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. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks for this discussion Laurie. It is something I think about. If only there were no pre existing condition clauses I think the market could be a lot more competitive. It seems once you have chosen a plan you are kind of stuck with them..

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

That's how I feel. It is too late to change at this point, but reading all of the premiums others have listed, I guess I am glad we live where we live.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Laurie are you reading my mind again? LOL I received Tara's and Amber's renewal notices this week and PetPlan is making changes on their policies too.  I was going to post yet another discussion about it too.  Thanks for doing that for me! :)

Tara's current policy:

$10,000 annual coverage
$200 deductible

90% reimbursement

Annual premium $389.88

The new policy assigned to us is:

$20,000 annual

$350.00 deduct.

90% reimburse.

Annual premium $593.13

I used the on line policy calculator and to renew at the same levels, $10,000/200/90 was 715.75. So to stay with the same coverage would be an additional $325.87 for the next year.  Nearly doubles.  To get the coverage you have 15000/300/80 would be $504.07 for Tara.

The only claim she had with them was for a broken tooth-no illness claims. 

I'm not sure what we are going to do yet. I may shop around for Tara. Amber has several pre-existing issues so we're stuck with PetPlan for her. I haven't even looked at her renewal numbers yet! :(

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yikes....that is quite a hike. I think I would call and talk to them about it, because Tara hasn't had any major claims. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness is seven and Murph is six, and I've had Pet Plan since they were puppies too.  My renewal premium for Guinness is $1108 and for Murph $803.  The coverage is $22,000 annual, $200 Ded, and 100% reimbursement.  We've had several serious claims, but I think most of the high premium is due to where we live and the cost of vet care in the area.  I can lower the premium by increasing the deductible or the reimbursement, but I'm a little reluctant to to that because of the IBD for Murph.  I might adjust Guinness's coverage though....he has been pretty healthy now for the past couple of years. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Jane, Tara is also 7 and I ran your policy limits for her. The annual premium for $25000/200/90 is $859.  The annual was jumping by $5,000 increments so I couldn't get $22,000 exactly. Also I was not offered 100% reimbursement, 90% is the highest for us.  Each 10% increase of the percent reimbursement increases the premium by $90-100.  So it does sound like location is a factor in price.  But either way it is really a huge increase for us considering Tara has never been sick. I wonder if reaching a certain age also causes a premium increase. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I definitely think the premium goes up as the dog ages....that would make sense to me.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

The premiums definitely go up with age and I believe the 6 or 7 range was the biggest jump for us. I seem to remember someone said if you enter Poodle Mix it goes down, but I am not sure, so don't quote me. Are you getting all the discounts, too??

[Debbie and Toby]

I've actually heard that, too, that "poodle mix" is a bit lower in cost

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I wonder if you can change once you listed your dog as a Doodle.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think it would have to match whatever your vet has in the records.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I believe I'm getting all the discounts but I'll have to ask when I call them.