# Pet plan insurance



## PrinceMickey (Jun 20, 2011)

Hello 
I am going to purchase a insurance for my babies.
This is my first time purchasing one, I have been looking into it for Mickey in the past but never got one for him. Now that I have two babies(Minnie and cookie) I think it is a good idea to get one. I'm thinking pet plan insurance. 
Is pet plan a good choice? I want to hear other's experience with pet plan, or recommend other insurance besides pet plan.
Thank you in advance


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## maltese#1fan (Feb 20, 2012)

I have Pet Plan for my girls and love it. I recently had to take Jasmine to an Ophthalmologist Specialist and we received a check from Pet Plan in less than two weeks. I took the 80/20 plan with $200 deductible and everything we submitted was covered. I've also emailed a question to them not that long ago and received a response from them the same day.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I'm a huge PetPlan fan. Not too long ago had thousands of dollars in bills and they took off the $200 deductible and paid 80% of everything. Such an incredible weight off my mind. And yes, they are very fast and easy to deal with. Also don't know your age but they gave me I think a 10% discount on rate because I belong too AARP and sent a gift card for I think $25 or $35. There are different deductibles and co-pays you can choose from. When you have a big health concern with expensive diagnostics, the last thing you want to worry about too, is how will I pay for this.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I love Pet Plan. All four of mine are covered. I've had two claims submitted at almost 2,000 each. I was reimbursed in a couple of weeks.


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

I have Healthy Paws... they paid 80% of all of McC meds, procedures, blood work, without a question or hassle. Only thing not covered is office visit vet charge. They even paid the shipping costs of the meds. There is no cap, no yearly increase. Turn around time is about a week, they have an iPhone app and you do a claim with a click of a button.

I highly recommend.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

I have PetPlan too, and I have been happy with it. Their customer service has been great with answering questions , and they pay claims quickly.
I love that they also cover supplements, since my old guy is on lots of them prescribed by our holistic vet, and they can be expensive.
The down sides I have seen are that the yearly cost does increase. Not sure if this is true for all companies. Daisy and Max started at about $330 per year each as puppies and we are now up to $450 each per year at age 3. I was surprised how quickly the coverage increased since I have never even filed a claim for either of them. Coverage for our senior dog is over $700 per year (but we are happy to even be able to get coverage - it pays for itself with all of his medical issues).
The other thing to be aware of is that the deductible is per illness. So if you have the $200 deductible, and you go to the vet for two separate things, there is a $200 deductible per illness. This has really only been an issue with our senior, since he has lots going on. Keeping the deductible higher keeps the premium lower. You can play around with the coverage level and deductible on their website.
There have been some other threads on pet insurance with lots of good feedback about other companies too.


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

Chardy said:


> I have Healthy Paws... they paid 80% of all of McC meds, procedures, blood work, without a question or hassle. Only thing not covered is office visit vet charge. They even paid the shipping costs of the meds. There is no cap, no yearly increase. Turn around time is about a week, they have an iPhone app and you do a claim with a click of a button.
> 
> I highly recommend.


That is excellent. I have 3 dogs on Healthy Paws and 1 dog on VPI. I love all about Healthy Paws, specially as they do cover alternative treatments and there is no deduction per claim. 

This is a thread I've made an year ago and it is a good read about insurance

http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/52-...-pet-insurance-our-new-insurance-company.html


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## jane and addison (Nov 1, 2012)

We have petplan for ours. Belle had to go to the emergency vet and the whole cost last year was $1500. 00 plus. With $200 deductible 80/20 they paid over $1200.00. Renewed for this current year. Would not be without it.


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

This is something that I find very helpful and important about Healthy Paws coverage 

*Insurance Coverage for Alternative Pet Therapies
*

_Additionally, to clarify a frequently asked question people have, we do provide direct payments for approved claims to the veterinary hospital for scheduled procedures treating some of the more expensive treatments such as cruciate ligament repairs, IVDD (back surgery), foreign body removal and cancer treatment to name a few. Most of these treatments are in the $2,000+ range and it’s very helpful to the pet parent if we pay the hospital directly. By providing direct pay to the veterinary hospital, the pet parent can focus on caring for their furry family member and not worrying about expensive medical care._


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

Dominic said:


> This is something that I find very helpful and important about Healthy Paws coverage
> 
> *Insurance Coverage for Alternative Pet Therapies
> *
> ...


When I am up to it, I will add up what Healthy Paws paid out for me during our 8 month battle. I do know this, as she was being diagnosed (first Cornell, and then Angell) between the two of them in 3 days time, they paid out over $5,000.00 and that was just the beginning. One of McC's medications was $300.00 every 45 days- they cover all drugs. Some plans only cover "VET APPROVED DRUGS" read the fine print, ... if this had been the case for us, we would NOT have had coverage for many of the drugs we needed, as they are only approved for use in humans. They even cover probiotics if you have a script for it.


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

I have Healthy Paws. I have not had a claim, grateful for that. Unfortunately Riley's MVD is not covered, but it wasn't covered with VPI either. I do wish they covered titers. But to know they will be there for me if anything traumatic happens is great!


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Here's a list of things covered by Pet Plan 
Healthy Paws is about 25.00 more a month than Pet Plan for my four. 



Alternative medicine and behavior therapy is covered by The Bronze Plan


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

Healthy Paws vs Petplan: Which Pet Insurance Covers More?


Scroll down to the end where they compare the two.. they left the most important one for last. CAP OUT

Healthy Paws has no cap. In our situation, Healthy Paws was worth it's wait in Gold. We had no cap on the GME diagnosis. With Pet Plan, I would not have faired as well.


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

Chardy said:


> When I am up to it, I will add up what Healthy Paws paid out for me during our 8 month battle. I do know this, as she was being diagnosed (first Cornell, and then Angell) between the two of them in 3 days time, they paid out over $5,000.00 and that was just the beginning. One of McC's medications was $300.00 every 45 days- they cover all drugs. Some plans only cover "VET APPROVED DRUGS" read the fine print, ... if this had been the case for us, we would NOT have had coverage for many of the drugs we needed, as they are only approved for use in humans. They even cover probiotics if you have a script for it.



Carol,

Thank you so much for taking your time to share your experience. It must hurt to talk about it but you are helping us to understand not only about the horrible disease that took your precious McC life but also how the insurance handled it. It is great to know how well it went when you needed the most. I'm convinced Healthy Paws is the best insurance after researching them all in details, I still have VPI for Ben (can't switch him) and thankfully never had to use it.


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## rrwtrw (Dec 23, 2008)

I don't think this has been mentioned... It is a good idea to find out if the insurance company pays the claim on the amount the vet charges or the insurance company's "usual and customary" amount. For example, you may be charged $450 for an ultrasound but the insurance company may predetermine that the "usual and customary" amount for an ultrasound is $250. In this case, if you had met your deductible and had an 80% reimbursement rate, the company without "usual and customary" would reimburse $360 and the other one would reimburse $200.

Terre and Denne


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

Great point, Terry. So far HP has paid me back based on my vets bill.


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## rrwtrw (Dec 23, 2008)

I had VPI with my dog Austin, who passed away last year. He was quite old when other insurance providers came on the scene. They were the one with the limits per illness per year and the limitation to payment on usual and customary charges. Made me crazy but I am still grateful that I had it for him.

When I got Denne, we went with Healthy Paws and I could not be more happy!

Terre


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I think that both PetPlan and Healthy Paws are excellent options and it's just personal choice that suits your needs. The main thing is that they both cover hereditary and congenital illnesses which many other companies do not. We chose the plan that indeed does have a yearly maximum of $22,000, but as I said earlier it covers all the expenses we occur for illness or injury including the doctor visits for these minus the deductible (once per illness or injury) and whatever percentage you picked - we picked 80%. As for payment ahead for scheduled surgeries, etc., most of the things we've claimed have not been scheduled so it wouldn't help with that and really, their reimbursement gets to us way before our credit card bill for the charges. 

Healthy Paws does not include the doctor exam for vets or specialists and in cases of specialists, we've seen rates of between $180-$500 per office visit just for the doctor exams and sometimes you need to see several for diagnosis. Healthy Paws says in their materials: "By making the office visit (vet exam or consultation) part of the pet parent's financial responsibility, it allows us to offer a complete accident and illness plan at an affordable monthly premium. The office visit is not covered whether you go to a general practice veterinarian, specialist, or emergency hospital." I like having those costs covered as they can end up being many hundreds of dollars.


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

Yeah, it's all about what works for you. 

I'm sold on these:

- Unlimited lifetime benefits
- Annual deductible vs. per incident deductible
- No Claim Limits
- Pre-paid schedule surgeries.


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

The deal breaker for me was the drug that was $300.00 every 45 days. Angell told me that no insurance would cover it-- That was about $2400.00 for that drug alone and Healthy Paws paid-- Most pet insurance are for Vet approved drugs only.. I am telling you ... lots of loop holes... 

I pray that everyone that has insurance just pays each month's premium and never uses it ever ever ! That's my new plan I am going to be on!


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Chardy said:


> The deal breaker for me was the drug that was $300.00 every 45 days. Angell told me that no insurance would cover it-- That was about $2400.00 for that drug alone and Healthy Paws paid-- Most pet insurance are for Vet approved drugs only.. I am telling you ... lots of loop holes...
> 
> *I pray that everyone that has insurance just pays each month's premium and never uses it ever ever ! That's my new plan I am going to be on*!


Amen, Carol. Couldn't agree more! :thumbsup:


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## Piccolina (Dec 25, 2009)

Did you say no yearly increase in HEALTHY PAWS?:blink:

I like that.:aktion033:

In 10 years I have used Pet Plan on Poupetta only once for broken tooth removal,
yet they keep increasing her yearly rate so much. I am now paying almost $600 a year for her.

I am considering switching to Healthy Paws.:blush:




.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Piccolina said:


> Did you say no yearly increase in HEALTHY PAWS?:blink:
> 
> I like that.:aktion033:
> 
> ...


Sammy - not really sure anyone wrote that your premiums wouldn't go up with Healthy Paws. On Healthy Paws FAQ page they say: "Due to the increasing cost of new technology and advances in veterinary care, your rates will increase slightly each year. Our plan has factored the expected increase in the cost of veterinary care into your rates so that the annual premium increases are manageable. These manageable annual increases provide you the opportunity to offer your pet the best medical and diagnostic options available today.
Rest assured, we will never penalize you with higher rates for making claims. It's not your fault your pet is unlucky!
All pet insurance companies, no matter how they market their benefits, will raise rates periodically to keep up with the rapidly rising cost of veterinary care."
I think that like human policies, they all go up because of the high costs of diagnostics, etc and the age of the pet and likelihood as they age that they will develop illnesses.


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

*Is age a factor for getting insureance ?*

Baby will be 3 yrs. old in September of 2015 this year. * Question -- anyone know if it will cost a lot more $$ to begin any insurance plan now that Baby is almost 3, and not a puppy anymore? Do most plans 'penalize you' at all because your pet is older? Can he even get any type of insurance at his age?* I have heard it is cheaper to begin a dog is still a puppy. We didn't get insurance earlier because we didn't know if it would be worth it or not, or just a scam. After reading the good things people here at SM have to say about Pet insurance we will definitely get some now!
--Sandy


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

Sammy, don't go changing plans... You ARE NEVER going to EVER deal with this dreaded disease AGAIN. For GME, Healthy Paws is the better insurance to have- but for everyday hoping nothing big that needs constant treatment all the time, other insurances work great. Healthy Paws is the better choice for something like GME. If McC had a couple more months she would have had another MRI and Tap and the expense would have been way over what any other plan would have covered- We would have been maxed out already on Pet Plan. That is why it does not pay vet fees, and is a few more dollars a month and has exceptions with medications. It is wise to get pet insurance and a blessing if you never have to use it ever. 

Hugs!


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

LOVE_BABY said:


> Baby will be 3 yrs. old in September of 2015 this year. * Question -- anyone know if it will cost a lot more $$ to begin any insurance plan now that Baby is almost 3, and not a puppy anymore? Do most plans 'penalize you' at all because your pet is older? Can he even get any type of insurance at his age?* I have heard it is cheaper to begin a dog is still a puppy. We didn't get insurance earlier because we didn't know if it would be worth it or not, or just a scam. After reading the good things people here at SM have to say about Pet insurance we will definitely get some now!
> --Sandy



Insurance won't penalize you. They will enroll your dog and ask you to submit the entire medical record to them. You ask your vet for it, it's easy. Upon receiving it they will let you know if there's any pre existent condition which will not be covered according to their policy. 

I have 3 dogs on Healthy Paws. This is what I pay for each 

Dom - $41.28 (He is 2 years and 10 months old, was enrolled 1 year ago when I switched from VPI)


Elena - $43.54 (she is 4 years old, was enrolled at age 3)


Pepe - $41.28 (she is 16 months old, was enrolled last month

Ben - $36.04. He is on VPI, the first insurance I had him and Dom. It wouldn't worth for him to move to HP as he has LP (grade 1 only) but that wouldn't be fully covered at HP. As he was enrolled in VPI at 13 weeks old he's covered there.


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## PrinceMickey (Jun 20, 2011)

Wow! Thank you all so much. 
Here's the quote from petplan: bronze $200 deductible and 80% reimbursement, total monthly premium: $29.31.

Susan, Minnie is seven months old and cookie is five months old.

Carol, thank you so much for sharing your story, I am also going to look into healthy paws.


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## Piccolina (Dec 25, 2009)

Chardy said:


> Sammy, don't go changing plans... You ARE NEVER going to EVER deal with this dreaded disease AGAIN
> It is wise to get pet insurance and a blessing if you never have to use it ever.
> 
> Hugs!



Blessed I am indeed, after the turmoil of 3 years ago....and so, I hope YOU too,Carol,
will be soon:wub:




:goodpost:





.


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

Dominic said:


> Insurance won't penalize you. They will enroll your dog and ask you to submit the entire medical record to them. You ask your vet for it, it's easy. Upon receiving it they will let you know if there's any pre existent condition which will not be covered according to their policy.
> 
> I have 3 dogs on Healthy Paws. This is what I pay for each
> 
> ...


*:biggrin: Thanks so much for answering my question! & for the pricing info!  Are these 'fees' for 'Healthy Paws' that you listed for 'monthly' or 'yearly' fees? I'm guessing they're 'monthly' but not unsure . *


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## Dominic (Nov 4, 2012)

LOVE_BABY said:


> *:biggrin: Thanks so much for answering my question! & for the pricing info!  Are these 'fees' for 'Healthy Paws' that you listed for 'monthly' or 'yearly' fees? I'm guessing they're 'monthly' but not unsure . *



Those are the monthly payment. Also it is important to notice the deductible on healthy paws are per year not per incident.


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

Dominic said:


> Those are the monthly payment. Also it is important to notice the deductible on healthy paws are per year not per incident.



Most important thing to me! This is why I chose HP over PP. 

PetPlan covering vet visit fee isn't worth much if their per incident deductible is more than what fee would be anyway.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

eiksaa said:


> Most important thing to me! This is why I chose HP over PP.
> 
> PetPlan covering vet visit fee isn't worth much if their per incident deductible is more than what fee would be anyway.





Dominic said:


> Those are the monthly payment.* Also it is important to notice the deductible on healthy paws are per year not per incident*.


Interestingly in our case this worked in our favor. Tyler had a diagnosis in 2014 and the deductible was taken out at that time. Since that time in 2015, we don't have another deductible on that particular illness and they just keep paying for medication, folo ups, blood tests etc associated with last year's diagnosis. 
Healthy Paws didn't exist when Tyler was little so it wasn't even an option. As it turns out it's worked well for us but everyone has to follow what they need, what they can pay, etc. But insurance can make a huge difference when you're in crisis mode whether the outcome is good or bad. Just do your research and comparisons especially looking for FAQ page for any plan and fine print.


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