waiting for coverage to kick in so that you can take your furry one to the vet, and we won’t even charge you an annual deductible. That means keeping your pet insurance cost low even while seeing the same vet you’ve used for years. Go Odie.
Final Thoughts
As pet parents, we have a responsibility to help ensure the wellbeing of our furry best friends. Besides, veterinary costs have soared, and cancer remains one of the leading causes of death
Today alternative medicine combined with conventional veterinary medicine gives your pet the best of both worlds. Long term chronic health issues do well with holistic veterinary approaches. This may include chiropractic care, homeopathy, nutritional medicine, acupuncture, and more.
By purchasing pet health insurance, you’ll have a viable option of covering veterinary care costs. Opt for a pet health insurance policy that covers major medical or surgical procedures, as well as preventative care.
