Trupanion Clients

[Guest BooBooMama]

I started a thread on pet insurance and asked who had what and what they liked but it kind of went off in another direction, so I thought I would post my specific Q's about this particular insurance here.

I am leaning towards Trupanion.

Those of you who have Trupanion- they claim that they do NOT increase the monthly premiums as the dog ages which sounds good- BUT they also state that they only raise the premium due to "rising medical costs". Have you seen your premiums going up annually, if so, about what percentage?

They say there is 'no payout limit'. Is there anyone out there that has a dog with cancer and is covered by Trupanion? Did they really cover everything?????

[Guest Energy11]

I have had Trupanion a year now. NO increases.

 

They pay pretty fast, but they don't pay for routine testing, office visits, hospitalization stays (like staying overnight at the Evet), prescrition foods, vaccinations ... but, for the most part, seem to cover mostly everything else. Thank God, I haven't had to use them for anything major, but the reason I have this insurance, and pay $253/monthly with zero deductible, is, because not working for a vet anymore, and knowing veterinary costs ... especially Evets, and having five dogs, I NEED this insurance!

 

I, personally, think it is a good value for the money.

 

Good luck with your choice!

 

 

[Guest K9Cookies]

We signed up with Trupanion in September of last year. No increases or strange changes in their policies that I've seen so far. They also are great because they reimburse based on the fees charged, not their "customary" set of fees. Our vet's office is really expensive, so that's a huge plus for us.

 

An awesome GTer told me that if you sign up for a free account on Dogster.com, you'll get a free 60 day trial with Trupanion. I'm paying it forward and telling you guys. I believe I put in a claim for Gracey while we were still in that trial period. Everything was good...and I've never been back to Dogster.com!

 

We pay $158 per month for our 3, ages 7, 8, and 9.

 

BTW, we had a good amount of money in our savings account before Bonnie got sick with lymphoma. We used all of that money, plus went into credit card debt for a while when she was doing chemo. It's really expensive and the pet insurance is well worth it now, in my opinion.

 

***I was coming back to add that Trupanion has a $20,000 lifetime payout limit per pet, but I just saw that they've changed this in most States to an unlimited amount! Awesome! I would think it's certainly possible to reach more than $20,000...unfortunately.

Edited June 17, 2010 by K9Cookies

[Guest zoolaine]

I would call and specifically ask them if they pay for chemotherapy. When I called (I talked to 2 different representatives) I was repeatedly only told "we cover prescriptions that are FDA approved". Well from what I can gather online almost all chemotherapy protocols used for dogs is NOT FDA approved. Rather they get tested and recommended by the vet schools around the country. I think the cost of getting FDA approval is too much. When I asked the same question to a PetPlan rep he put in the question to their in-house vets and had me call back in a couple days. I was told at that time that as long as it was prescribed by a license vet then they would cover it. This is one of the main reasons I picked PetPlan over Trupanion. The uncertainty was just too much of a risk for me. Especially since I was paying out of pocket for Sunny's chemo at the time so I know how expensive it is. Other then that I really liked what Trupanion offers.

[Guest Energy11]

I would call and specifically ask them if they pay for chemotherapy. When I called (I talked to 2 different representatives) I was repeatedly only told "we cover prescriptions that are FDA approved". Well from what I can gather online almost all chemotherapy protocols used for dogs is NOT FDA approved. Rather they get tested and recommended by the vet schools around the country. I think the cost of getting FDA approval is too much. When I asked the same question to a PetPlan rep he put in the question to their in-house vets and had me call back in a couple days. I was told at that time that as long as it was prescribed by a license vet then they would cover it. This is one of the main reasons I picked PetPlan over Trupanion. The uncertainty was just too much of a risk for me. Especially since I was paying out of pocket for Sunny's chemo at the time so I know how expensive it is. Other then that I really liked what Trupanion offers.

 

When my vet prescribed Dasequin for Goldie's arthritis, Trupanion denied that claim, as "Dasequin is a supplement, and not FDA approved," BUT, .. they do cover the VERY expensive Deramaxx, 90%. With all of these insurances, there ARE pros and cons, I guess.

[Guest zoolaine]

I would call and specifically ask them if they pay for chemotherapy. When I called (I talked to 2 different representatives) I was repeatedly only told "we cover prescriptions that are FDA approved". Well from what I can gather online almost all chemotherapy protocols used for dogs is NOT FDA approved. Rather they get tested and recommended by the vet schools around the country. I think the cost of getting FDA approval is too much. When I asked the same question to a PetPlan rep he put in the question to their in-house vets and had me call back in a couple days. I was told at that time that as long as it was prescribed by a license vet then they would cover it. This is one of the main reasons I picked PetPlan over Trupanion. The uncertainty was just too much of a risk for me. Especially since I was paying out of pocket for Sunny's chemo at the time so I know how expensive it is. Other then that I really liked what Trupanion offers.

 

When my vet prescribed Dasequin for Goldie's arthritis, Trupanion denied that claim, as "Dasequin is a supplement, and not FDA approved," BUT, .. they do cover the VERY expensive Deramaxx, 90%. With all of these insurances, there ARE pros and cons, I guess.

 

True - and my other question that I never got answered was even if they don't pay for the actual drug used, would they still pay for the chemo procedure - oncologist fee, and all the fees associated with giving the chemo. I found with Sunny the drug itself was the cheapest part. Don't mean for this to go off topic but it is important to really understand the coverage you are getting. I can imagine how terrible it would be to pay into an insurance plan for years and then they not cover when you need it.

[Guest Energy11]

I would call and specifically ask them if they pay for chemotherapy. When I called (I talked to 2 different representatives) I was repeatedly only told "we cover prescriptions that are FDA approved". Well from what I can gather online almost all chemotherapy protocols used for dogs is NOT FDA approved. Rather they get tested and recommended by the vet schools around the country. I think the cost of getting FDA approval is too much. When I asked the same question to a PetPlan rep he put in the question to their in-house vets and had me call back in a couple days. I was told at that time that as long as it was prescribed by a license vet then they would cover it. This is one of the main reasons I picked PetPlan over Trupanion. The uncertainty was just too much of a risk for me. Especially since I was paying out of pocket for Sunny's chemo at the time so I know how expensive it is. Other then that I really liked what Trupanion offers.

 

When my vet prescribed Dasequin for Goldie's arthritis, Trupanion denied that claim, as "Dasequin is a supplement, and not FDA approved," BUT, .. they do cover the VERY expensive Deramaxx, 90%. With all of these insurances, there ARE pros and cons, I guess.

 

True - and my other question that I never got answered was even if they don't pay for the actual drug used, would they still pay for the chemo procedure - oncologist fee, and all the fees associated with giving the chemo. I found with Sunny the drug itself was the cheapest part. Don't mean for this to go off topic but it is important to really understand the coverage you are getting. I can imagine how terrible it would be to pay into an insurance plan for years and then they not cover when you need it.

 

That is an EXCELLENT question! If YOU got the chemo drug yourself, or got it from say, OSU, WOULD they cover the procedure? I'd call and ask to speak to a supervisor, and give them that scenario. I'd be interested to see what you find out.