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Pet insurance in the US
Does anybody out there in the US use pet insurance? We're thinking about
enrolling our tribe, but we want to be sure it's worth it. It will not be cheap, considering the number of cats... However, this would allow us to treat more than one catastrophic illness or treatment without killing our finances. We've looked at a couple of seemingly reputable companies, their coverage varies significantly and so does the cost. From what I was looking at, it would cost from around $100 to over $200 per month, depending on the coverage, to insure all cats. Any pointers (is getting the regular vet visit rider worth it?) or recommendations would be most appreciated. Thanks! -- Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam he Email me he |
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Victor Martinez wrote:
Does anybody out there in the US use pet insurance? We're thinking about enrolling our tribe, but we want to be sure it's worth it. It will not be cheap, considering the number of cats... However, this would allow us to treat more than one catastrophic illness or treatment without killing our finances. We've looked at a couple of seemingly reputable companies, their coverage varies significantly and so does the cost. From what I was looking at, it would cost from around $100 to over $200 per month, depending on the coverage, to insure all cats. Any pointers (is getting the regular vet visit rider worth it?) or recommendations would be most appreciated. Thanks! The first thing to do is check with your vet to make sure they accept pet insurance. Not all of them do. Persia's vet cites excessive paperwork as a reason not to. Peaches' avian vet encourages it. There are also other considerations... just like with people, the insurance folks gauge the age of your pets, past medical history, etc. Jill |
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"Victor Martinez" wrote in message news Does anybody out there in the US use pet insurance? We're thinking about enrolling our tribe, but we want to be sure it's worth it. It will not be cheap, considering the number of cats... However, this would allow us to treat more than one catastrophic illness or treatment without killing our finances. We've looked at a couple of seemingly reputable companies, their coverage varies significantly and so does the cost. From what I was looking at, it would cost from around $100 to over $200 per month, depending on the coverage, to insure all cats. Any pointers (is getting the regular vet visit rider worth it?) or recommendations would be most appreciated. Thanks! Victor M. Martinez At one time we had VPI with the vaccination rider. The rider wasn't worth it because our vet charged less than the cost of the rider. So we dropped the rider but kept the insurance. When Moxie came down with pancreas and liver problems, the insurance did cover some of our costs. They do offer group rates, which might help you some. You do have to file claims, and that is a hassle. You also have to be aware of deductibles and limits on certain conditions. We now have the catastrophic insurance for Cinder and Rosie (Moxie eventually died). Cinder costs $13.34 and Rosie costs $10.57 a month. I'm still not convinced it is worth it. I think that the suggestion to set aside a certain amount to cover those things could be a better idea. Annie |
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X-No-Archive: Yes
Annie Wxill wrote: At one time we had VPI with the vaccination rider. The rider wasn't worth it because our vet charged less than the cost of the rider. So we dropped the rider but kept the insurance. When Moxie came down with pancreas and liver problems, the insurance did cover some of our costs. They do offer group rates, which might help you some. You do have to file claims, and that is a hassle. You also have to be aware of deductibles and limits on certain conditions. We now have the catastrophic insurance for Cinder and Rosie (Moxie eventually died). Cinder costs $13.34 and Rosie costs $10.57 a month. I'm still not convinced it is worth it. I think that the suggestion to set aside a certain amount to cover those things could be a better idea. Annie My feeling is that it's not worth it but that's a good suggestion, to invest the equivalent against the unhoped-for-day. But what investment returns what our babies are worth? Norm -- "The web has got me caught. I'd rather have the blues than what I've got." via Nat King Cole |
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Annie Wxill wrote:
eventually died). Cinder costs $13.34 and Rosie costs $10.57 a month. I'm still not convinced it is worth it. I think that the suggestion to set aside a certain amount to cover those things could be a better idea. Let's do the math! Let's say we are able to put aside $150 per month on a special vet emergency fund. Let's further assume that the fund gives a return of 2% above inflation. Now, a typical catastrophic event can cost more than $3,000 USD. We would have to save for 20 months or so to save that ammount. Now, the cheapest catastrophic insurace I've found costs $10 per month per cat, so that's $70 for us. They cover up to $2500 per incident, minus a $200 deductible, so the benefit is only $2300. I guess it's like all insurance, it's not worth it, until you use it. -- Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam he Email me he |
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On 2005-06-19, Victor Martinez penned:
Let's do the math! Let's say we are able to put aside $150 per month on a special vet emergency fund. Let's further assume that the fund gives a return of 2% above inflation. Now, a typical catastrophic event can cost more than $3,000 USD. We would have to save for 20 months or so to save that ammount. Now, the cheapest catastrophic insurace I've found costs $10 per month per cat, so that's $70 for us. They cover up to $2500 per incident, minus a $200 deductible, so the benefit is only $2300. I guess it's like all insurance, it's not worth it, until you use it. The trick, though, is whether the insurance will even cover the incident, and then how much of it they will cover. For recurring incidents, I believe many only cover the first time. Pet insurance isn't government-regulated like human health insurance is, so they can pull all sorts of nasty tricks. I've decided to put away $15/month for Oscar, in the hope that she won't have an expensive problem for a long, long time. That being said, she's currently my only pet, and I have plenty of credit, so even if I didn't put away the money, I'd still be able to pay for her care; I just figure this way will be less stressful. -- monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca |
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"Victor Martinez" wrote in message news Does anybody out there in the US use pet insurance? We're thinking about enrolling our tribe, but we want to be sure it's worth it. It will not be cheap, considering the number of cats... However, this would allow us to treat more than one catastrophic illness or treatment without killing our finances. We've looked at a couple of seemingly reputable companies, their coverage varies significantly and so does the cost. From what I was looking at, it would cost from around $100 to over $200 per month, depending on the coverage, to insure all cats. Any pointers (is getting the regular vet visit rider worth it?) or recommendations would be most appreciated. Thanks! Although I'm not in the US, we have pet insurance here in the UK and to a certain extent I'm sure insurance companies are pretty much the same all over the world, i.e. they like to take your premiums but try their best to find good reasons not to pay out ;-) So here is my two cents worth, in case any of it is relevent. Vet treatment has always been expensive here. Many years ago when I had a horse, I got her insured. Treatment for horses seemed particularly expensive but I only claimed once and the cost of the premiums far outweighed the cost of the treatment. I guess I was lucky. I was once a multi-dog household. I had 11. I wondered whether to get medical insurance for them, but the monthly premium for all these proved to be quite high. I weighed up the ifs and buts. I decided to set up a bank account named "Whippets" that's what they were;-) and set up a direct debit to pay in per month one third of what the insurance company was asking. I did not have to use it for ages when most of them were young, only for the occasional stitch up when they hooked themselves up - their skin is tissue-thin. It built up over the years, their bank account, I mean. By the time they started to need it as they aged, there was quite a fair sum in there. There was enough to treat Pearl aged 13 who collapsed suddenly on a bank holiday, having been quite well. Saturday, Sundays are holidays are way more expensive. She had a ruptured spleen, had to have a body scan and, her spleen removed, and was saved. I could go on. I won't. ;-) There was always enough in the fund for whatever happened, and lots did as they all got older. I never touched the whippet money, although sometimes it would have helped me out a bit and I'm glad I didn't. KFC & BF have a similar account. They have been lucky to be fairly healthy up until now, although Kitty dented the fund last year when she was missing and found injured... They have seven hundred pounds in their account, just by transferring a third of the premium an insurance company would have asked per month. Routine exams and vaccinations are not covered by pet insurance here and the insurance company also sets an excess which the owner must pay before they kick in. For an appointment and examination for something not too serious which might need a course of antibiotics, let's say it costs 30 quid, or if you're lucky, 20. That's when you find out that your insurance company only pays bills of £31 or more. You get my drift.. Tweed |
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"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
news Does anybody out there in the US use pet insurance? We're thinking about enrolling our tribe, but we want to be sure it's worth it. It will not be cheap, considering the number of cats... However, this would allow us to treat more than one catastrophic illness or treatment without killing our finances. We've looked at a couple of seemingly reputable companies, their coverage varies significantly and so does the cost. From what I was looking at, it would cost from around $100 to over $200 per month, depending on the coverage, to insure all cats. Any pointers (is getting the regular vet visit rider worth it?) or recommendations would be most appreciated. Don't know what its like in the USA, but pet insurance here doesn't seem to be worth it. Its something like $30 a month per pet, and they'll only pay out $500 a year, total, per pet, not to mention all the hassle of meeting the insurer's requirements and going through the whole claim process. Indeed, I had a friend who had beeing paying her insurance without as much as a late payment, and then the poor doggy got ran over. The insurance said that the dog had to be put down and would only pay for the costs of being put to sleep, but after extensive surgery (~$3000) the dog made a full recovery. So I figure if you are prepared to "pay" a bank account your insurance premium, in less than two years, you've already got more than what the insurance company would pay out, its earning interest for you, not hte insurance company, and its htere for you to use as you see fit rather than having to negotiate with an insurance company. Personally, thats what I have credit cards for. YMMV, of course. Yowie |
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Yowie wrote:
be worth it. Its something like $30 a month per pet, and they'll only pay out $500 a year, total, per pet, not to mention all the hassle of meeting Yeah, it's very different here. Many don't have any limits on how much they'll pay up per year, only limits per incident, over $2,000. Personally, thats what I have credit cards for. True. -- Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam he Email me he |
#10
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On Sun, 19 Jun 2005 13:24:36 GMT, Victor Martinez
wrote: Does anybody out there in the US use pet insurance? We're thinking about enrolling our tribe, but we want to be sure it's worth it. It will not be cheap, considering the number of cats... However, this would allow us to treat more than one catastrophic illness or treatment without killing our finances. We've looked at a couple of seemingly reputable companies, their coverage varies significantly and so does the cost. From what I was looking at, it would cost from around $100 to over $200 per month, depending on the coverage, to insure all cats. Any pointers (is getting the regular vet visit rider worth it?) or recommendations would be most appreciated. Scout and Silver came with one month of free pet insurance that was supposed to cover them for any illnesses they brought home with them... we had to take both of them to the vet but we never used the insurance because it was too much hassle. After Silver had a potentially serious health problem (we thought it was an obstruction but it was just a hairball) we bought them both insurance. Theirs only costs $10 a month each and it will cover them for emergencies... it doesn't cover routine vet visits or shots but our vet's pretty cheap. We only bought it 'in case of emergency' because we can't afford a big bill. -- ~Karen aka Kajikit Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life http://www.kajikitscorner.com |
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