Some companies offer coverage for things such as wellness exams, vaccinations, heartworm testing, heartworm preventative, flea preventatives, dental prophy, wellness blood testing, spaying or neutering, etc. Generally preventative care ought to be relatively inexpensive and something you can handle yourself financially. Many of these procedures are either elective or they can be planned for in advance. In fact, you are probably already paying for this out of pocket. Generally, insurance should be for the larger, unplanned expenses associated with accidents or illnesses. However, for some people, this may be an important consideration especially if they have been putting off recommended procedures due to costs.
If you want to purchase wellness benefits, be sure that you know exactly what is and is not covered and any restrictions on the timing of when you can have the services done and get reimbursed for them. Some plans cover spaying and neutering and some don’t. Some plans cover more vaccinations than others. Some will reimburse you for heartworm preventative and flea control products while others don’t. Some will cover annual wellness (blood and urine) testing, etc. and some don’t. Realize also that you may not need every possible wellness procedure every year. If your pet has already been spayed or neutered, then you wouldn’t need a wellness plan that covered these procedures. You may not get every vaccination that is covered every year, etc. Unlike an accident or illness that is an unplanned event of unknown expense, you probably know what wellness procedures you are likely to get every year and the usual costs of these procedures.
Here is a table that summarizes these factors:
1 Pays up to per incident maximum. Once this is used up, no more benefits are payable for that condition.
2 Pays limited amounts for some hereditary conditions. See website for list.
3 Sterling plan only.
4 Included in some of their plans. See website for details. Pays according to usual and customary fees by zip code; also subject to deductible (if hasn’t already been met) and co-pay.
5 Best plan only.
6 Pays up to maximum per category. Once this is used up, no more benefits are payable for that category.
7 Included in some of their plans - see website.
8 Only exception is hip dysplasia. Coverage for this is optional at an additional premium.
You can usually go to each company’s website and get a quote on each of their plans for your pets. The company that best suits your needs and desires may not be appropriate for someone else. For example, one person may want the most complete coverage possible including wellness care. Another person may have 3 pets they want to insure and it would stretch their budget to get the most complete coverage on all 3 pets. Always ask a company’s representative for recommendations pertaining to your particular situation. I have found that they are extremely knowledgeable and helpful and often are pet owners just like you.
Another website that you should visit actually lets you read reviews written by people who have actually bought policies from companies. If you are like me (Dr. Kenney), I hardly ever buy anything of significance without trying to look at reviews on the product I am considering to purchase.
A couple of terms you will need to be familiar with is deductible and copay. The owner is responsible for the deductible and copay before the insurance company pays any benefits. For example, if you had a policy with a $100 deductible and a 20% copay, and the invoice was $1000, you would pay $100 (deductible) + $900 x 20% = $180 (copay) or a total of $280. Assuming everything is covered, the insurance company would then reimburse you $720.
Whenever possible, try to get the highest annual and per-incident maximum that you can afford. A plan with an annual maximum and no per-incident maximum gives you the greatest flexibility. Anytime you see “per-incident,” it is simply another way the company limits benefits. Also, try and keep the copay low because unlike the deductible which is a fixed and known amount, the copay is an unknown amount because it is a percentage of the total invoice.
A couple of companies, Embrace and PetPlan, offer customizable policies where you can pick your own maximums, deductible, copay and other options. They have a premium calculator where you can see what effect your selections have on the premium. PurinaCare also allows you to select from several deductibles ranging from $100 to $1000.
Some companies pay according to whatever the veterinarian charges (the best option), while others have a benefit schedule or fee schedule that puts some limitations on what they pay for certain diagnoses or procedures and products, etc. Be sure and inquire about this also.
