Looking After Pets

Before you purchase a pet health care insurance plan for your dog, check the list of the company’s approved veterinarians to see if your dog doctor will accept the company’s check. Also ask your local veterinarian’s advice about what type of pet health care insurance plan would best suit your dog, and ask them if they would read over the plan and give you some guidance. When considering which health plan is suitable for your dog the best person to consult is your veterinarian.

Before you pay for dog health care insurance plan you need to carefully read how the policy handles prescription coverage. Most companies that sell pet health care insurance do not include prescription coverage in their basic medical health care insurance plan. If you are concerned about the cost of any prescription your dog might need during the course of its life you should probably consider buying a prescription coverage rider to complement your pet health care insurance. Although this rider may appear expensive and unnecessary you’ll be very glad of the purchase if your dog is ever in any need of a prescription. Just like our prescriptions they can be very expensive.

One of the things you need to take into consideration when purchasing a pet health care insurance plan for your dog is to check if it has a deductible. The deductible is the amount of money you pay out-of-pocket for veterinarian services rendered that your pet health care insurance plan does not cover. Different pet health care plans require different deductibles. The higher the deductible you choose the lower your monthly payments to the insurance company but the higher deductible the more out-of-pocket expenses you will have each time you visit the dog doctor’s clinic.

Most pet insurance companies have a “cap” or limit placed on each pet health care insurance plan. This cap varies from one procedure to the next a broken leg will probably have a different cap to cancer treatments. Before you purchase your dog’s health care insurance plan talk to the company representative about waiting periods, find out exactly how long it’ll take for the policy to be effective and how long the general wait for claims to be reimbursed is. Most companies have a ten day period between the time they receive the vet bill and when the check gets placed in the mail. Also find out how the refund is processed. Does the pet health care insurance company pay the vet directly or do you have to pay the vet and the company mails the check to you when they receive the bill.

When you speak with the company representative ask about any and all exclusions that might be included with your dog’s health care insurance plan. Specifically ask about any and all pre-existing conditions and hereditary defects that might come up later as your dog ages. Many dog owners discover that hereditary defects are not covered by their pet health care insurance plan. Some companies will allow you to cover these potential problems with an additional rider. In some cases your local veterinarian will be able to warn you about any exclusions.

A couple of other things to consider when looking at a comprehensive health care insurance plan are to ask if the plan covers veterinarian visits such as; dental care, immunizations, and heartworm testing and finally also check if the pet health care insurance plan also covers a basic visit to the dog doctors office.