Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

This often asked question "is pet insurance worth it?" can be summed up very simply in only one word; absolutely. Pet health insurance is becoming more and more needed every day due to the quickly escalating healthcare costs or our pets. Pet owners need to focus on finding quality pet insurance firms that offer high quality policies, and if they are reimbursement plans, firms that settle up with the pet owners quickly and in a hassle free manner. Many pet health insurance firms have recently gone to a co-pay type system (just like your health insurance) for most disaster type claims, and offer reimbursement plans for preventative care such as teeth cleanings, vaccinations, flea & tick care, etc. This works out well for us pet owners as the things that most of us need help with will be covered after paying a small deductible; usually around $40, and then the insurance plan will pick up the remainder. Preventative care is usually reimbursed 100% as these are the things that lower the insurance companies risk for covering your pet. But, if anything major does happen, you can rest easy knowing that you're covered.

Many people will want to put this decision off. Maybe even saying something like "My dog is still young, so I don't need a vet pet insurance plan.". This can be a very costly attitude to take. It is in your better intrests to enroll your dogs or other pets before they become adults. Not only will your premiums be lower with a younger pet, but they will also stay lower as you can be "grandfathered in" and keep your rates. Buying your pet health plan early also allows you to maximize your savings since the plans cover many recurring costs such as:

Annual Exams	Prescription Flea & Tick Control
Dog Training	Spay/Neuter
Regular Teeth Cleanings	Vaccinations
Heartworm Protection	Preventative Medications

So, you can see that it would be a good idea to get your pet insurance plan coverage started early. If you figure that the average cost of a yearly teeth cleaning is between $200-300, most heartworm medications will set you back around $75-100 per year, annual vaccinations normally run around $100, and flea/tick treatments can run you over $200 per year the savings really add up. But, only if you sign your pet up early. This is just some of the routine savings you'll see and doesn't include how much you can save if something bad happens. With accidents, serious illnesses, or anything like that it doesn't take long for the costs to mount. It can very quickly become overwhelming or completely deplete your savings.

For example, I recently found out that one of my cats has a heart murmur. The vet noticed it when we had him in for an annual exam and vaccinations. Since they needed more information, the vet wanted to do an ultrasound. By the time you added in the anesthesia, the ultrasound fee, the vaccinations, and the exam fee it was almost $600. Thanks to our pet insurance plan, we only had to pay our $50 deductable and a few small incidental costs (about $75 total). Not bad at all. I suppose the naysayers will want to know how much Tony's pet insurance plan cost. We choose to pay annualy (you can also pay monthly for almost the exact same cost), and it was around $450 for his 12 month policy. $450 (plan cost) + $75 (exam/ultrasound) = $525. I guess that doesn't seem like much in the way of savings, as it only would have cost us $75 more to pay out of pocket ($600 vet bill - $525 insurance/exam/ultrasound = $75), but here is the kicker. He will now need an ultrasound every 6 months to keep tabs on his situation. We also live in an area where fleas and ticks abound (who doesn't). His next ultrasound will only cost us $75, and his flea/tick treatments are covered. We come out WAY ahead.

I realize that not every situation is like ours. Heaven forbid that any of you have the pet trouble that we do. But, with 2 dogs and 2 cats I'm glad we have the pet health insurance plan. Can you afford to gamble that nothing will ever happen to your pet? We can't. That's why I started this blog. To get the word out about pet insurance and help you find the best plans for the money. We really like the PetFirst Healthcare Plan, but rest assured more pet insurance reviews and pet insurance comparison posts will be coming in the future. Is pet insurance worth it? Absolutely.