I chickened out on pet insurance: UPDATE

[Breanna]

I had called VPI and set up a plan. I was all excited until I saw several reviews saying that they did not get reimbursed for a variety of reasons. They said that the insurance companies will find any way out of paying a claim. I just can't afford to risk investing in insurance and then not getting paid for a claim. I cancelled the insurance before I was charged. I read that some people open savings plans instead of insurance and I will do that for now until I figure it out. If I open a health savings plan then I could at least have it for health care in an emergency for either of us. 

Update:

I did a little more reading and decided on PetPlan. It's much more affordable than VPI because it doesn't cover vaccinations and wellness exams (you end up paying the same over the course of the year anyway). 

I talked to my aunt about pet insurance recently and she said she doesn't have it but will rely on credit cards or payment plans if anything happens. Well, on Christmas day her dog got hit by a car and now she is asking for donations to pay for his treatment. That helped me finalize my decision that I need pet insurance. I just signed up online for the bronze plan-$10,000 a year with an 80% reimbursement and $200 deductible. I feel pretty good about that. 

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Breanna, I, too, went back and forth about pet insurance for four years!  After my neighbor accidentally ran over her dog this year, http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/a-terrible-thing-happened, it hit home as to how fast and much expenses could mount up and I got insurance for Haley.  Just the peace of mind having it brings is well worth the expense.  I have not had to use it yet but I feel I know what will be covered and am confident that they will pay covered charges per the policy.

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

I am one of those that does not have pet insurance. We currently have 6 pups and 1 cat. My mother lives with us and she has 1 dog - - so we would be covering insurance for 8 pets. I looked at the cost of pet insurance and we made the decision to self insure - - so I have a special "category" in my savings account that we put in the amount of the pet insurance every month. With 8, it certainly adds up quickly. I can't imagine that we would need this amount for more than one at the time, but we currently have enough to cover VERY large surgeries and bills for 2-3 pups at one time.

I know many do not agree with me, but we have always "self-insured" for our pets and have always had the money put aside for whatever treatment or surgery they need.  I will admit - it takes self control to put that money aside and not use it for other things when money in other "categories" get low.

[Heather & Brinkley]

I had one problem from VPI-- I did understand my pan but they were trying to get of it.  I complained about it on this site-- and apparently one of their social media employers monitor this site (among others) and quickly got on it.  They did fix the issue, I got my money and haven't had a problem since.  I'm submitting another claim today- my first since this issue.  Hoping all goes smoothly.

[Heather Martinez]

Teddy is 3 and I haven't needed to file a claim with Petplan yet. However, I am glad I have it so that it will cover any conditions he comes down with as he gets older. If I waited to get it, those would be pre-existing conditions and would not be covered. My policy has a $200 deductible to keep the rates low, and I budget $200 every 3 months for vet bills since it seems he needs to go in for something about every 3 months (so far luckily all small illnesses). My policy goes up to $20,000 per year. If Teddy gets in an accident, I want to know I can do every single thing to help him without worrying about money. If he gets sick, I want to have the X-rays and tests that I need right away and not wait and see to save money. Technically, we could afford to cover even $20,000 if we took money out of savings. But first, that would deplete savings we could be using for other things, and second, we would be put in the position of deciding whether spending that money was worth it. I never want to be in that position with Teddy. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Exactly.

[Stephanie and Ragley]

It seems like most people on here have pet plan and love it, but my hesitation with them is that they have a "per incident, per year" deductible and it seems like that has the potential to add up rather quickly if your dog has multiple unrelated issues in a year (ear infection, GI issues, etc.). 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I have both of my dogs covered with VPI, and they have always treated us well.  

I purchased Major Medical and Care-Guard Core.

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

One of the reasons I chose Embrace for Haley was the deductible.  His deductible is per year and not per incident, "per year".

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I have paid about $300/year for 5 years and have not had to use it.  I can only hope that Peri lives to be 15 and it's a complete waste of $5000+!  More than likely, I will use it at some point!  They break their leg, they eat a bad food item, they get hip dysp, I could go on and on and on!

[Robin and Libby Louise]

All I can say is that while sitting in the emergency room at the University of Pennsylvania vet hospital when Libby was a year old, I saw quite a few people sobbing because they didn't have insurance and were forced to decide the fate of their pet based on whether or not they could pay for treatment.  I would never want to be in that position and seeing the situation first hand really made an impact on me.  Libby needed emergency surgery and thankfully a large chunk of the cost was reimbursed by the insurance company.  I know it seems like a lot to spend, but if you ever need it, you will be thankful you have it in place.

[Breanna]

I've seen someone sobbing at the vet because she had to put her dog down and I felt so bad for her. The thing is nowadays, we have much better resources to treat dogs rather than just having to put them down. It makes the insurance more worth it to me. 

[a.k.a. Rodney]

I have waited to write till I saw how my 3 (and only ever) claims were handled by PETS BEST INS. CO.
Have to tell you...they were Fast, honest, accurate & the claim filing was simple & easy. All in all everything was paid in less than 10 days.needless to say I was quite impressed. I chose the smallest amount of yearly coverage...$1,000 & 90% coverage with a $100 deductible. There was a 10% co pay on all claims paid....I want to say they did everything they promised & are easy to communicate with!
They covered to ear infections & her GASTRO issues to date...no worming or fecal studies. But she had an X-ray
And everything related to the GASTRO issue was paid!!
My philosophy is Better to have it & not need it it...vs. Needing it & Not having it.
We got it when she was 4 mo & I pay apprx $15 mo