Pet insurance again

[Stacy]

So this was kind of unexpected, I just got on my work website to see what was happening, and as of today they are offering pet insurance through Nationwide with bulk pricing through payroll deduction. I haven't heard much about Nationwide. There is no age limit on the pet, but it says they don't cover pre-existing conditions unless your vet certifies that they are cured for 6 months first - so Ava's allergies and tumor would be out. But Katie doesn't have any pre-existing conditions. And Ava could have more health problems. So I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea if this sounds good/bad/not worth it? 

Plan choices
Three different plans will be available to you if you enroll in this new benefit:  

▪   My Pet Protection, covering treatment of illnesses and injuries for dogs and cats;

▪   My Pet Protection with Wellness, adding reimbursement for wellness exams, vaccinations, spay/neuter, flea/tick and other preventive services and treatments for dogs and cats in addition to illness and injury protection offered by My Pet Protection alone; and

▪   Avian and Exotic Pet Plan, covering both wellness and accident/illness treatment for most birds as well as goats, potbellied pigs, turtles, rabbits and an assortment of other less common creatures kept as pets. 

Each of the plans offers a 90-percent reimbursement of covered expenses from any veterinarian after a $250 annual deductible, up to a maximum of $7,500. All plans include access to a 24-hour vethelpline, where members can receive veterinary guidance at no charge, whether it is general guidance or help identifying urgent care needs.

 

How it works
“Getting as much as 90 percent of your veterinarian bill back is as easy as 1-2-3,” said Nationwide’s Kate Schoenman, National Accounts Executive.

“No. 1 – use any veterinarian, and pay for treatment at the time of service. No. 2 – mail or email the claim form available through Nationwide’s policyholder portal, along with the vet bill. And No. 3 – get reimbursed according to the plan you’ve chosen after meeting the $250 deductible.”

There are no age restrictions, although pre-existing conditions are not covered unless a veterinarian certifies your pet as cured for six months or more. Plans do not reimburse for taxes, waste disposal, grooming or routine boarding.

To use the free vethelpline, be ready to provide the insurance policy number as well as information about current medications, the package label of any ingested substance and any health problems your pet is experiencing.

 

 

 My Pet Protection Plan: 

▪   Accidents & illnesses

▪   Hereditary & congenital

▪   Cancer

▪   Dental diseases

▪   Behavioral treatments

▪   Rx therapeutic diets & supplements

▪   Use any vet

▪   Specialty & ER coverage included

$250 annual deductible    $7,500 max annual benefit

The website quoted me:

Premiums 856.95 for 2 dogs for 1 year

But it didn't ask any questions about the breed/age/health or anything about them. So... I'm not sure. I've definitely spent more than that at the vet this year! But since a lot of Ava's stuff wouldn't be covered I'm just not sure. 

Thanks! Stacy

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Make sure that whichever plan you go with gives you an "annual" deductible vs. a "per-incident" deductible.  When I first went with Pet Plan 8 years ago they only had per incident deductibles.   They now offer Annual deductibles depending on if you have had any claims or not or are a new customer.  I can't switch Lucy, but did get AnnaBelle switched.  As for the break even point, that will drive you crazy if you try and calculate it that way.  The reason most of us have it is for the big expenses.  Sort of like home owners insurance.  Pay it every single year, and hope to heck you never need it.  Some people say they like to just put the premium in the bank and that way they will have it if they need it.  That works great unless like one recent new doodle owner had a bran new puppy that got sick and has cost her thousands already.  She would not have had time to save the money.  Most people don't feel like they need the wellness plan as we knew when we got puppies we were going to have those charges.  So that is one way to save a little money.   I would also make sure you have coverage for genetic diseases like Hip Dysplasia.  Also, if you have a CCL knee repair, will they cover the other knee and if so is there a waiting period.  I also think depending on where you live makes a different in what you need the yearly cap to be.  Chemo treatments in NYC can be $20,000+ where other places you might get the same for $10,000.  Lots of things to consider.

[Stacy]

That is really great information, thank you so much! And you're right about looking at it as an *insurance against disaster* policy and not like a break even investment. I've spent a lot of money on homeowners insurance over the years and thankfully have never had a claim. But I didn't think of it like that. 

This policy does say it has a $250/annual deductible. So that's good. I've been lucky that I've always been able to cash flow my vet expenses. But if I had very many years like this one I wouldn't be in very good shape. I keep thinking that I'm going to get a handle on her health problems and it will go back to routine vet care, but I guess you never know. I think I'll have to call Nationwide and check it out. I never want to be in a situation where I have to make decisions based on finances instead of what is best for the dogs. I think it would add some peace of mind to dog ownership. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I felt a huge sense of relief when I first signed up for pet insurance.  We had two puppies at once and they played so hard and chased each other all the time.  I just knew that one of them was going to get injured.  As it turns out we have had a CCL repair surgery, chemo treatments, lump/growth removals and food and environmental allergies that cost us about $900 a year just for the allergy drops.  

[sandy b]

I would be concerned about the max $7500. Our vet/ER/hospital bills last year for our beloved Max were $8000+ in a short period of time. We had no insurance but would have paid any amount to save him. Unfortunately we lost him.
We have decided to get a new puppy in a few months and definitely looking at insurance.
I found a couple of websites that list quite a few insurance plans. One is editorsreview.org. I'm in the process now of looking at each one.
Good luck in your search.

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

I also think the $7500 max is potentially a serious problem.  When our lab suddenly started falling over repeatedly, we spent several thousand dollars on diagnostic tests for seizures and other neurological problems, then cardiac imaging and monitoring to discover that one of several electrical nodes in her heart was failing, requiring a $7,000 pace maker. In all, a total well over $10,000 within 4 months.  This bought her more than 5 additional quality years of life before she ultimately died of congestive heart failure.  I think this expenditure was well worth it, but my life would have been a lot easier if we had had pet insurance. Belle has Healthy Paws, with an annual deductible and unlimited lifetime benefits.

[Stacy]

Wow! I agree that 5 years of life is worth that, but that's a perfect example of why pet insurance is so important. I don't know how most people could do that without it. Although... Ava would have maxed out the 7,500 limit this year and I just keep handing over the credit card! 

I will check in to Healthy Paws. The thing about Ava is, with her age and her health in the last 10 months I can't imagine that she would qualify for one of those policies! She's a bit of a mess. But definitely in the future insurance will be a must. In almost 20 years of having dogs I have never had one that has been this medically complex. She's definitely lived a rough life. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When I first adopted JD, pet insurance was in its infancy, and there were not a lot of options out there. He was a big Lab/Standard Poodle mix from a puppy mill, so my biggest concern was Hip Dysplasia. Pet insurance did not cover genetic diseases or conditions back then, so I didn't bother getting it, because if it didn't cover HD, what would I need it for? 

Then he was diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis. By then, the insurance options were better, but I didn't even bother looking into it, because the A.D. was now a pre-existing condition, and wouldn't be covered anyway, so why bother?

Several years later, the testing required to diagnose his Inflammatory Bowel Disease ran $4000, and you don't even want to know what the costs of treating it for the past 6 years have been, lol. Insurance would have covered all that. But I didn;t get it, because now he had two incurable, ongoing, pre-existing conditions that wouldn't be covered.

But it would have covered the $3000 MRI required to diagnose his herniated disc the following year, and probably the costs of the five years of treatments we've had for that, although I wonder if there are limits on physical therapy with pet insurance like there are with our health insurance. 

You get my point. Look into getting insurance for Ava. :)

[Stacy]

You're saying there could be still more things wrong with her? Bite your tongue! I want someone to tell me that after all of this she's going to have a nice easy and healthy life. Poor JD. He's had such a hard time too. It just doesn't seem fair. 

I got a quote from Healthy Paws that is 81.25/month for both of them with a $250 annual deductible and 80% reimbursement and no maximum payout. The premium prices seem comparable. Perhaps buying the insurance would ensure that she won't have any more problems. I wouldn't mind that. 

I wonder how they will look at this dental tumor. If they would say it's cancer and so no cancer would ever be covered, or just if there was a recurrence of the dental tumor (which there should not be because we removed everything.) 

She really is the best dog. She's being such a champ through this. It really hurts me to look at it. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No, no! I'm saying, don't let pre-existing conditions prevent you from getting insurance for Ava, or lead you to think there's no point in getting it. And I am superstitious enough to believe in things like "if I get the insurance, she will never have a health problem again", lol.

[Stacy]

I'm superstitious like that with you! At work if someone says it's quiet 12 people will jump on top of them and staple their mouth shut. It's just not a thing that you're allowed to say! We all just sit there very quietly and enjoy it. It must not be spoken of. I was looking again and it looks like if I were to increase the deductible to 750/year it drops the premium down significantly making it more of a major medical policy. It's not the $750 I'm worried about. It's the 7500. I need to get her enrolled quickly! Before something else is wrong with her!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I totally think it makes sense to look at it as major medical for those four figure bills that nobody can predict or expect. Surgery would have fixed JD's disc problem, but for reasons that had nothing to do with money, it just wasn't an option for him at that time. But it would have cost $5000, added to the $3000 that it cost to diagnose it. Nobody expects to have a vet expense like that. That's what you need insurance for. Not the $250 annual checkups, lol.

[Nicole and Teddy]

I know you've gotten lots of responses to this thread, but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in- we've had Nationwide for Teddy since he was a pup and pay about $34/month. We do have to pay up front and then get reimbursed, but it's a super easy process- you just fax them the receipt and claim form and then receive a check a week or 2 later. Thank God for pet insurance- Teddy has had a few things come up and it's been really nice knowing we're covered. Plus getting that check a few weeks later always ends up feeling like a little 'found' surprise money! Good luck! :)