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. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Nancy, You are too kind!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I heard from Pet Plan today via email that Fudge and Vern both qualify for the annual deductible instead of the per incident deductible. After reading some of the quotes, I think I am fortunate we live where we live. I will post the premiums when I call tomorrow. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

My dogs are 7 and 8. My Pet Plan premium for each is now $691. The maximum is $22,00. The deductible is $200 and the coverage is 80%. The premiums have gone up from $262 in the beginning.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

The east coast premiums must run higher, although you have more coverage than we do.

[Debbie and Toby]

We will probably get our renewal letter around the end of the year, will be interesting. Would annual deductible or deductible per incident be a better choice? I guess once I get the renewal I'll have to evaluate it. This is an interesting discussion, thanks for posting.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

If it is not too much more, I am going to go with the annual deductible. I will know more tomorrow.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks for sharing this information, Olga. Yikes...that would be one hefty premium each month. I think if you go the insurance route, the time to do it is when they are puppies. I have tried to track my premiums every year so people can see the increases. Luckily, my premiums are not as high as yours was quoted. 

[Kris and Sawyer]

Sawyer is only 3. We just got the renewal in July. They did not up my annual...it's still $10,000 with $200 deductible and 80% coverage. We have the "Bronze" level. Paying about $335/year. I'm guessing where I live, plus how young he is, and we've never had to make a claim... All plays in to lower cost.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I just got the renewal letters from PetPlan for Lucca 8 and Izzy 6. Lucca's premium increased 11% ($645.32) but they raised his deductible (per condition) from $200 to $500. Reimbursement level  is now 70%. Annual allowance increase from $10,000 to $15,000. We are in Northern CA.

Izzy's premium increased 22% ($587.49). Annual increased to $15,000. Deductible (per condition) from $200 to $450. Reimbursement level remained at 80%.

Now they just told me that Lucca doesn't even qualify for an annual deductible quote because he just had eye surgery. Izzy qualifies because she hasn't had any issues in a long time. That's what they base this on. 

She told me preexisting conditions are conditions they had before they were on the plan. My kids have been on PetPlan since the day I brought them home. so technically no pre-existing conditions BUT if we transfer to another company will that still hold? I have a feeling...not!! 

My son just signed up for HealthyPaws and it seems to have good reviews. I'm going to call them

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

HealthyPaws premiums are about the same as our PetPlan increase but the annual deductible is $250 and they have a unlimited lifetime benefits. 

[Debbie and Toby]

Hi Carla  How is Lucca? What did he have surgery for? I hope he is doing well. So, based on what you just said, we probably won't qualify for annual deductible either since Toby had ligament surgery. It is sad that they are doing this, huge rate increases, but offering lower coverages. Even though they are increasing the annual limits, the out-of-pocket expense per condition is now much higher, so in the long run we will pay out much more over the course of the year, unless we have anything major happen. And for us, Toby has so many "conditions" now that have been documented that most of his issues would be pre-existing to another now. I could understand small increases each year, but it seems like their increases are quite drastic now since they have new underwriters. I hope anyone new considering insurance, or those looking to compare plans between companies before they have any issues, will look closely at the options available before making a decision. I have always liked PetPlan, they have covered everything per the plan, but I would have a hard time recommending them now after seeing the increases everyone is receiving. We are currently paying about $105 per month for PetPlan, and that doesn't even cover the $250+ per month we spend on meds for Toby that aren't covered because of "pre-existing" conditions. I do think "pre-existing" will carry over, as anything already documented or diagnosed for Lucca or Izzy would be considered "pre-existing" at any other company. Doesn't hurt to check, though. When Toby had his ligament surgery, they requested copies of all Toby's medical records, AGAIN, from our previous vets we had right up to date, which delayed our reimbursement, just to be sure he never had any other issues with his leg. They did end up paying the claim but I was a little nervous, even though I knew he was never treated for any leg injuries. Our renewal starts Feb 1 so we should have our new documents hopefully around the end of the year, or very beginning of next year. This has been an interesting post, I would definitely recommend  pet insurance, but it seems like there may be some more affordable choices. Everyone's input here will sure be beneficial in helping people to make good decisions with getting pet insurance.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Hi Debbie, Lucca is fine. He had a small benign neoplasm on his eyelid in July and it was growing so the vet wanted to get it removed before it scratched his cornea. PetPlan was great for this and paid the full 80% less the $200 deductible. They have been great for the past 8 years for us. I have never had a problem with claims but it makes no sense to me to pay such a high deductible. 

Most of my dog's pre-existing conditions are minor... ear infections, conjunctivitis... nothing that I would ever submit a claim for anyway. I think I may risk it and go over to Healthy Paws.

So glad hear from you. It's been awhile. Best to you and Toby.