Your Pet Insurance Guide

Trupanion Offers No-Limits Policies

Trupanion recently removed the $20,000 lifetime limit on their policies. There is also no per-incident or annual limit. This makes them unique among pet insurance companies. The other unique thing about Trupanion is that the premiums don't increase as your pet ages. Premiums may increase due to inflation over the years.

Pet Insurance Coverage For Prescription Diets

This is a topic that not many people think about. While it isn't a big factor in the grand scheme of things, some companies do provide some coverage for these diets. These diets are usually more expensive than your pet's usual diet.

What is a prescription diet? It is a diet usually available only from your veterinarian for a specific medical condition. There are several companies that manufacture prescription diets like Hills, Iams, Purina, and Royal Canin. Examples of these diets are K/D for kidney failure, S/D and S/O for dissolution of struvite stones, H/D for heart failure, etc. Studies have shown that some of these diets prolong a pet's life while also providing a better quality of life.

The following companies offer no coverage for these diets:

• Purina
• ASPCA/Petshealth
• Pet's Best
• VPI
• HealthyPaws

The reasoning for not covering the diets is that if your MD recommended a low salt diet or low fat diet, you would alter what you eat, but your health insurance policy wouldn't pay for it.

The following companies offer at least some coverage of these diets up to the per-incident, category, or annual maximums for the policy:

• PetFirst - standard plans don't cover prescription diets, but an optional rider can be added for $5 per month to cover these diets. This will cover 25% of the cost of a prescription food up to $250 annually.
• 24 PetWatch - covers 25% of the costs of prescription diets up to 6 months.
• Embrace - doesn't currently cover prescription diets, but will be adding it to their wellness program sometime this year. Details aren't available yet.
• PetPlan - covers any food that is prescribed for the dissolution of kidney/bladder stones for up to 6 months. Other prescription diets aren't covered.
• Trupanion - provides probably the broadest coverage. They will cover foods prescribed for chronic conditions e.g. kidney failure, heart failure, diabetes, allergies, etc. up to 25% of the cost of the food. Diets for weight loss aren't covered. They cover diets to dissolve stones while the patient is symptomatic, but they don't cover a maintenance diet after the stones are dissolved. The decision to provide long-term coverage for prescription diets is decided on a case by case basis depending on the condition being treated (whether it has resolved or is on-going) and in consultation with the veterinarian recommending the diet. 

Gardening With Your Dog's Safety In Mind

Many Americans like to garden.  Dr. Jules Benson makes pet owners who also like to garden aware of potential hazards to their pets.

2010 VPI Hambone Award

Last year, I encouraged readers to vote for the pet of their choice to receive the annual VPI Hambone Award. I must say that the pet I voted for won last years award. Each month, a pet is nominated by employees of VPI -- selected from the thousands of claims that they receive. It is usually a pet that found itself in an unusual and sometime humorous situation requiring a visit to the veterinarian for treatment. For example, the award is named after a dog that was trapped inside the refrigerator and ate a ham leaving just the hambone.

The time for voting on this year's award is August, but you can get a head start reading about the nominees. Enjoy!

Buy Pet Insurance Early

I recently posted about this subject. Yesterday, I was reading a forum post from a pet owner that had bought pet insurance and when she filed her first claim, the company requested her pet's medical records. After reviewing the medical record, the company denied the claim stating it was for a pre-existing condition. Needless to say, the pet owner wasn't very happy.

Embrace pet insurance has a Medical History Review that can give pet owners peace of mind that there won't be any surprises pertaining to pre-existing conditions when you file a claim. Other companies may be willing to do the same thing if you ask. If the company informs you that there are pre-existing conditions that won't be covered, and that is unacceptable to you, you can cancel your policy early on and sometimes receive a full refund (if the company has a e.g. 30 day money-back guarantee and you haven't filed any claims). Remember though, even if one or more conditions are excluded from coverage, there are still potentially hundreds of other conditions that will be covered under the policy. So, you'll have to decide if the pet insurance is still worthwhile to you even if there are excluded conditions.

I found another example to illustrate the importance of buying pet insurance early. It also emphasizes that you never know when an expensive illness will strike (even chronic kidney failure rarely seen in a young dog). It also contradicts what I see some people repeat over and over online that "pet insurance isn't worth it." It comes down to the pet owner doing enough research to buy a good policy from a good company. 

***When I include examples from specific pet insurance companies, it is not intended to be an endorsement of those companies. I have endeavored to remain as neutral and unbiased as possible, but will from time to time point out both good and bad when I see it. My goal is always to educate pet owners about how pet insurance works and help them select the best company and policy for their pet. 

Good Information from Trupanion website

As I've stated before, pet insurance companies use their website to promote their product in the best light and sometimes even compare themselves to competing companies. However, some websites also provide very good educational material for pet owners in an effort to help them understand how pet insurance works. When I find such material, I'll pass it on to you - but, that doesn't mean I endorse that particular company, but simply that they have provided something that every pet owner should know and understand about pet health insurance. Here are several pages from the Trupanion website:

Cost of Claims

Truth About Profits and Costs of Claims

Alternatives to Pet Insurance

Pet Owner Finally Quits Smoking For Her Dog's Sake

I've told my own clients and have written an article abstract about the effects of second-hand smoke on pets. It causes many of the same health problems in pets that it does in humans. 

Here is a story that is heartwarming and not only speaks to the issue of the hazards of second-hand smoke, but also the special relationship that exists between some pet owners and their pets.

Lessons From Trupanion Pet Insurance Website

I'd like to share with you an updated video from the Trupanion website. I believe you'll gain a better understanding of pet insurance and how it works. The video is best viewed full screen. Thanks for watching and let me know if you have any questions or comments.

The Importance of Hereditary Condition Coverage with Pet Insurance

I just got back from a Continuing Education seminar where one of the speakers talked about liver diseases. There are several congenital and/or hereditary liver diseases that veterinarians see in practice that are expensive to diagnose and treat. Sometimes, even surgery is required to correct/treat the condition.

Not all insurance companies offer policies that cover congenital/hereditary diseases. Some companies offer limited coverage. There are several that cover hereditary, but not congenital diseases, and some companies cover both.

In my book, I outline all these differences and go more into detail as to why such coverage is important - from a veterinarian's perspective. You should make this important factor a key point when doing your research to find the best company and policy for your pet.

I was also reminded of something that I'll recommend to you. Perhaps your veterinarian already recommends it to you. When you take your pet in for an annual or semiannual wellness examination, it's a good idea to do some basic blood tests that can help uncover e.g. liver disease (even though your dog or cat may appear in perfect health to you) before it advances to the point that the prognosis for recovery isn't good. Sometimes our pets don't show symptoms until a disease is advanced and a good wellness program can detect disease even before your pet appears ill.

I'll give an example. Chronic hepatitis in dogs is more commonly seen in certain breeds, and some of those breeds have actually been identified as having a genetic basis for the disease. If you have one of those breeds and your pet's insurance policy excludes hereditary conditions, you'll end up paying for the diagnosis and treatment out-of-pocket - yourself.

One way to detect chronic hepatitis early-on is by detecting an elevated liver enzyme (ALT) usually between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. Chronic hepatitis isn't the only problem that can cause the ALT to be elevated, but it is a red flag that warrants further investigation. In some dogs, if the condition is not recognized until the dog is showing symptoms, the prognosis is unfavorable for response to treatment.

New Software Could Benefit Pet Owners

There is a new software that helps pet owners store their pet information. You can keep track of expenses for your pet's healthcare and pet insurance premiums. You can store vital information about your pet e.g. your veterinarian's name, address and phone number, insurance policy number, examination and vaccination dates and reminders, microchip number. You can keep track of when to give medications and mark that you gave them,etc.

This is an Apple OS X application, but is also available as a downloadable app for your iPhone or iTouch.

For more information go here.

Pet Assure

Pet Assure is advertised as an alternative to pet insurance. You would be surprised, however, how many times I see it called an insurance company on the internet - sometimes by websites, e-books, etc. who profess to be advisers on pet health insurance.

Pet Assure is a company (club) that has a network of participating veterinary hospitals that offer their services at a discount (25%) to members of the club. Usually, the pet owner pays an annual membership fee to belong to this club and be eligible for the discounts. It is not insurance. There are no deductibles or co-pays. Pre-existing, hereditary, and chronic conditions are eligible for the discount. You receive the discount when paying your bill at the veterinarian’s office. 

Even though they advertise that there are no exclusions, services and products that aren’t eligible for a discount are any medication you are sent home with, food, flea and tick or heartworm preventatives, boarding or grooming, outside lab tests, referral to a specialist, and any product or procedure that is already discounted. The annual membership for a dog is $99 and $59 for a cat. They do have a family plan where up to 4 pets are covered for an annual membership of $149. 

The main problem with a network such as this is that it requires the veterinarian/hospital to discount their services. Therefore, there are often a very limited number of veterinarians participating in a given city or community. In other words, the veterinarian that you prefer and have an established relationship with may not and/or will not participate in such a network. 

You can read the reviews on Pet Assure as compared to insurance companies. You will even find some of the people who wrote the reviews referring to Pet Assure as insurance. For some pet owners - especially those with several pets, and if there are participating veterinarians in the area that they like, Pet Assure may be helpful. As with insurance, know that there are things that aren't eligible for the discount and that your savings are limited to 25%

Interesting Stat on Pet Insurance Reimbursements

I just finished reading the March issue of Veterinary Forum Magazine. Tucked in the corner of page 24 was an interesting statistic. Pets Best Insurance reviewed its reimbursements over $500 and found that:

• 54% are for regular veterinary care
• 35% are for specialist care

• 11% are for emergency clinic care

What this means is that almost half of significant veterinary bills occurs outside your regular veterinarian's office. Many clients don't even think about having to visit anyone but their regular veterinarian, but odds are at some point you will have to take your pet to an after-hours emergency hospital. Since the best techniques for handling some problems require greater expertise or more advanced technology than your regular veterinarian may have, at some point you will also likely be referred to a specialist. For example, some invasive tumors are best managed by having a CT scan or MRI done in order to plan the surgical procedure and insure that all the tumor is removed. Some complex medical problems are best handled by internist who see and manage these problems much more frequently than your regular veterinarian, and many times the pet should have 24 hour (around the clock) monitoring and treatment to have the best chance for a successful outcome.

It used to be that veterinary schools were the only alternative when such procedures needed to be done and clients had to drive hours to the nearest school. Now, most major cities have one or more specialty hospitals. Here is Memphis, we are fortunate to have several board-certified surgeons, internists, an opthamologist, a dermatologist, an oncologist, and a physical therapist. Because they have more advanced expertise and have access to more advanced technology, their fees are higher. Most major cities also have one or more emergency hospitals where pet owners can take their pets when their regular veterinarian is closed during evenings, weekends, and holidays. The emergency hospital's fees are also likely to be higher than your regular veterinarian's fees.

This should at least make you think about the benefits of having pet health insurance for your pet when you are faced with having to visit a specialty hospital or an emergency hospital and a significant veterinary bill.

One of the good things about pet health insurance is that pet owners who have insurance can go to any veterinarian, hospital, specialist and be reimbursed for covered medical expenses. They aren't limited to doctors or hospitals in a "network." This is an important reason that veterinarians and pet owners alike should avoid joining networks typical of the HMOs, PPOs, etc. that is typical of the "managed care" model that plague most human healthcare professions.

Is Wellness Care Coverage Worth It?

Pet owners should purchase pet health insurance to cover those unexpected accidents or illnesses where the cost is unknown -- potentially hundreds to thousands of dollars. Coverage for wellness care where the procedures and costs are predictable should be a secondary concern. Since wellness procedures and products can be planned for and saved for, not all insurance companies offer wellness care benefits. Following your veterinarian's recommendations about wellness care is extremely important to your pet's overall health and well-being. Wellness care prevents disease and allows early detection and intervention that saves lives, reduces suffering, and saves you money because prevention inevitably costs significantly less than treatment.

What are we referring to when we say wellness procedures and products? 
- Wellness examinations by your veterinarian 
- Vaccinations for infectious diseases as indicated 
- Intestinal parasite testing 
- Heartworm testing 
- Feline leukemia and AIDs testing 
- Spay and neuter 
- Blood and urine testing for early disease detection screening -especially for senior pets 
- Heartworm preventative medication 
- Flea prevention and treatment medication 
- Dental prophy 

Wellness care procedures and products should not be expensive. However, I know from experience as a veterinarian that many clients don't opt for some of the recommendations I make for their pet. Perhaps cost may be a factor for some clients. It has been my experience that clients are interested in coverage for wellness care. Companies that offer wellness care benefits don't always cover everything in the list above. Pay close attention to what they do cover. Some companies offer different levels of wellness coverage. Some companies advertise almost double in benefits compared to what you pay in premiums. Realize, however, that you likely won't get everything on the list every year. For example, you will only get your pet spayed or neutered once. Some practices are now recommending vaccinating for some diseases every three years instead of annually. The bottom line is that you likely know about what you pay for wellness care annually. I would go through the list above and write down the cost of each procedure or product. If you don't know, call your veterinarian and get an estimate. Then, it is simply a matter of adding up the benefit reimbursements that you would receive for those procedures and products and subtracting the additional premium you pay the company to cover those things and see if you would come out ahead. Sometimes it is hard to estimate accurately.

If a company pays wellness benefits according to a defined benefit schedule (usually listed on their website), it is relatively easy. But, if a company pays according to a schedule of what is usual and customary for your region of the country (usually not listed on their website), it is harder, if not impossible, to determine if you'd come out ahead. The company may not be willing to tell you what the benefit would be for each procedure or product in the list above until you actually file a claim. Sometimes wellness care benefits are subject to your deductible and co-pay. If you haven't used your deductible yet for an illness or injury, your deductible will be subtracted from your wellness benefits. Likewise, if your deductible was applied to your wellness claim, then you wouldn't have a deductible if you filed an illness or injury claim (assuming it is an annual deductible). It is also hard if the company includes wellness care in their accident/illness coverage for one premium (not as a separate rider for an additional premium). You don't know how much of the premium is going for the accident/illness coverage and how much is going for wellness care coverage. In these cases, you may have to actually purchase the wellness care at least one year and see if you think you come out ahead.

In fact, wellness benefits may definitely be worthwhile if purchased for a new puppy or kitten. Some companies now offer generous benefits to cover the complete puppy or kitten vaccination series. This is also the best time to get your pet neutered or spayed which is also covered in most policies as a wellness care benefit. You may also be reimbursed for heartworm preventatives and flea control products. If purchased as a rider, you can always drop the wellness coverage later. If it is included in the policy (not a separate rider), you must be careful and inquire whether changing to another policy (without wellness benefits) later on will affect your accident/illness coverage -especially how pre-existing conditions are handled.