[widget id=”ad_unit-2″]Ad Widget: 468x60Banner-Insurance[/widget]Pet health insurance has been a topic of controversy, with proponents claiming that it helps pet owners to take better care of their pets and is a better plan from a financial standpoint. The opponents say that if the pet owners establish a savings plan with the same amount of money per month as they would pay for health insurance, they would be more than ready for any occurrence that might come up in regards to their pet’s health, including the yearly visits. Pet health care insurance is very affordable today, only costing about ten to fifteen dollars for emergency health insurance. However, the cheaper pet health insurance plans also do not offer comprehensive coverage for the pets, only covering emergency care, including the vet visit, diagnostic care, and medications related to the emergency situation. Also, the plans also require that the owners file for reimbursement for the expenses, so that the pet owners still have to pay for the total cost up front themselves.
Types
Besides emergency health insurance, which can often be divided into accident insurance and illness insurance, there are other plans that are offered that give more comprehensive coverage, depending on what the pet owners desire. There are some plans that will also cover the yearly vet visits so that the exam and vaccinations are covered by the pet health insurance. Pet owners will need to check to see if the pet health insurance covers the entire visit or if there is a co pay that they will be responsible for paying while the insurance covers the rest. They need to also check into the filing process to see how detailed it is in order to obtain reimbursement for the visits. There are some plans that have very simple forms while others are more complex. There are also some vet offices that will file the pet insurance reimbursement form for the pet owners, which takes a burden off the pet owners’ shoulders.
The more expensive plans will offer more services that the vet visits. They will often cover the entire cost of the yearly visits and will also include dental cleanings twice per year, toe nail clipping and other services. Even though it is nice to have all of these services included in the insurance premiums, the premiums are very expensive and are not usually worth the amount that is paid. For instance, if a plan cost forty dollars per month, the owner will have paid almost five hundred dollars over the course of the year. The vet visit with shots can cost one to two hundred dollars, depending on the services included, and getting a couple of teeth cleanings and toe nail trimmings per year might cost another fifty to one hundred dollars. Thus, on a normal year, the owner will have over-paid two to three hundred dollars that year, and will usually have paid additional co-pays for these visits.