My little guy is nearing seven or eight and I am thinking
of getting health insurance for him. Any ideas on the best
plans and companies?



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A. Brain


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"A. Brain" said in rec.pets.dogs.health:

Any ideas on the best plans and companies?

In which country do you live?

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

"Rocky" wrote in message
...
"A. Brain" said in rec.pets.dogs.health:

Any ideas on the best plans and companies?

In which country do you live?

Oops, sorry. I live in the U.S.

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A. Brain


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"A. Brain" said in rec.pets.dogs.health:

In which country do you live?

Oops, sorry. I live in the U.S.

I can't help you, then, but one thing to watch out for is "pre-
existing conditions." Some insurance plans include this to mean
conditions which developed before the next renewal; for example,
a cardio problem which develops while under the plan, is paid
for by the plan, but is deemed pre-existing when you go to
renew.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

In the US there are a few pet health insurance companies, you want to look
into each of them to see which one will work best for you.

Some of the companies change underwriters often so you will find that
policies and coverage change with the underwriters.

Some companies will not cover any hereditary issues.

Some companies will not cover alternative medicine options.

Some will have reimbursement limitations based on 'customary' charges.

Here are some links .. there may be others ..

http://www.petcareinsurance.com/index.asp

http://www.petinsurance.com

http://www.petshealthplan.com/index.asp

Get rate quotes from each of the plans and discuss coverage with the
customer service department.

I have VPI and am happy with the coverage so far.

Teresa, Patriot and Romeo


"A. Brain" wrote in message
...
My little guy is nearing seven or eight and I am thinking
of getting health insurance for him. Any ideas on the best
plans and companies?



--
A. Brain


Remove NOSPAM for email.

"Teresa Dominguez" composed these thoughts and
posted them :

In the US there are a few pet health insurance companies, you want to
look into each of them to see which one will work best for you.

Some of the companies change underwriters often so you will find that
policies and coverage change with the underwriters.

Some companies will not cover any hereditary issues.

Some companies will not cover alternative medicine options.

Some will have reimbursement limitations based on 'customary' charges.

Here are some links .. there may be others ..

http://www.petcareinsurance.com/index.asp

http://www.petinsurance.com

http://www.petshealthplan.com/index.asp

Get rate quotes from each of the plans and discuss coverage with the
customer service department.

I have VPI and am happy with the coverage so far.

Teresa, Patriot and Romeo


"A. Brain" wrote in message
...
My little guy is nearing seven or eight and I am thinking
of getting health insurance for him. Any ideas on the best
plans and companies?


Interesting, I had VPI and paid for it for ten years. I never made a
single claim, waiting to use it, in the inevitability that the "big" one
came.
When my dog reached ten, I renewed my policy. I recieved the cancelled
check on my bank statements.Before the date still valid on the old
policy, my dog got ill. It appeared it was going to get serious. I
decided, ok, this is going to get expensive very fast, and decided to
make my claim for coverage.

They paid $38 and sent a refund check on the renewed policy, claiming my
dog was now cancelled because he now had a pre-existing condition (prior
to the renewal) (all of one week) I paid in in this dog for TEN YEARS,
and they refunded only $38.
They were not there for me when I needed them.

Most pet insurance policies have the same policy.
I now keep a credit card with a credit limit JUST for pet emergencies.
And I pay my family pet vet $100 a month in advance , Every month, just
in case we encounter an emergency. This way the money is there if needed,
and I know I'm not getting screwed by a pet insurance company.

diddy composed these thoughts and posted them
:

"Teresa Dominguez" composed these thoughts and
posted them :

In the US there are a few pet health insurance companies, you want to
look into each of them to see which one will work best for you.

Some of the companies change underwriters often so you will find that
policies and coverage change with the underwriters.

Some companies will not cover any hereditary issues.

Some companies will not cover alternative medicine options.

Some will have reimbursement limitations based on 'customary'
charges.

Here are some links .. there may be others ..

http://www.petcareinsurance.com/index.asp

http://www.petinsurance.com

http://www.petshealthplan.com/index.asp

Get rate quotes from each of the plans and discuss coverage with the
customer service department.

I have VPI and am happy with the coverage so far.

Teresa, Patriot and Romeo


"A. Brain" wrote in message
...
My little guy is nearing seven or eight and I am thinking
of getting health insurance for him. Any ideas on the best
plans and companies?


Interesting, I had VPI and paid for it for ten years. I never made a
single claim, waiting to use it, in the inevitability that the "big"
one came.
When my dog reached ten, I renewed my policy. I recieved the
cancelled check on my bank statements.Before the date still valid on
the old policy, my dog got ill. It appeared it was going to get
serious. I decided, ok, this is going to get expensive very fast, and
decided to make my claim for coverage.

They paid $38 and sent a refund check on the renewed policy, claiming
my dog was now cancelled because he now had a pre-existing condition
(prior to the renewal) (all of one week) I paid in in this dog for TEN
YEARS, and they refunded only $38.
They were not there for me when I needed them.

Most pet insurance policies have the same policy.
I now keep a credit card with a credit limit JUST for pet emergencies.
And I pay my family pet vet $100 a month in advance , Every month,
just in case we encounter an emergency. This way the money is there if
needed, and I know I'm not getting screwed by a pet insurance company.


Another trick to save money, Once you have a balance at the vets office.
Don't use it all up on prelim testing if it looks as if it's going to get
expensive. Ask directly for a specialist consult. If it's serious enough
that you are going to need to see a specialist, the specialist will NOT
accept your vets preliminary findings. He will do all the diagnostics he
needs and wants in his office. So to save redundancy of the same tests
(even if done THAT day in the home office) just go ahead and have them
done at the specialists. Specialists tests, I've found, tend to be
cheaper than what your veterinarian charges anyway.
If you are looking at a condition that is going to require a specialist
anyway, get there as quickly as possible and avoid the redundant home
diagnostics

Another trick to save money, Once you have a balance at the vets office.
Don't use it all up on prelim testing if it looks as if it's going to get
expensive. Ask directly for a specialist consult. If it's serious enough
that you are going to need to see a specialist, the specialist will NOT
accept your vets preliminary findings. He will do all the diagnostics he
needs and wants in his office.

It must be a regional thing. The referring hospital we send folks to with
the boarded specialists, accept all of our tests. We send x-rays and labs
back and forth all the time and the invoices we see from them don't show
redundant tests. As for cost, I have yet to see where their tests *aren't*
twice the price of ours. Again, may be regional.

The OP also needs to check with their vet to see if they accept insurance.
Some clients don't mind paying up front, then getting reimbursed by
insurance companies. Others do. FTR, we only have 2 clients with insurance
and when it comes time to bill, it's always a major hassle for us and we
lose money. Literally.

As I said .. I am happy with the coverage so far ..

some people have experienced issues with VPI and the other insurances
available .. concerning the amount paid.

if you have the ability to put a specific dollar amout away that is
certainly a great option and many do just that .. having an available Credit
card is another wonderful option.

one nevers knows what the followup care costs may be for the various issues
and IF the insurance will cover it .. or how much the insurance will cover
... I have found that to get the best chance at being reimbursed you need a
definitive diagnosis so that the claim can be 'classified' to be paid..
sometimes that takes a very creative vet .

With the claim submissions so far I have been reimbursed about 80% which for
me seems pretty good .. I have just submitted a big one .. for cruciate
surgery for one of my boys .. I expect to hear back on that one in a few
weeks.

I don't know very many vets that would accept the 'insurance' settlement ..
most that I have worked with .. require payment in full at time of service
... one or two might work out a payment plan if need be.

as for using specialists .. around here the specialist will accept the test
results from the regular vet, but may need to run additional specialized
tests.

The bigger issue that I see for the OP is that the premium for a first time
insured older animal might be quite high.

Regards,

Teresa





"diddy" wrote in message
. ..
"Teresa Dominguez" composed these thoughts and
posted them :
Get rate quotes from each of the plans and discuss coverage with the
customer service department.

I have VPI and am happy with the coverage so far.

....
....

Interesting, I had VPI and paid for it for ten years. I never made a
single claim, waiting to use it, in the inevitability that the "big" one
came.
When my dog reached ten, I renewed my policy. I recieved the cancelled
check on my bank statements.Before the date still valid on the old
policy, my dog got ill. It appeared it was going to get serious. I
decided, ok, this is going to get expensive very fast, and decided to
make my claim for coverage.

They paid $38 and sent a refund check on the renewed policy, claiming my
dog was now cancelled because he now had a pre-existing condition (prior
to the renewal) (all of one week) I paid in in this dog for TEN YEARS,
and they refunded only $38.
They were not there for me when I needed them.

Most pet insurance policies have the same policy.
I now keep a credit card with a credit limit JUST for pet emergencies.
And I pay my family pet vet $100 a month in advance , Every month, just
in case we encounter an emergency. This way the money is there if needed,
and I know I'm not getting screwed by a pet insurance company.