Pet Insurance Premiums! What to Expect Year after Year. (Petplan)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I have been charting my pet insurance premiums since I started and wanted to share it with all of you. My polices for both dogs are with Pet Plan. I know the premiums have gone up, but when I think of what one catastrophic illness could cost me, the peace of mind is worth it for me. I thought this is good for others to know, so you can plan for insurance for your dog/dogs.

Fudge

2009    143.56

2010    143.56

2011    167.69

2012    206.60

2013    246.40

2014    308.00

2015    385.00, ((also we moved from PA to MI and upon date of move, policy year changed from                                  March to October and I payed an additional premium of 190.84 (after they brought                              over 158.84 from the old policy)  to take the policy from 3/2015 all the way to 10/2016))

2016    469.20  (new underwriters and new policy change, $15,000, 80%, and $300 Annual                                           deductible, no longer per incident)

2017     603.10

2018     693.96

Vern

2010    143.56

2011    167.69

2012    182.93

2013    221.07

2014    276.34

2015    345.43  (also we moved from PA to MI and upon date of move, policy year changed from                                  April to October and I payed an additional premium of 143.57 (after they brought                                  over 150.45 from the old policy)  to take the policy from 4/2015 all the way to                                        10/2016))

2016    407.97  (new underwriters and new policy change, $15,000, 80%, and $300 Annual                                           deductible, no longer per incident)

2017    524.37

2018     603.49

My rates include a 15% discount and my coverage started with coverage for vet fees of $8000, 80% reimbursement level and $200 deductible and is now $10000 coverage, 80% reimbursement level and $200 deductible.

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/question-about-rising-pet-...

[Leslie and Halas]

Yes! Murder is a dangerous business!

[Jennifer and Jack]

Jack is six $813.34 is our yearly premium. I recently changed it to $100.00 deductible we used to have $50. And zero co-Insurance. That's a lot of money for me to pay but I would be up the creek without it.

I have the gold plan and it pays for someone to watch Jack up to $500.00 a year when I am Innthe hospital, right there, to date, that has almost always paid the premium. I do hope it stops going up soon......I will never be without it. I just make other household budget cuts to compromise

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jennifer, What company do you use? 

[Amy and Annabelle]

This thread made me call my vet to see what insurance they accept. Well they don't accept any. The only thing they take is care credit. So not the same thing. Now I am left with a decision to change vets so I can get insurance. I checked out VPI that reimburses you after you have paid. But what they pay seems to be on the really low side. I worry about Annabelle eating something she shouldn't. They only paid less that $700.00 for intestinal obstructions from foreign objects. I thought something like that would be in the thousands. So I decided against that one.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Amy, I think it is typical for the insurance company to request that the fees be paid by you to the vet. They then reimburse you. Petplan also operates this way. I don't think vets have the time or knowledge to get involved with insurance billing. It has worked out well for us to pay the vet and then submit our paid invoices to Petplan. In the past the have reimbursed us within 2 weeks.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Exactly Amy -- It isn't like human insurance where the Doctor has to take whatever you have or you have to find another doctor.  The insurance is between you and Pet Plan or Healthy Paws or whichever you choose. My first claim with Pet Plan took about a month to come back.  That is because I had to submit all the paperwork (mine were a couple years old when I took out insurance) and they had to go through all of the paperwork and figure out any pre-existing conditions etc.  Since that time it take about 10 days to two weeks unless I hit a really busy time then it might take a little longer to get the payment.  The important thing is to be sure you include everything upfront so they don't have to wait on paperwork from the Vet's office.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Amy, Usually, you have to pay up front at the Vet's office and then turn the bills into your insurance company. For us, the vet has to supply two years worth of notes for each claim. Hope that helps.

[Amy and Annabelle]

Thanks everyone for your input. The vet came highly recommended. Tomorrow I have to go there to pick up Annabelle's worm meds for this month so I am going to talk with them.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

We're seeing the same thing happen with Tara and Amber's premiums. :(  I'm still very happy to pay them though. Thanks for posting the info.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

You are welcome. Little Tara's premiums are as much as big Vern's...I guess size doesn't matter :)

[Amy and Annabelle]

I want to get Annabelle insured. It sounds like my vet wants nothing to do with the insurance. So I know you pay in advance and then submit the claim to be reimbursed. On Healthy Paws website, for filing a claim, it said something about a little assistance from your vet. Not sure I could get my vet to assist with anything. Does anyone know what they would need from the vet besides the paperwork, which I would get anyway?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

When I set up Tara's insurance the insurance company asked that the vet or any vet she had previously seen fax them all of her previous records-chart notes, lab work, etc.  The insurance company asks for all of the records in order to determine if there are any pre-existing conditions which they may not cover.  The vet only  had to do this one time though not every time I file a claim. Now when I file a claim I just get  copies of the chart notes, paid  invoice and any lab work or test results and fax them to the insurance company. With Petplan the Vet does have to write the diagnosis and initial the claim form for the first visit but if I have multiple claims for the same diagnosis I can just check a box stating it is a previous claim.  It's very simple really.