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. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Jane, for your reply. I think our premiums did not increase as much because of our move. Michigan must be cheaper than your state and PA. I know you have had to use the insurance and it has been a good thing for you to have. 

[Debbie and Toby]

We currently have the $50 deductible plan, per incident or illness, I logged in and got a quote as if I was getting insurance on a new dog, but the same age as Toby, less coverage but up $50 per month more.....

We currently pay $105 a month with $50 deductible per illness/accident and 100% coverage, a new plan would be $163 per month with annual deductible of $100 and only 90% coverage.. we started out with lower deductibles but it seems every time we went to the vet nothing was ever covered, so we lowered the deductible.

Is PetPlan converting to annual deductible or will this new deductible still be per illness or accident?

Looks like we may have to lower Toby's coverage quite a bit to make it affordable starting in February. He has so many pre-exisiting conditions now that we would not be able to switch to any other companies. 

Ours has increased at least $100 each year, with the Feb 2016 renewal our plan jumped $400 for the year. (Toby turned 8 in March 2016) 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Debbie, in the letter we received from PetPlan, we are given the choice of deductible per condition or  an annual deductible.  They want you to call them for a quote that includes the annual deductible. I haven't tried it yet as it seems annual would be even more costly but I don't know... so the amount I was given was per condition per policy term. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yes, it does go up if you qualify for the annual deductible. They don't get you an answer immediately. It gets sent somewhere else and then they email you. I will call tomorrow and see what the premium goes up to and let everyone know.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I just called today about getting the annual deductible. They don't tell you over the phone. They send your request to someone there and then they email you. I think it is based on how many claims you have had. It does increase the premium.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

Agree, the more info the better.   We have insurance on all four with Trupanion.  I felt more comfortable with how they handled the deductible.  That was the only reason I didn't go with Pet Plan. Paying an annual deductible regardless if the issue is a continuation from the prior year and that deductible already met just didn't sit well with me.   The premium has gone up most years but usually around $1.50/month and they've included more in their standard policy so I've been OK.  The customer service has been excellent Granted, they don't cover annual shots/exam and only pay for the treatment of the condition, not the doctor visit.  That works for me but for others, they want more of the all inclusive.  Both are good, just depends on what you're looking for. 

The below is a site I found that was a good central place to at least start research. 

http://www.petinsurancereview.com/dog.asp

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I know Charlotte has posted that she was very happy with Trupanion's handling of Paz's chemo treatments:

Reply by charlotte bednarsh on August 22, 2016 at 12:27pm

Hi, I had Trupanion for my beloved labradoodle Paz, who was diagnosed with T Cell Lymphoma in November 2015...Paz crossed the rainbow bridge on May 31, 2016, however, he received the best state of the art treatment which got the disease into remission for 6 months.   I had Trupanion Insurance for Paz, and they were absolutely wonderful;  Paz's treatment cost in excess of $20,000 (chemotherapy, radiation and hospitalization) and Trupanion paid almost 90% of the treatment costs as soon as the bills were submitted; Trupanion has no cap on the amount it will pay annually, or on the lifetime of the policy.  In my case, Trupanion arranged to pay the veterinarian directly (Blue Pearl Animal Hospital, NYC) which made it a lot easier.   Trupanion's customer service is absolutely wonderful and my experience with Trupanion was truly great.  I'm getting a new doodle puppy in November, and I'm going to be immediately covering my new doodle with Trupanion.  The other policy that is highly recommended is Healthy Paws, who also has no cap on their coverage.  If a beloved doodle requires extensive medical treatment, the costs can be astronomical, so I highly suggest either Trupanion or Healthy Paws.

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/health-plans-again?xg_sour...

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Karen, for adding to the discussion. I am so glad Charlotte did not have to worry about the costs at such a difficult time. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Cyndi. I agree...it is important to shop around and see what works best for you. Thanks for the link.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thanks for the link Cyndi, I plan to do some shopping!  I've tried in the past though and sometimes it seems like I'm comparing apples to oranges with all the variations.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

Good luck!! It helps to decide in advance what's most important. How they handle deductibles, what do they consider preexisting, do you want some thing that covers shots/physicals or just injury/illness and, of course, price. Read what they cover, exclude and require for payment very carefully when researching, I found ones that didn't cover ER visits or had conditions around it. One stipulated that the vet had to be a member of some certification group(can't remember what it was) for the treatment to be covered. I did not want to deal with any of those things. It took me a while to dig though it but very worthwhile in the end. Once I thought I knew who I wanted to go with, then I searched for reviews to get an idea on experiences after signing up. I think I finally did a spreadsheet to keep track :).

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you for posting this.  I wonder if Pet Plan knows how much influence you have on thousands of people?