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Do Your Pups Have Health Insurance?


Guest TippyTy

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Guest kgildea

Do your puppers have health insurance?

 

If so, what kind of coverage did you get?

 

 

I'm looking at VPI right now. So many choices... :eek Should I get the Standard Plan or the Superior Plan? Should I add in the Vaccination & Routine Care package? Can I still get the extra Cancer Rider coverage??? I think, a previous poster said new greyhound clients cannot buy the extra coverage unless they are referred by a subscriber that already has it. Am I mistaken? :dunno

 

Sorry so many questions. My head is swimming from hours of reading fine print and crunching numbers. :riphair

 

Your thoughts/experiences would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

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Guest 1stTime

I have insurance for Auggie and am so glad I do. As long as there are no pre-existing conditions, everthing works out pretty well, at least in my experience. So far (with all the acupuncture and "oh my god, what's wrong with him!?" visits) I have yet to pay a premium. I have the premium coverage plus the cancer coverage with VPI including the annual visits. I think I'm paying around $33 per month.

 

Good luck!!

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Guest kgildea

Thanks for the responses!

 

Dunno why the thought of a savings account has never crossed my mind. Makes perfect sense. Interesting alternative. If I don't go the insurance route, I'll definitely look into that.

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I decided to use our savings if the need arises, instead of paying the insurance. We've been fortunate that both our grey and mixed breed have been very healthy. Generally I think it's good for emergencies and big illnesses, where you're worried you wouldn't be able to pay it. The routine coverage I think you're better off paying on your own, especially since it's something you can budget for because you know it's coming up.

 

Also, check to see if you would need to use a certain vet instead of one of your choice. Plus see how much your vet charges and compare with the fee schedule from the insurance company. Typically they have a list of maximum amounts that they'll pay for a procedure, and if your vet charges more then you're responsible for the difference (plus any deductible, of course).

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After all of the number crunching for my two pups looking at every plan out there, I decided I'd also put the $$ into a saving account. In the 6 months I've had Fenway (who is a puppy and therefore bounces off stuff and is accident prone) we've had three unplanned vet visits....and I'd still have paid more if I went the insurance route. You also have to consider that in addition to the monthly premiums there is also a per incident or annual deductible, and they cove up to a % of the fee schedule. If your vet charges more than the fees that are listed on the chart, and even lower % is paid by insurance.

 

I chose not to go the insurance route, I hate feeling like I'm "wasting" money and will keep my fingers crossed for mostly healthy pups.

Poppy the lurcher 11/24/23
Gabby the Airedale 7/1/18
Forever missing Grace (RT's Grace), Fenway (not registered, def a greyhound), Jackson (airedale terrier, honorary greyhound), and Tessie (PK's Cat Island)

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I've looked into it for my 2 dogs...ages 6 and 3. With the best coverage plus the vaccination package, it would have run me around $600 per year for the two of them. I'm also going the saving it myself route....actually have been thinking of putting it in an ING account..higher interest than conventional savings and available to you within 1-2 days.

 

Also, my vet is pretty expensive and what the plan covers for vaccines is laughable compared to what my vet charges.

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