Your pets are important members of your family, and as family, we know you want to protect their health so they can live a long, happy life. And having pet health insurance can help with that protection. From routine wellness checks to caring for injuries, pet health insurance can aid in the costs so that an accident or unexpected treatment doesn’t strain your wallet or force you to make a heartbreaking choice due to finances.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association®, over 80 million households in the United States own a companion animal, with 38.4% of the homes having dogs as pets and 25.4% having cats. That’s a lot of fur babies! However, recent data shows only 4.41 million pets have pet health insurance. Learn more about the benefits and consider getting coverage for your pet today.
Wellness and Prevention
Usually, pet health insurance doesn’t cover preexisting conditions. So, investing in their health before an illness occurs is important. That’s where wellness coverage comes in handy at the vet’s office, offering help with services like routine checkups and dental cleanings, vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, heartworm testing and prescription medicines.
Under wellness coverage, health maintenance items such as these will typically have fixed payments instead of requiring deductibles.
Emergency Coverages
Accidents, such as ingesting a foreign object or being hit by a car, and illnesses ranging in severity from kennel cough to cancer are usually the main reasons for considering pet insurance. Not everyone has an emergency fund ready for an unexpected surgery for their pet along with the post care. Having a policy that includes accidents and illnesses can help you avoid the stressful situation of not having the necessary funds or taking on debt to treat your pet.
Choice in Plans
Most pet insurance offers options for coverages, such as only illness and accident policies or having wellness rolled in too. Usually, pet health insurance plans follow a reimbursement model. Different policies will reimburse you the care costs at a percentage, like 70%, 80% or 90%. The policy you choose that’s best for you will have its own yearly deductible and options for coverage limits.
Talk to your insurance agent about the type of coverage you want and need for your pet. Also, if you have more than one pet, discuss if there is a discount for having a policy on multiple pets or bundling with your other insurance policies. If you have a new puppy or kitten in the family, there may be an age minimum. Many pet health insurance policies may require your pet to be eight weeks or older.