Update on Pet Insurance Options

[Adina P]

Initially I contacted VPI pet insurance upon suggestion of one of our members in case they'd be able to offer DoodleKisses.com members a discount (since there are a lot of us).  I learned the discount is pretty small and decided to contact a few other pet insurance carriers: Pet Plan, Embrace, and Trupanion.

 

I have heard back from 2 of the 3 so far.  Essentially our options are:

 

1) Offer members a 5% discount for insurance carrier A.

2) Offer members a 10% discount for monthly plans or a 15% discount for yearly plans for insurance carrier B.

3)  Earn a commission ourselves on accepted applications from insurance carrier B.

4) Offer members $10 sign-up discount for insurance carrier C

5) Earn a commission ourselves on accepted applications from insurance carrier C.

 

Since the whole point in looking into this was to offer something cool for our members, I really wanted to check with you again on what you want.  I know most of you who are interested have already either chosen an insurance carrier or have considered the various options.  So it's not just about the biggest discount but also whether the insurance carrier offers what you most want/need in a pet insurance plan.  It would be COOL if we could earn a commission AND offer you a discount but that combo is not an option with those we've heard from, so we're going with a discount for you. 

 

Someone mentioned that saying "Doodle" when you sign up for Pet Plan (who has not gotten back to us yet) gets you a 10% discount.  This is due to the Doodle Messenger's partnership with them...I think they may even make a donation/commission back from this. 

 

Now, how should we proceed?  What do you say?  Should we take a formal poll on which carrier is MOST desired?  THIS IS NOT THAT FORMAL poll...but more of a quest for suggestions on what members want out of this. 

[Jennifer and Jack]

Yes Diane, pre-exsiting conditions will not be covered, They will not be covered for any insurance that they offer with any company that I have found so far, If you have insurance and you have a dog with a preexisting condition, I would not do a thing to drop it.

[Diana Erhart]

I agree with giving a second option to DK members.  Like I mentioned earlier, I have yet to decide between Pet Plan and Embrace so I would vote for Embrace.  But that is just me.  I hope others chime in on the insurance plan(s) they are considering to give you an idea of what the rest of the membership is thinking.  Thank you so much for doing all of this work!

[Sandra Douglas]

I wish I had purchased pet insurance.  I had a hefty vet bill 1 1/2 years ago when she had to have surgery for eating laundry.  She will be 3 in July, is it still possible to get insurance when they're not puppies?

[Jennifer and Jack]

Yes you can get insurance still, that is not to late at all.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

We got insurance for Ben our Golden Retriever when he turned 9. If you need to use it you just have to send in a medical history. That's how they check for pre-existing conditions. With PetPlan It's their medical history for the past 2 years.

[Michele Barton]

I also would not use anyone but PetPlan, discount or not. I have had it for 2 years now, they are wonderful. I had a claim over $1000 which was initially denied. I called them immediately, turns out it was an error on their part. they apologized profusely and I received a check two days later. All of my other claims have been paid without a hitch, but it's good to know that they are very easy to work with when things don't go smoothly.

[Lynne B]

Michele I completely agree with you & so does my vet.  They pay whatever the vet bills, they don't try to limit payments or exclude items, I have had two claims both paid within 2 weeks with NO questions asked.  I had to reduce my coverage when the policy renewed because the money is  a little tight right now, they spent a long time on the phone with me going over various options and suggesting what would work within my budget.

[Julie and Maggie]

I'll just add that I am pretty sure I will go with Pet Plan once we are eligible in a few weeks. But I haven't checked out Embrace. I have ruled out Trupanion and VPI for a variety of reasons. I doubt that a discount would make me choose one over another at this point because I'm just going for the policy that makes the most sense for us. 

 

[Dixie]

So if we have trupanion now can we get a discount? ... Im a little new to this forum 

Thanks! 

[Martha & Cooper]

Just so everyone knows, even if you already have a plan with Pet Plan, you can contact them and ask for the "Doodle" discount to be added to your plan.   I just did  it with a link that is provided under the Customer Service page on my PolicyHolder's page.   The discount wasn't available when I took out Cooper's policy and I thought I would have to wait until renewal, but I received an e-mail back today telling me that the additional 5% discount would be requested to be written into my policy within 10 days and I would be getting a confirmation letter.   You get 5% for auto payments, 5% for signing up online and now 5% for "Doodle" discounts.   That makes it the max discount available with this company.

[Eva Markiewicz]

After reading through these discussions, listening to some friends last night tell me about a horror-story with their cat (they're still paying down the $6.5k vet bill), and hearing all the rave-reviews for PetPlan, I signed Ollie up for PetPlan this morning.  Thanks for all the info everyone!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Just yesterday, months after I signed up for Pet Plan, I got a $25 American Express gift card for each dog , which was a kind of sign on bonus. I had forgotten all about it!