Petplan Insurance UPDATE....Unhappy with New Underwriters....Please do Your Research Before Buying and Definitely Compare to Healthy Paws!!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I know we have had several discussions about Pet Insurance and whether or not to get it and what company to go with if you do.  Fudge is 7 and Vern is 6 and I got Pet Insurance for both before I brought them home. I believe Pet Plan had a policy effective date of 30 days after we brought our puppies home, but I could be wrong. This is all fresh in my mind as my renewal is next month.

First let me say, I would not be without pet insurance, just as I wouldn't go without health insurance. That said, I would like to share my experience with Pet Plan. As others have noted, they have changed the way they do business this year and those of us who have had it all along are more or less stuck with keeping them, because at this point, some of our dogs would have pre-existing conditions.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/petplan-insurance-has-changed

For me, the new premium I will incur has stayed in the ball park of how much they been increasing my premiums each year. Below I am attaching a discussion where I have been tracking my premiums.  They have upped my annual allowance from $10,000 to $15,000. My deductible from $200 to $300 and my reimbursement is 80%.  The new premium for Fudge would be $426.55 per year and Vern would be $370.88 per year.

I have the option of tweaking my policy and have asked them to check on making my deductible a yearly condition rather than per condition.  This is where I am a little upset because Fudge had one claim in 2009 for flu like symptons (which they coded anorexia) and now we are on a "maybe" list and the agent has to get back to me. She was a new puppy and I was worried about dehydration. Vern had a more recent episode, but knock on wood, my dogs have been very healthy and I have used the insurance only a couple of times for both dogs. I disagree that I should be on a "maybe" list, but will withhold judgment until the agent calls back. 

I continue to think that the more informed we are, the better choices we make, so I feel this is good information to have on DK.  New people can see these discussions, weigh all their options, and pick the company that works best for them. 

Here is another discussion worth reading.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/great-pet-plan-claim-exper...

id=2065244%3ATopic%3A4508677&page=1

and the discussion where I track my premiums over the years.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/pet-insurance-premiums-wha...

UPDATE: FUDGE AND VERN DID QUALIFY FOR THE ANNUAL DEDUCTIBLE VERSUS THE PER INCIDENT DEDUCTIBLE.

Our new coverage for the 10/14/2016-10/14/2017 is as follows

$15,000 80% $300 annual deductible. Fudge's premium is $469.20 and Vern's is 407.97.  This is definitely an increase. I have updated it in my previous discussion listed below.

The agent also said premiums are based on age, breed, and location. He also stated you can continue to get the $10,000 coverage that we have had in the past, but Pet Plan is issuing the new quotes for $15,000 because it automatically includes some new options. (the only one I remember is help with costs for advertising if your dog is lost)

FURTHER UPDATES:  Instead of having you weed through pages of this discussion, here are some more interesting things Ricki (and Tara) found out about PetPlan versus Healthy Paws!

1) Plus, Petplan told me no one qualifies for any discounts except the 5% on line renewal once you are past the first year. The other discounts are only for first time clients.

2) Just got an on-line quote from Healthy Paws.  Theirs all have unlimited benefits and annual deductible so the only variables are amount of deductible and copay.  A $250/90% policy would cost $593.40.  A $250/80 would cost $500.28 so that is about $50.00 a year less than Petplan's 15000/300/80 plan and we wouldn't have the cap on benefits and would have a lower deductible.  

3) I discovered another Healthy Paws benefit.  If you take your pet to emergency and you have 90% copay, PetPlan lowers the coverage to 80% (we have had this happen with them). Healthy Paws doesn't do this and will pay at the same 90% as they do for all claims. 

[Kat and Winston]

I know this is an old thread, but when you say that ear infections and conjunctivitis are nothing you would submit a claim for, does that mean it's not a good idea to submit claims for the minor things?

Do they raise rates for submitting claims? I'm so shocked to read how they just up deductibles to higher limits etc. I thought if we got it as a puppy there would be a cap on increases and coverage would at minimum stay the same.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Kat, we have a $200 deductible per condition so when I say minor ear infections, etc you usually don't even reach your deductible so it's not worth it to submit a claim. I have always considered this insurance is more for catastrophic or emergency situations.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Wow...it seems you took a real hit with this insurance. I am so sorry. I think before I would switch I would submit your dog's health records to the new company and get something in writing about what would be considered pre-existing conditions. Who knows if they even do that, but it would be worth a shot. Good luck.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I talked to HealthyPaws and they won't look at the records prior to signing up. That's not common practice. So the dillema with me right this minute... last night I noticed one of those fatty lumps on Lucca's belly. He is 8 and dogs get these as they get older as we all know BUT do I have it checked now (which would then be considered pre-existing) or wait until I change insurances in November which is a month away. If I change I had planned to start 15 days before PetPlan expires to cover the 15 day wait period. Or I just overlap coverage for a month. Ugh!!!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

The whole thing is a pain in the patootie :) I just updated our Pet Plan and noted it above. Our premium did increase, although when I see what others are paying, I do feel better. I just feel we are stuck at this point because Fudge is 7 and Vern is 6. At this point, I do not think I would recommend Pet Plan, but the bottom line is all companies could do this same thing at any point. Good luck with your decision.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am still going to write a letter to them and see what happens. I am going to try and find a name of someone and not just their PO Box.

[Leslie J]

I ended up canceling Pet Plan. They offered to replace our 80% , $200 deductible plan with a 70% , $500 deductible plan. They increased the annual out of pocket from $10,000 to $15,000 but with payment at 70% and a $500 deductible the odds of hitting either out of pocket are low. We have adequate saving to cover our vet bills so decided it wasn't worth it anymore.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I wonder how much business they have lost with their new underwriters. 

[Janet & Jaxson]

I will be interested to see our renewal in about January. We also have Pet Plan. Interestingly enough, there was no premium change when I called them to tell them we moved from So. California to Hawaii. But we'll see what our renewal is. Jaxson just turned 2.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

When we moved from PA to MI, they immediately started our plan date over and took out an additional premium. Interesting. 

[Janet & Jaxson]

I had totally expected a premium adjustment at the very least so I was surprised when all they did was take down my new address.  Maybe because both California and Hawaii are both in the same cost "bracket" - expensive?  But the part about starting your plan year over is interesting.  Why so different?  We moved in May, 2016.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I don't know, but I called today and he said it was standard practice. I was very surprised when they did it and even more surprised when they deducted money from my checking account. But why they did it for us and not you, I have no answer. Our PA policy ran from March to March with Fudge and April to April for Vern. Both dogs are now October to October.