# health insurance for cats, do you have it?



## santarosacat (Jul 9, 2006)

Just wondering if it's a good idea to have health insurance for cats, do we really need it, what's your opinion?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I checked out insurance when I first got Cinderella, but it seemed like a lot. I changed my "travel fund" to my "kitty fund" when she rescued me, so she's covered for anything. :luv


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

I have insurance for the dogs but not the cats (cats already have so many diagnosed illnesses most insurance wouldn't cover them).
I've had my fair share of unexpected and very expensive vet bills so with the dogs I decided to get them covered. It's only $13/month/dog, so not that outragous. Some of those unexpected vet bills (pre-insurance) had been $1000+, which I'd always been able to cover, but it was tight and I had to juggle some stuff around.
Basically, if you get can keep enough money on hand to cover a couple big vet bills back to back (plan for the worst), don't get the insurance. If you don't think you can, but can afford the premiums, get the insurance.

ETA, my insurance is for accidents and illnesses, it doesn't cover exams!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Yes, I have insurance on my three, and I actually got a couple checks in the mail this year. Twinkie went over his deductible.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

After two cats with huge vet bills I now have pet insurance for my boys. It's $10 a month for the 2 year old and $14 for the 7 1/2 year old.
Nanook had an URI when he was a kitten and it was completely covered except the $50 deductable and Little-one needed an ultrasound, ekg, xrays and blood tests lastyear. All covered. And I had the check within 5 days. I just like the peace of mind especially since Nanook has the bad habit of eating anything in sight!
For me it makes sense because, when my other cats were sick (one right after the other!) the bills ran into the thousands and I had to put it on a credit card which took quite some time to pay it off. Therefore, I was paying interest too. If you have the cash to pay a large vet bill then I don't think it's worth it.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

jennifer2 said:


> Basically, if you get can keep enough money on hand to cover a couple big vet bills back to back (plan for the worst), don't get the insurance.





nanook said:


> If you have the cash to pay a large vet bill then I don't think it's worth it.


There is another way to look at that. If you're willing to pay the premium for the insurance company to take the risk, then that cost prevents you from losing too much of that money you've got saved up.

Basically insurance is a price paid for the insurance company to take the risk of the loss. Even rich people have insurance, although they could afford to pay for most of what comes up.

Instead of saying "if you have the money to pay a big vet bill you don't need insurance" you should instead say "if you're willing and able to take the risk yourself then you don't need insurance."


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## kungfukitty (Dec 5, 2003)

Piper and Sadie are both insured. It's $30 a month total. I used to just have a "kitty cash" fund. But acouple years ago I had a cat that broke a leg and had a tumor removed all in one month for a total of $3500. Had she been insured on the plan my new girls are on it would have cost about $300. I have yet to use the insurance, but I feel so much better knowing they have it.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Tim wrote:


> "if you're willing and able to take the risk yourself then you don't need insurance."


That's what I mean. If I had $3000 to just plunk down without feeling it, I wouldn't bother wth insurance. However, most of us aren't in that position. And, as you said in a previous thread, it would take years to put enough away in a "kitty" fund at $10 a month.
Personally, I wouldn't be without it again.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Semantics. :wink: In the mid 90's I sold insurance for a couple years, and I have often dealt with risk management in various forms, so if you got me talking about it, you'd wish you hadn't. :lol:


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

So what happens to premiums as they age? I was looking into insurance a couple years ago and found that premiums went up significantly as they aged and in some cases coverage stopped once they hit something like age 12....the point when you definitely need coverage...


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

That's correct about the premium increases. I don't know how much. I asked about it once, but can't remember. As far as termination, I think that depends on the company. If I remember right (but don't bet the farm on that,) after a certain age you can't get a new policy, but if you're already insured, you can stay insured as long as you keep paying the premium. I'm pretty sure that's the way it works with my company, but I think I might check up on that this weekend.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

As far as I understand it, with my insurance you are charged based on the age of your cat. I believe they start to charge more at 10 years old. I pay more for Little-one bcause I got more coverage for him since he is older. Nanook just has basic now and when he gets older I'll up it. Once you have a policy the rates don't change based on age. I know other companies do though. However, it has gone up because of THEIR health care costs. :roll: I got the letter last year, "Due to over head costs...yadayadayada...in order to serve you better...yadayadayada....your business is important to us..." You get the idea. But it still seems like the best deal.
One thing to be really careful of. There was one place I looked into (unfortunately, I can't remember which) that considered something pre-excisting after one policy term! For example. Your insured pet comes down with a chronic disease and is treated. When the policy term is over they will consider that disease as pre-existing and no longer cover it! Crazy but true. I couldn't believe what they were saying so I kept making them repeat it. So be extremely careful to read ALL the small print and ask every question you can possibly think of. 
Even after hours and days of checking into it I'm still confused as to which is the best coverage. I've sort of narrowed it down to VIP and Pet Care but still feel like I need to sit down and study it all again. It also depends on where you are.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

nanook said:


> ...One thing to be really careful of. There was one place I looked into (unfortunately, I can't remember which) that considered something pre-excisting after one policy term! For example. Your insured pet comes down with a chronic disease and is treated. When the policy term is over they will consider that disease as pre-existing and no longer cover it!.


That is just totally bizarre and inconsistent with industry standard practices in human health insurance policies. So, if your pet comes down with a chronic disease you're either totally screwed or you don't dare file a claim for it. In either way, it's almost like being uninsured. :x 

My guess is that they can get away with it because pet health insurance isn't regulated. At least I don't think it is. Is it? Anybody know for sure?


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## santarosacat (Jul 9, 2006)

Which insurance do you use? Does it cover doctos visit and vaccinations?


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

I'm with Pet Care. I do not have a plan the covers regular visits and vaccines. I don't know if they even offer that but I know VPI does. 
I would rather just pay for regular visits though. I just wanted the big things covered.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Hey people, just found a new pet insurance co.!
I was just looking to see if I could remember which company had the wacky pre-existing rule and came across this. 
http://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/?utm_id=2001
Looks interesting.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

For those of you who have pet insurance they're happy with, can you tell me the name of the company? I'd be interested in looking into it.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

That ASPCA insurance gave me a quote of $13.32 a month for Rookie. You're not saying that's the one with the pre-existing condition clause, are you?


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I have Pets Health Care Plan:

http://www.petshealthplan.com/


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

I've got the same as Tim


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Well, it says the plan I would sign up for would be "starting" at about $12.00 per month (I'm not sure if it goes up from there according to your cat's age), and there's a $100 deductible per year, so that's $244.00 per year I'd be paying out, and I wouldn't get reimbursed for anything like annual check-ups because I'd be paying for that (deductible) or the larger expense (grooming and nail clipping - obviously not covered). So for an indoor cat in good health (which I'm very grateful for and do NOT take for granted), it just seems like a lot for nothing. (I realize I'm jinxing myself for saying that.)


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

> There was one place I looked into (unfortunately, I can't remember which) that considered something pre-excisting after one policy term!


Found it! Oh dear, it's Pet's Health Care Plan. I just called them to confirm and, in fact, a chronic disease is only covered for the current year and then considered pre-existing. The only plan they have that will continue to cover is the "best" plan. You guys who have it may want to double check it but I'd be mighty mad if I found that out once my pet was already sick!


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## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

We use VPI - with a 50 dollar deductible per incident.

It's about 10/year for Mac and 13/year for Yoshi, but after the multipet discount, it's about 350/year -including the vaccination coverage.

It's kind of a wash - regular checkups are about 30 dollar a pop, and Mac had feline herpes which totalled 300 for 2 followups, a hydration jab, ointment and antibiotics or something or other, while Yoshi had a dental and extraction for 420 dollars and an ekg/blood panel for 80 this year and a followup for another 30. 830 total all told

With insurance it was 20+20+20 for Mac's 3 office visits + 50 deductible for medication, + 290 for the extractions that weren't covered + 20 for the followup. 770 all told including the 350/year, and I haven't even gotten them vaccinated yet!

So, even with healthy, young cats, the insurance is a relatively good deal.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

You know, since I posted, I've re-thought the whole thing. If I can afford to take care of her if something _does_ happen, then why don't I just get the insurance, right? If she stays healthy, and it's money down the drain, then *GOOD*! It's worth that much a year for her to be healthy. I've looked around and I think Tim's plan is a good one for a healthy, young cat.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

nanook said:


> > There was one place I looked into (unfortunately, I can't remember which) that considered something pre-excisting after one policy term!
> 
> 
> Found it! Oh dear, it's Pet's Health Care Plan. I just called them to confirm and, in fact, a chronic disease is only covered for the current year and then considered pre-existing. The only plan they have that will continue to cover is the "best" plan. You guys who have it may want to double check it but I'd be mighty mad if I found that out once my pet was already sick!


I've been reading my policy over and over, and by golly, I think you're right. It says under:

*Expenses Not Covered*

2. Pre-existing/recurring illness or injury which existed prior to the Plan Period effective date of this plan or unless there has been a period of 180 days since its diagnosis, cure, and last treatment.

and it says under:

*Limit of Liability*

The only illnesses or injuries that will be covered on the renewal term are:
a) new illnesses and/or injuries
b) those illnesses and/or injuries that have been cured and not treated for a period of 180 days.

where "Plan Period" is the one-year term of the insurance certificate

I interpret all of this to mean that if a pet is treated for an illness during one Plan Period, it will covered in the next plan period ONLY if it's been CURED and not treated for 180 days.

In other words, Twinkie's crystals won't be covered when the insurance renews. This is not good news. I'm going to have to call them tomorrow and if this is the way it is, I'm going to have to shop around for another policy. And what really irks me is I've been recommending this company all along. :evil:

So, Marie, I have to retract my recommendation and suggest you look elsewhere. I'm going to look at VPI first. It was recommended by my vet when I was first shopping for insurance.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Tim.  
But, maybe with crystals it'll be O.K. If they don't show up for 180 days then it's considered cured. Right?
What really makes me mad is they don't make that clear up front. I almost went with them and it came up by accident. I think it's really outrageous. I wish I could say that I felt seccure with PetCare but I don't trust any of them. What are they not telling me that I forgot to ask? So far they've been great but it does make one leary. I know people who are with VPI and are happy. The only complaint I've heard is they can take a while to pay. I've also heard that they tend to only pay what THEY think a procedure is worth. So, if you live in an area where vet care is particularly expensive they may only pay up to what they think it should have been. I don't know if that's true though.
I keep going back and forth between VPI and Pet Care. As I said, one of these days I want to sit down and do an indepth analysis. But who has the time!!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

coaster said:


> So, Marie, I have to retract my recommendation and suggest you look elsewhere. I'm going to look at VPI first. It was recommended by my vet when I was first shopping for insurance.


I missed that, too. Thanks.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

nanook said:


> But, maybe with crystals it'll be O.K. If they don't show up for 180 days then it's considered cured. Right?


I don't know. One thing I need to clarify. I suspect it's only cured if the vet says it's cured. And FLUTD is known to be recurring.



> ... I've also heard that they <VPI> tend to only pay what THEY think a procedure is worth.!


Actually, that's normal procedure for health insurance companies. Pets Healthcare Plan does that, too.

<> my insertion


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yeah....this is kind of why I abandoned the idea when I was looking at it. It seemed like there were lots of escape clauses or at least lots of unclear language that left me feeling like when push came to shove for something serious they probably wouldn't pay. Or when the cat became senior they would increase the payments by so much that it wouldn't be worth it. 

You should get a bit of a warm fuzzy feeling when you purchase insurance and I didn't feel that way with what I was reading.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Tim wrote:


> Actually, that's normal procedure for health insurance companies. Pets Healthcare Plan does that, too.


Ugh! Are you sure? So far they have covered everything but the deductable. (Which, by the way, used to be $50 and is now $75 :?) I'm pretty sure I asked them that in the begining and they said that they didn't, but I could be wrong. 
doodlebug, you're right, I can't say I have that warm and fuzzy feeling but I've got to say, even with all the misgivings I have, I still feel better with it. Look at it this way, in the past year and a half they've paid out over $600 and that's still more than my premiums. So, so far, it's been worth it. Supposedly, with this company the premiums don't go up as your pet ages. We shall see.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

On the "Explanation of Benefits" form it has columns for "Amount Charged" and "Allowable Charges." Allowable charges is their term for what the health insurance industry usually calls "Reasonable and Customary" or "Usual and Customary." It's the amount they figure out to be charged for that diagnosis, treatment, or procedure. Naturally, it's almost always less than the actual amount. On my last claim, for a charge of $36.00 they allowed $34.00 and then paid 80% of $34.00.


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## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

nanook said:


> I know people who are with VPI and are happy. The only complaint I've heard is they can take a while to pay. I've also heard that they tend to only pay what THEY think a procedure is worth.


VPI has a little table of allowances on their website - and it is almost always less than what it really is - such as 10 dollars for an annual checkup - but at least they're upfront about it. 

You can find the allowances here - that's the standard plan which offers less than the premium plan. I find that the routine healthcare rider is a better deal overall, especially if you need EKG/bloodwork and dentals done yearly for older cats. There are no deductibles for routine care. Also, it's nice to have a vet who will work with you - i.e. listing the followup care on your first visit so that it only counts as one incident and one 50 dollar deductible. Prescription medicines are itemized as prescription meds, etc.

http://www.petinsurance.com/downloads/S ... d-2005.pdf


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

All right. I just got off the phone with Pets Healthcare Plan and spoke to several people and I think I understand how this works, now. BTW, one good thing about them is that they all seem to be very nice people. I’ve never talked to any grouches.

If an animal has a diagnosis and treatment for some condition during a plan period, then the only way it’s covered in the next plan period (i.e. after policy renewal) is if 180 days elapse without any treatment for that condition. The policy language says treatment AND cure, and I spent some time trying to figure out what they meant by “cure.” And as far as I can understand, they mean there’s been nothing on the vet records during that time for that condition. So in the case of Twinkie, if he has so much as a urinalysis done as a follow-up for his previous diagnosis of struvite crystals, and even if the urinalysis is normal, and even if I don’t put in a claim for it, he’s NOT covered for struvite crystals for 180 days from the urinalysis.

This is not good. This is like an exemption for a pre-existing condition for every policy renewal. With human health insurance, it’s customary for a pre-existing condition not to be covered for the first year, then if the policy is renewed without any gap in coverage, the pre-existing condition is covered. The worst part is if there’s any follow-up testing done for the same condition, even if the animal is free of that condition, that moves the 180-day exemption window back to zero.

I’m definitely going to have to go shopping for insurance again.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

What a drag Tim.
Let us know what you find out. 
I'm so glad this thread happened 'cause it helps to have other brains on it. I find insurance shopping is SO confusing!!
Happy hunting!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I HATE shopping for insurance. I try to read all that fine print and I still miss out on something important. :x 

Twinkie's current policy runs until April, so he's covered untill then. Rocket's & Mellie's just renewed last month, and they didn't have anything last Plan Period, so they should be good for the current period. So I have plenty of time. I'll have to switch Twinkie for sure, and I'll probably keep the other two on their current insurance until the term is up, because there's a 10% penalty for cancelling.


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## Bethany (Jul 19, 2006)

Dunno. I was researching the various options when I got my kitties this summer. I found out about Pet's Health Care and the pre-existing conditions thing, I ran across a number of people who used VPI and had large claims for which they ended up getting only a small amount of the money they had thought they were going to, so that the insurance only paid for a fairly small amount of a several thousand dollar bill... I can't remember what I didn't like about whatever the other major carrier is.

I decided that at least for the moment I'm going to go with Consumer Report's advice, which was to set aside the money you'd be paying for the premiums in a savings account. Yes, it takes a while for the money to build up, but my cats are 1 year old and indoor-only so -- knock on wood -- the odds are in my favor for not having a major problem for quite a few years down the road. In the meantime if I'm desperate I have a credit card and parents who like my cats and have disposable income. 

I have to admit that all these companies came across to me as companies who were going to try to worm their way out of paying for things as much as possible, and that irked me. I've been spoiled by my auto insurance, which has gotten me used to having an insurance company that I trust to pay me what they owe me. I'd rather not deal with a company that won't give me that confidence.


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## Kelae (Sep 4, 2004)

One thing to consider with VPI that I didn't understand ahead of time has to do with their benefits schedule. The amounts listed on the schedule are for the entire policy period, i.e. one year. So let's say that they show $100 on the schedule for lab work relating to crystals. You only have $100 to spend for the entire year no matte how many times you may have to go back for the same problem.

Maybe this is common but I thought the amounts shown on the schedule were per incident. That is, that my cat would have the hypothetical $100 allowence each time she had the problem.

I agree with a lot of the prior comments about not trusting any pet insurance company. I think it's a real shame that so many of them are difficult to work with and seem shady, after all there's a huge population of pet owners that would probably be beating down their doors if they were more straight forward and honest.

I have VPI and have had one major and one minor claim. They paid me exactly what I expected on the minor claim. On the major one, we argued over what category certain lab tests should be under which reduced my reimbursement somewhat, that said, I still got between $600 and $700 back from a $1000 incident. I did have to pay the $50 copay and then I would have been eligible for 90% of the remaining amount subject to the limits in the benefits schedule. So I made out pretty well, not great but the $300 bill was a lot better than the 1k would have been.

One other thing with VPI, it takes them ages to get a check to you.

I'm not sure if I'll stay with them or not. The girls are three now and I'd like to get in somewhere while they are healthy and young. Maybe I'll luck out and win the lottery and won't have to worry about vet costs ever again...

Kel


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Kelae said:


> One thing to consider with VPI that I didn't understand ahead of time has to do with their benefits schedule. The amounts listed on the schedule are for the entire policy period, i.e. one year. So let's say that they show $100 on the schedule for lab work relating to crystals. You only have $100 to spend for the entire year no matte how many times you may have to go back for the same problem.


For cryin' out loud....if they don't get you one way, they get you another!! :x


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