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. 

[Eva Markiewicz]

Here is a summary of the plan I just purchased for Ollie.  I am very surprised that it is so high, since he is so young.  I paid the year in full to get more of a discount.  I also signed up online and used the discount "DOODLE" to support doodle messenger and receive a discount.  I also maxed out the deductible to $200, but I did set the reimbursement to 100%, since I'm most concerned with them paying out during an emergency.  I don't mind the cost of regular vet visits as much - I just don't want to become financially crippled if he has a major emergency.

 

It would be nice (if there isn't one already) to have a forum where we can report on experiences with pet insurance companies.  It would also be nice to be able to conduct a regular yearly poll to where we ask people to report on stats like:

 

(1)  Avg. cost of insurance (normalized by pet age of course)

(2)  Avg. Number of claims filed vs. claims paid (normalized by the amounts of each of those claims and maybe also the type of claim - i.e. major surgery, routine care, emergency visit, chronic condition, etc.)

(3)  Ease of interfacing with customer service departments

(4)  Avg. time to receive reimbursement

 

I'm sure we can develop other metrics along the way to help us quantifiably compare pet insurance companies.  In a newly emerging industry like this - there is very little consumer advocacy in place to protect policy holders.  We might even consider partnering with a consumer advocates group like consumer reports.  I'm sure they would be happy to help us develop a survey that is complete and detailed.  And I'm sure there are many other pet owners out there (like me) who are apprehensive about pet insurance.

 

Pet Name: Ollie
Type of Pet: Dog
Breed of Pet: Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 70lb)
Gold Plan
Veterinary Fees		$20,000
Boarding Kennel and Cattery Fees		$500
Advertising and Reward		$500
Loss due to Theft or Straying		$500
Death from Illness or Injury		$1,000
Vacation Cancellation		$1,000
Annual Premium		$303.69
Deductible		$200
Reimbursement Level		100%

 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

All I want from insurance is reimbursement, after a deductible,  for major medical intervention or specific emergency vet services - surgery - vet, boarding, rehab etc.  I don't want lost pet, death, vacation cancellation (although that would have been nice when Gordie tore his CCL)  Is there a plan that covers this and nothing extra?

[Adina P]

That's all I'd want too...emergency stuff.  The rest I can deal with.  But a friend of mine just had her dog's tooth extracted for $800!!! I'd like something like this to be covered.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Prior to getting our Doodle, we had a beautiful standard poodle who unfortunately had issues from puppyhood- allergies, etc etc.  At our first vet visit, they suggested we get pet insurance and at that time there were few companies to choose from.  We did buy VPI and were never unhappy with them.  The insurance was only $19.95 a month and after 6.5 years we were only paying $24.95 even though we had used it extensively.  At 5 yrs. old, he had a partial tear to his right back cruciate ligament and once again we had to have to go to specialists, etc. VPI paid for it without any issues. We did not have to have surgery at that time because it was only a partial tear, but were told that surgery would be imminent in the future. We were told by VPI that when and if it happened, it would be covered.  Unfortunately, at 6.5, he came down with IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia).  We caught it early, but he was unable to respond to the treatments and we had to take hime to specialiats at WSU in Pullman, WA - he had several blood transfusions, etc. He ended up in their ICU unit twice.  He just could not respond to any of the treatments like some dogs do.  We lost him after six weeks, and VPI paid for everything, including cremation, etc.  I have always been happy with VPI.  We now have Charlie covered with them, however, he is just so healthy he probably will not need to use it, but if something does happen, we know what to expect from VPI.     

[Bonne Bouche]

We love Embrace. I would obviously suggest them, however:

 

They offer 5% discount for "altered", 5% for paying annually, and 5% for microchip. They stack for the max discount of 15%

 

I purchased our policy when bb was 8 weeks old with an affiliate discount through "the magic bullet fund" it gave me 10% off and a kickback to the MBF. I called now (after BB was fixed and chipped) to see if they'd add the additional 10% and they said that they couldnt.

 

My thoughts are, if most of the dogs here are chipped and fixed, an affiliate discount wouldnt/couldnt add on top of that, so it might be better to go with another company where these discounts arn't available, or could stack. (my $.02)