Pet Insurance: Is it Right for You?
There is no denying that the cost of healthcare is high, and continues to rise. Even in the veterinary field, new technology and capabilities are continuing to emerge, but they are not without cost. We can offer your family pet the best care and more treatment options, but sometimes these options can become cost prohibitive for pet owners.
People utilize health insurance to help offset some of the cost of their medical care, and pet insurance is also now widely available to help pet owners pay for their pet’s veterinary expenses. But is pet insurance really worth it? What are the benefits? Read on to learn if pet insurance might be right for you.
A Pet Insurance Primer
There are several companies that offer pet insurance to animal owners everywhere. Each individual company has different plan options and stipulations, so it is important to do your research before committing to a plan.
There are several benefits to having an insurance plan for your pet. These include:
- Ease of budgeting
- Freedom to make medical decisions without the burden of financial worries
- No need to delay treatment due to finances
- Increased ability for us to practice top-notch medicine
- Ease of referral to specialists when indicated
It is too often that we run into a situation where a pet owner might make different decisions for his or her furry friend were money not involved. While we would love to absorb the cost in these situations, it is not a financial reality. Pet insurance helps to create options where there might not be otherwise.
Picking a Pet Insurance
It can be dizzying looking at all of the pet insurance options out there. It is helpful to ask a few important questions to help narrow it down:
- Do I want a plan that helps with even basic expenses (vaccinations, parasite prevention) or one that just covers catastrophic treatments, such as for cancer?
- Do I need a plan that reimburses me or one that pays the vet directly?
- Does my pet have any pre-existing conditions that might be excluded from coverage?
- What kind of deductible, if any, am I interested in?
- What is my monthly budget for coverage?
- Do I mind having a copay?
At Androscoggin Animal Hospital, we are happy to work with many different types of pet insurance. We do, however, recommend and work most frequently with Trupanion insurance. We have found Trupanion to be reliable and beneficial to most of our clients.
If you have questions about veterinary pet insurance, please give us a call. We are happy to share our experiences and direct you to additional information, so that you can make the best choice for your pets.