Insurance question

[Scueva]

I know insurance has been discussed here over and over - I was bored at work the other day and geico who my auto insurance is through sent me an email about pet insurance. Their policies are through embrace and I went through the steps of being quoted. So for $10k coverage, $200 annual deductible , and 80% coverage the cost was $88 per month per dog (duke & duchess) making it $176 per month for both dogs- so then I started quoting different breeds to see price difference and the only breeds more expensive were mastiffs. Now when I selected mixed breed the cost was half of the original quote- for 2 dogs with the same coverage it dropped to $86 per month- now my question is why wouldn't you just say you have a "mixed breed" and say you aren't sure what else he is mixed with - bulldog and xxxx- happy Sunday everyone

 

[2BullyMama]

 

[madie4589]

Frank is a mixed English bulldog and I had to have a written letter from my vet sent to my insurance (healthy paws) to prove this. They know how expensive EB vet bills can get. I pay 32/mo for one dog. 90% coverage, $200 one time deductible, and NO LIMIT which has been great for me. Franks last hospital stay ended up at around $2500 and I got the check within a week.

 

[1Chumly]

We had insurance on our Dachshund because of their tendency for serious back problems until last month when I cancelled it. It started at $28 a month 4 years ago increasing yearly and this anniversary it went up to $48 a month. It was $100 deductible, 80% coverage for each illness and a limit of $8000 and I can't remember what the yearly deductible was. It was through PetPlan. I have used it once for something minor and got a few $ back. I asked why it had gone up so much and they said it was his age, he is 4.5! Both he and Monty now have their own savings account at the bank which will be used if anything expensive comes up. I would like to have them insured but can't justify the cost with so much taken out before I get anything back. I automatically add to the account monthly and ALL the money will go to their illness without any deductibles, etc.

 

[Marine91]

Yep its crazy. I have it on Harlea and when we started it we paid $58 a month for $200 lifetime per condition deductible, no yearly or lifetime cap and 90% coverage. It went up to $64 this year but I can't really complain as they shelled roughly $8k for all of her stuff last year and we're pretty quick to turn around the checks.

 

[OliviaB]

We decided against pet insurance after looking into all the options. I just felt that I could save more efficiently instead of paying that money to a company. We have a separate account for the animals and money is deposited into it twice a month. I could also use our credit card if lord forbid we had a major emergency. We only have one credit card and we keep a zero balance on it...it's only for extreme emergencies.

 

[mb190e]

We decided against pet insurance after looking into all the options. I just felt that I could save more efficiently instead of paying that money to a company. We have a separate account for the animals and money is deposited into it twice a month. I could also use our credit card if lord forbid we had a major emergency. We only have one credit card and we keep a zero balance on it...it's only for extreme emergencies.

Thanks for the savings account idea. I will be setting up a separate savings account tomorrow for the dogs. Im not a big fan of insurance.

 

[nycbullymama]

I have Trupanion. Even with all their denying, they winded up paying for Blues brachycephalic surgery which more than made up for my premiums.

Thing is, a bulldogs medical bills can cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars in their lifetime, it's really not all that unusual. If you can afford the care, then by all means don't get insurance.. but if you can't, and paying the monthly premium won't break the bank, then get it.

But if you're going to get it, then make sure you go with a company that will not penalize you for any pre-existing condition (Trupanion will) or get it as soon as you get your pup.. before any health issues arise and are noted in your vets chart. I've had claims denied just for notations my vet made when Blue was a pup right before we got insurance.

 

[TyTysmom]

Yup, get it now while they are young & have nothing pre-existing bc they will pull all vet records. We have VPI, but I wished I would have gone with Trupanion. It's too late now but all I can say is that insurance alone may not even be enough. We have a credit card specifically for Tyson. I am a HUGE fan of insurance it's paid 90% of all of Tyson's stomach issues, X-rays, ultrasounds, and surgery. Last year into this year it's paid out well more than what I've paid in. I've hard since I got Tyson - we're up to $48/month. For the policy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[madie4589]

I have to correct myself I said $200 one time deductible and I believe it's a yearly deductible. I'll have to double check.

 

[RalphieBoy]

I know insurance has been discussed here over and over - I was bored at work the other day and geico who my auto insurance is through sent me an email about pet insurance. Their policies are through embrace and I went through the steps of being quoted. So for $10k coverage, $200 annual deductible , and 80% coverage the cost was $88 per month per dog (duke & duchess) making it $176 per month for both dogs- so then I started quoting different breeds to see price difference and the only breeds more expensive were mastiffs. Now when I selected mixed breed the cost was half of the original quote- for 2 dogs with the same coverage it dropped to $86 per month- now my question is why wouldn't you just say you have a "mixed breed" and say you aren't sure what else he is mixed with - bulldog and xxxx- happy Sunday everyone

You cannot go with mixed breed. In the long run you would be like a fugitive always looking over you shoulder. Do the right thing. I researched the insurance route and I like Trupanion until I read if you move all bets are off. I decided just to open a savings account and self insured. Ralphie

 

[CrazyDogMom]

After Jackson and Angel's parvo hospitalizations and $4,000 dollars later I decided to get pet insurance. I researched it and found out the company I work for offers a 20% discount thru petfirst. 90% payout on everything, except preexisting conditions, which the only thing preexisting is Jackson's reaction to the rabies vaccine, and parvo for my pups. They even offer an add-on that will pay so much towards training classes, puppy shots, and a few other things. AND if one of my pups is lost or stolen they will pay out up to a $400 dollar reward for each of them.

 

[Cali Doll]

I was debating between Trupaion and Heathy Paws. I was leaning toward Healthy Paws, but the final deciding factor for me was the fact that Healthy Paws doesn't cover hip displaysia for the first 12 months. This was very concerning for me. In the end, I went with Trupanion. The thing to know about Trupanion is that their deductible must be met for each condition. So, once you meet the deductible for, say, your dog's allergies, you are covered for life. For most other insurance companies, they cover costs over the deductible, per claim. The way I looked at it, Trupanion's coverage policy works better for dogs with chronic problems. As we know, that can happen with bullys.


So far, I've reached the deductibe for her acute vomiting, so we are now covered at 90% for life for that. We have two other conditions (sports injury in her leg and her conjunctivitis) that haven't reached the deductibe. I can say that Trupanion has been very quick and responsive with processing claims. I'm currently waiting on processing of the vomiting claim (submitted yesterday), which will have my very first pay-out of around $100. Hopefully this goes as smoothly as I expect it to.

So far, I'm VERY happy I got insurance.

ETA: I just got an email that Trupanion accepted my claim and they're sending me the $90 pay-out. I just submitted the claim yesterday. So far, so good.

 

[ddnene]

I had a horrible experience w/Trupanion… they had pre-approved surgery for my dog, and then denied the claim weeks later. My baby died after surgery, and the only thing they would cover was the trip to the emergency clinic. They based their decision on a side note that my vet had written in his chart. I EVEN had a letter from the vet stating his comment was NOT a diagnosis, but it didn't matter. I didn't expect them just to cover the surgery because my baby had died, but I had at the least hoped that they would honor their word

I will never have pet insurance again… we having a savings account that is specifically for pet expenses. If it's catastrophic then we will hit the credit cards… I won't go thru that again w/another pet insurance company!!!

 

[Marine91]

I had a horrible experience w/Trupanion… they had pre-approved surgery for my dog, and then denied the claim weeks later. My baby died after surgery, and the only thing they would cover was the trip to the emergency clinic. They based their decision on a side note that my vet had written in his chart. I EVEN had a letter from the vet stating his comment was NOT a diagnosis, but it didn't matter. I didn't expect them just to cover the surgery because my baby had died, but I had at the least hoped that they would honor their word

I will never have pet insurance again… we having a savings account that is specifically for pet expenses. If it's catastrophic then we will hit the credit cards… I won't go thru that again w/another pet insurance company!!!

You hit the nail on the head. It is all subjective as one person can have a great experience and then the same company pulls the crap like they did with you just to get out of paying which was bad business on their part.