Answer Back from Petplan! Petplan, Petplan, Petplan.............UPDATE to previous discussion

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

As many of you know that were involved with my last discussion, I concluded it by saying I would be writing a letter to Petplan. I have also written Healthy Paws, but have not heard back from them. Here is that discussion.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/pet-plan-insurance

Carly called back from Petplan to discuss my recent letter and since I was not home, I had to call her back. The toll free number is 1-866-467-3875.  In my letter, I explained that I belonged to a dog website with over 15,000 members and some of us were very unhappy with the recent changes brought on by the new underwriters. I told them many of us were getting less coverage for much higher premiums and were thinking about changing and also mentioned that we have many discussions about Pet insurance on our website.

When I called back, Carly was on vacation, so I spoke with Deidre. She said they had to change underwriters because the old underwriters were going to raise the deductible PER CONDITION to $1000 for every policy. Petplan knew this would be unmanageable for most people and chose to look for new underwriters. They are aware that the new higher than average increased premiums are not a plus for Petplan, but feel the broader range of coverage, more options, and ability to now offer an annual deductible (must be approved) make up for it. The letter we have all gotten at renewal time is just an example of what kind of coverage you can get, but they do work with everyone individually to come up with a policy that meets your needs. 

The premium are based on age, breed, and location. I also asked why Poodle mixes are generally cheaper than Doodles, and she said that is because (for example) a Labradoodle would be insured for risks associated with both Labs and Poodles, whereas a Poodle Mix would be insured for risks associated with just a Poodle because the other part of the mix is unknown. She did say Poodles run higher than Doodles, but don't quote me on that one, because I heard one thing, but my notes are unclear.

So, that is the scoop and just another thing to help people who are trying to make the decision about Petplan.  I will update about Healthy Paws when I get an answer.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Leslie, if your pet is over 7 years old, Healthy Paws will only give you Unlimited coverage with a $500 deduct and 70% coverage. No other choices.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Leslie, Call them and see if they can come up with something cheaper for Halas. See Ricki's comment about Healthy Paws. I think must of us are stuck.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Thanks for the info Laurie ... unfortunately, I have a feeling PetPlan is not going to be sorry to see me go.  I'm pretty sure I can switch AnnaBelle with no issues to Healthy Paws, but Lucy is a whole other ballgame.  

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

You are welcome. Hope you come up with something that works for both your dogs. 

[Leslie and Halas]

I just looked, and my premium isn't really that much higher (last night I was thinking it was a lot higher).  Last year was the big jump for us in premium.  The new one is only going up $60, which is the smallest increase we've had in years.  And what I had was $22,000/$200/100%. What they want to switch me to is Unlimited/$300/90%.  100% is no longer an option.  And going from Unlimited to $25,000 will only save me about $30.  Playing with the deductible is what makes the biggest difference.  Going from Unlimited/$300/90% to Unlimited/$200/90% raises the premium about $250! I'm not too worried about the deductible, so $300 is ok with me. Bumping it up another $100 only saves me $80, so that's interesting: reducing the deductible by $100 costs another $250, but increasing it $100 only saves $80.  $300 feels like a good middle ground.  I called about the annual deductible, but I'm not sure that's going to make sense for us. I should hear back about that within 24 hours.  But right now, I think I'm going to stick with what they showed me on my letter:  Unlimited/$300/90% for $784.  Ouch!  But the thing is, if I add up all the premiums I've paid so far, subtract the benefit from the one time I had to use it, and add a guess for what premiums will be for the rest of his life, it doesn't even come close to what I'd be willing to spend on medical care for Halas.  I would spend insane amounts of money to do everything within my power to help him if it ever came to that.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Good information, Leslie. Thanks for sharing. Yes, I am not going to be without insurance either and our premium went up, but not as much as some of the other people in this discussion.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

To me the most important consideration is your Doodle's health history.  If my guys had been healthy changing companies to reduce the premium might make sense (assuming coverage remained the same).  The problem is both of my guys have serious health issues that I know will continue to present us with major Vet bills going forward.  They would be pre-existing conditions and coverage would be denied.  Murphy has IBD andalso has atopic dermatitis (seasonal at this point) and so any claim that was allergy related would also be denied.  Guinness has IBS which is a vague enough diagnosis that any GI event would likely not be covered.  Although I am paying $2000 for both dogs, I would not change at this point.  I'm really happy with the coverage ($22,000 annual max per dog with a $200 per incident deductible).  It's interesting because this is the whole "pre-existing condition" issue that the human health insurance market faces.  I really think that as vet care becomes more and more sophisticated and technological, costs will rise and so will insurance rates.  Experience will drive what companies are charging, and so companies that are less expensive at one point may not be over time.  For anyone with a healthy dog, I think shopping around makes sense.  For those with dogs with a poor health history the options are limited.  For me, another episode of IBD would be several thousand dollars, and I'm not willing to take that chance.

[Leslie and Halas]

And even though your premium keeps going up, you're probably still making great use of the policy every year.  Overall, the insurance is probably paying for itself, considering how much you have to use it.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

That's right...especially with Murphy. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Jane, you make some really good points about the pre-existing issue. After more consideration, I've decided (for today-LOL) to keep Amber on Petplan because she has so many possible pre-existing conditions. She ended up in the ER one long holiday weekend and was only diagnosed with "dehydration". So I'm concerned if she had that happen again it wouldn't be covered. She's also has had ear issues, UTI's and kidney issues, so many things would be excluded.  Tara on the other hand has only had a broken tooth in her 7 years so we are going switch her to Healthy Paws. I think...:)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

That makes sense, Ricki! Good luck!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I agree. I am not changing and I wouldn't if I were in your shoes. Insurance has been a great thing for your dogs.