How does pet insurance work?

If my vet insists you pay immediately and then claim it back?
I thought the whole point of pet insurance is that you cannot afford a huge
fee yourself. or am I missing the point?

I didn't have boyfie insured as such but I'd paid a monthly sum in for
years. He busted it and more.
but he's doing good. I had to roll him in my blanket tonight to give him
his painkiller,I doubt he will allow that tomorrow. You only fool him
once.
Tweed

On 2014-01-21 9:52 PM, Christina Websell wrote:
If my vet insists you pay immediately and then claim it back?
I thought the whole point of pet insurance is that you cannot afford a huge
fee yourself. or am I missing the point?

I didn't have boyfie insured as such but I'd paid a monthly sum in for
years. He busted it and more.
but he's doing good. I had to roll him in my blanket tonight to give him
his painkiller,I doubt he will allow that tomorrow. You only fool him
once.
Tweed

A lot of insurance policies - pet and human - require the holder to pay
the supplier or repairman or whoever and then claim the money back from
the insurance. It works because eventually you do not pay the cost
yourself (well, for some policies, the cost minus any deductable), but
it does require that you actually be able to borrow or pay the cost of
your loss first. You benefit because you do, in the end, get reimbursed
for your expenses. Your vet or car repair perso or dentist benefits
because they get paid immediately, and their money isn't tied up in
insurance company bureaucracy. I don't suppose the insurance company
cares - some do it one way, some the other. My dentist and my optician
used to use the pay first, collect from the insurance yourself method.
When the dentist's office switched to them claiming from the insurance
company directly, and me paying any balance, it was at first more
trouble than it was worth, because my insurance situation is slightly
unusual, and the dentist's office staff sent the wrong forms to the
wrong insurance company more than once. They've got it all straightened
out now, though.

I don't actually have pet insurance myself. Last time I looked into it,
the premiums were so high that I thought I was better off just tucking a
little bit of money regularly into a cats' savings account. It's worked
so far. The only time I sudddenly needed a lot of money for vet care for
one of my RB cats, I hadn't set up those savings, but I was able to
cover the cost myself anyway.

--
Cheryl

"Cheryl" wrote in message ...

I don't actually have pet insurance myself. Last time I looked into it,
the premiums were so high that I thought I was better off just tucking a
little bit of money regularly into a cats' savings account. It's worked
so far. The only time I sudddenly needed a lot of money for vet care for
one of my RB cats, I hadn't set up those savings, but I was able to
cover the cost myself anyway.

--
Cheryl

~~~~~~~
That's how I do it. I "self-insure" by putting a small amount each month
into a savings account for my cats. I do not use it for routine care; I
only use it for large or emergency services. For example, Holly was in the
hospital for a week and was on IV the whole time. Then she had a lot of
follow-up care and testing. That is the first time I dipped into my cats'
savings account.

MaryL

"MaryL" wrote in message
...


"Cheryl" wrote in message ...

I don't actually have pet insurance myself. Last time I looked into it,
the premiums were so high that I thought I was better off just tucking a
little bit of money regularly into a cats' savings account. It's worked
so far. The only time I sudddenly needed a lot of money for vet care for
one of my RB cats, I hadn't set up those savings, but I was able to
cover the cost myself anyway.

--
Cheryl

And that what I did, but his accident has bust his account. I never
expected this. I was sure that his savings would cover any emergency. But
835 was a bit too much for this.
Anyway, he is paid for and doing well.

I wonder what they would do if I lied about affording his treatment when I
got there to save him and couldn't pay
and yes I would have lied to save him at that point.

On 1/23/2014 1:39 PM, Christina Websell wrote:
"MaryL" wrote in message
...


"Cheryl" wrote in message ...

I don't actually have pet insurance myself. Last time I looked into it,
the premiums were so high that I thought I was better off just tucking a
little bit of money regularly into a cats' savings account. It's worked
so far. The only time I sudddenly needed a lot of money for vet care for
one of my RB cats, I hadn't set up those savings, but I was able to
cover the cost myself anyway.

--
Cheryl

And that what I did, but his accident has bust his account. I never
expected this. I was sure that his savings would cover any emergency. But
835 was a bit too much for this.
Anyway, he is paid for and doing well.

I wonder what they would do if I lied about affording his treatment when I
got there to save him and couldn't pay
and yes I would have lied to save him at that point.



I'd like to think they would have understood and extended you some
credit for his care. I had to work out payment arrangements in the past
for my little dog, Sampson. They're usually pretty good about things
like that as long as you pay a bit towards the bill on a regular basis.
Of course it depends on the vet/clinic.

Jill

On 1/21/2014 8:22 PM, Christina Websell wrote:
If my vet insists you pay immediately and then claim it back?
I thought the whole point of pet insurance is that you cannot afford a huge
fee yourself. or am I missing the point?

I didn't have boyfie insured as such but I'd paid a monthly sum in for
years. He busted it and more.
but he's doing good. I had to roll him in my blanket tonight to give him
his painkiller,I doubt he will allow that tomorrow. You only fool him
once.
Tweed


I checked into pet insurance a decade ago simply because I was curious.
As with any (health) insurance, usually there is a deductible you have
to pay first. As to whether you pay the vet up front and then file a
claim to be reimbursed depends on how the policy is written. And
whether or not the vet will accept and file claims against pet
insurance. In the case of a vet/clinic that won't accept it (filing
claims is a PITA and requires extra staff and effort), if you can get a
detailed statement of services rendered, you file the claim yourself.
You get reimbursed for what is *covered* under the policy.

The premiums are outrageous. What is covered? The exclusions are
numerous. Slight exaggeration here, but basically if your cat ever
sneezed forget about coverage for any respiratory ailment.

You may recall I paid a lot of money for Persia to have radioactive
isotope therapy for hyperthyroidism. She was allergic to the thyroid
medication. I didn't have pet insurance. Chances are, if I did have a
policy on her, they'd probably have denied the claim. (1) based on her
age, (2) the fact that some actuary said cats around the age of 12-13
are likely to have thyroid problems.

Like you, I keep some money set aside for things like this. As with
Boyfie, I've always done the best I can for Persia. As I did for my
little mutt dog, Sampson (RB 1999).

Jill

I checked into pet insurance a decade ago simply because I was
curious.

Our local rugby team used to have a signboard over their ground
saying their sponsor was a pet insurance firm. That told me all
I needed to know about how much profit they were making.

The most expensive thing we've had with our cats was surgery for
Courtney's broken hip - probably about the same as what Tweed's
incurred, and we're much less well off. Marion sometimes called
her "Holiday" after that because it meant no holiday that year.

Using a credit card and an overdraft instead of pet insurance
must have worked out a lot cheaper, though we never calculated
the exact figures.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland
mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin

"Jack Campin" wrote in message
...
I checked into pet insurance a decade ago simply because I was
curious.

Our local rugby team used to have a signboard over their ground
saying their sponsor was a pet insurance firm. That told me all
I needed to know about how much profit they were making.

The most expensive thing we've had with our cats was surgery for
Courtney's broken hip - probably about the same as what Tweed's
incurred, and we're much less well off. Marion sometimes called
her "Holiday" after that because it meant no holiday that year.

Using a credit card and an overdraft instead of pet insurance
must have worked out a lot cheaper, though we never calculated
the exact figures.

I may be gullible, but I bought into pet insurance when I adopted
Pit2nya. I recall that it was one of the conditions that the Rescue
Group set forward. It helped once with dental work. I had to pay
up front and send the forms in.
If she ever got diabetes or something else that was serious it would
pay for the years I have 'donated' payments, rather than a great deal
at one time.

Sylvia M

"Sylvia M" wrote in message
...

"Jack Campin" wrote in message
...
I checked into pet insurance a decade ago simply because I was
curious.

Our local rugby team used to have a signboard over their ground
saying their sponsor was a pet insurance firm. That told me all
I needed to know about how much profit they were making.

The most expensive thing we've had with our cats was surgery for
Courtney's broken hip - probably about the same as what Tweed's
incurred, and we're much less well off. Marion sometimes called
her "Holiday" after that because it meant no holiday that year.

Using a credit card and an overdraft instead of pet insurance
must have worked out a lot cheaper, though we never calculated
the exact figures.

I may be gullible, but I bought into pet insurance when I adopted
Pit2nya. I recall that it was one of the conditions that the Rescue
Group set forward. It helped once with dental work. I had to pay
up front and send the forms in.
If she ever got diabetes or something else that was serious it would
pay for the years I have 'donated' payments, rather than a great deal
at one time.

Sylvia M


I always thought that people got pet insurance because they knew they
couldn't afford a huge bill up front. I was very lucky to find the money to
get Boyfie home.
I wonder what would have happened to him if I'd said yes and it was no. I
doubt they would have put him down after saving him. So always say yes to
the vet, you will find the money somehow.
Tweed

So glad to hear Boyfie is home and on the mend

I had to pay the specialist vet then claim it back when Smudgie was in there
being diagnosed with Epilepsy. I could have waited a further 2 days on from
when she was admitted so vet could set up the payment directly with her
insurer. I didn't want to wait, hence agreed to pay up and then claim it
back.

Sharon

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
If my vet insists you pay immediately and then claim it back?
I thought the whole point of pet insurance is that you cannot afford a
huge fee yourself. or am I missing the point?

I didn't have boyfie insured as such but I'd paid a monthly sum in for
years. He busted it and more.
but he's doing good. I had to roll him in my blanket tonight to give him
his painkiller,I doubt he will allow that tomorrow. You only fool him
once.
Tweed