Pet Insurance

[ShebasMom]

Wouldn't you know it, my 2012 Embrace pet insurance renewal comes up 03/02/12 and I haven't needed to use the accident/illness plan and $500 deductible all year--until yesterday. My very active girl Sheba rambunctiously jumped off the bed and got her left leg caught between the mattress and platform bedrrame, causing a deep laceration right at the knee(?) joint that required knocking her out for a bit and extensive stitching. On antibiotics and pain meds. No walks, runs, playing, jumping, etc. for a while so the area will heal and not open up again. Of course I wish it hadn't happened, but why couldn't it have happened at the beginning of the renewal year instead of the end?! Just grumbling. . .

 

Now into my third year with Embrace, thus far I've been very happy with the annual insurance plans (accident/illness/prescriptions ($500 deductible; 20% copay; $5,000 maximum coverage; $50,000 maximum lifetime coverage), wellness (no deductible; $200 maximum coverage), and dental (no deductible; $400 maximum coverage)) as well as their speedy reimbursments. I can go on and off the dental plan as needed with no penalty, but if I lower the deductible or copay, the price goes up, so I've stayed with what I originally purchased.

 

Here's hoping Sheba's leg wound heals nicely with no problems and doesn't happen again, at least to that spot:).

[Guest verthib]

Wow, I can't even picture how that would have/could have happened? We have a wood bed frame, our bed is all one piece. There is a small gap between the mattress and the bed frame... now I'm going to be cautious! I have considered Pet Insurance, but I'd hate to pay all year when nothing happens to my dogs.... yet if something would happen.... But it just seems like money out of pocket for the "what ifs" in life. Have you found that you've used it enough to make it worth it?

[ShebasMom]

Wow, I can't even picture how that would have/could have happened? We have a wood bed frame, our bed is all one piece. There is a small gap between the mattress and the bed frame... now I'm going to be cautious! I have considered Pet Insurance, but I'd hate to pay all year when nothing happens to my dogs.... yet if something would happen.... But it just seems like money out of pocket for the "what ifs" in life. Have you found that you've used it enough to make it worth it?

What prompted me to get the insurance with Sheba is I had a $5,000+ bill for my previous grey that had a seizure/stroke and X-rays, MRI, 5 days in the emergency hospital, specialists, etc. Sadly, she had to be put down at age 4-12:( After paying that bill, I decided I needed insurance for the next grey. With Sheba, it covered part of a couple accidents (dog bites) in 2010 as well as her annual checkups and vaccinations. Of a $233 wellness bill in 2011, Embrace covered $200 (the maximum I chose). I'll use the dental plan in 2012.

 

I guess if I had more than one grey, I'd consider not getting the insurance, but with only one, I decided I can afford it, more for catastrophic than typical problems.

[Guest verthib]

Wow, I can't even picture how that would have/could have happened? We have a wood bed frame, our bed is all one piece. There is a small gap between the mattress and the bed frame... now I'm going to be cautious! I have considered Pet Insurance, but I'd hate to pay all year when nothing happens to my dogs.... yet if something would happen.... But it just seems like money out of pocket for the "what ifs" in life. Have you found that you've used it enough to make it worth it?

What prompted me to get the insurance with Sheba is I had a $5,000+ bill for my previous grey that had a seizure/stroke and X-rays, MRI, 5 days in the emergency hospital, specialists, etc. Sadly, she had to be put down at age 4-12:( After paying that bill, I decided I needed insurance for the next grey. With Sheba, it covered part of a couple accidents (dog bites) in 2010 as well as her annual checkups and vaccinations. Of a $233 wellness bill in 2011, Embrace covered $200 (the maximum I chose). I'll use the dental plan in 2012.

 

I guess if I had more than one grey, I'd consider not getting the insurance, but with only one, I decided I can afford it, more for catastrophic than typical problems.

 

Very good points. Another GTer here has it as well. We have two greys and I've really been considering it.

[XTRAWLD]

I had Kasey signed up from day one and cancelled before 30 days was up. I just found after I read ALL the fine print, that if he ever had something I would need him to be covered for, they would find some way to deny me. I'm very happy to read that someone has found insurance useful.

[Feisty49]

Wouldn't you know it, my 2012 Embrace pet insurance renewal comes up 03/02/12 and I haven't needed to use the accident/illness plan and $500 deductible all year--until yesterday. My very active girl Sheba rambunctiously jumped off the bed and got her left leg caught between the mattress and platform bedrrame, causing a deep laceration right at the knee(?) joint that required knocking her out for a bit and extensive stitching. On antibiotics and pain meds. No walks, runs, playing, jumping, etc. for a while so the area will heal and not open up again. Of course I wish it hadn't happened, but why couldn't it have happened at the beginning of the renewal year instead of the end?! Just grumbling. . .

 

Now into my third year with Embrace, thus far I've been very happy with the annual insurance plans (accident/illness/prescriptions ($500 deductible; 20% copay; $5,000 maximum coverage; $50,000 maximum lifetime coverage), wellness (no deductible; $200 maximum coverage), and dental (no deductible; $400 maximum coverage)) as well as their speedy reimbursments. I can go on and off the dental plan as needed with no penalty, but if I lower the deductible or copay, the price goes up, so I've stayed with what I originally purchased.

 

Here's hoping Sheba's leg wound heals nicely with no problems and doesn't happen again, at least to that spot:).

 

Poor girl. If it's not one thing, it's another. I hope keeping her quiet and calm and content without a lot of play is easy for you.

 

A question about Embrace Insurance: Is the $500 deductible applied to each different illness/injury or is it just one $500 deductible for everything?

 

ETA: I just called Embrace and the deductible is cumulative, not just for each and every problem. I currently have Trupanian and the deductible has to be reached for every *new* problem. Embrace is also less expensive than the Trupanian.

Edited February 9, 2012 by Feisty49

[Guest Fasave]

I had Kasey signed up from day one and cancelled before 30 days was up. I just found after I read ALL the fine print, that if he ever had something I would need him to be covered for, they would find some way to deny me. I'm very happy to read that someone has found insurance useful.

 

I had my previous two greys on VPI which is not a company I would recommend but it was one of the few around when I adopted them. Even with their "reimbursement schedule" that paid out based on the diagnosis and didn't seem to take into regional price variations, I came out ahead. In fact, in the last month of Ave's life, he incurred over $2000 in bills and while they only covered a little over $1,100, I had only paid about $400 in premiums during the year. I now have my two greys on Embrace ($300 deductible, 10% co-pay, 10,000 annual limit, no wellness, dental or prescription coverage). Thunder has been on it for two years with no claims and I just added Tucker two weeks ago when I adopted him. I'm hoping I continue to enjoy good health for these boys as they age. However, on more than one ocassion I've been at the e-vets with a sick pup and signed an estimate for $5,000+. It takes some of the pressure and anxiety out of the situation knowing there is some financial provisions.

[ShebasMom]

I had Kasey signed up from day one and cancelled before 30 days was up. I just found after I read ALL the fine print, that if he ever had something I would need him to be covered for, they would find some way to deny me. I'm very happy to read that someone has found insurance useful.

 

I had my previous two greys on VPI which is not a company I would recommend but it was one of the few around when I adopted them. Even with their "reimbursement schedule" that paid out based on the diagnosis and didn't seem to take into regional price variations, I came out ahead. In fact, in the last month of Ave's life, he incurred over $2000 in bills and while they only covered a little over $1,100, I had only paid about $400 in premiums during the year. I now have my two greys on Embrace ($300 deductible, 10% co-pay, 10,000 annual limit, no wellness, dental or prescription coverage). Thunder has been on it for two years with no claims and I just added Tucker two weeks ago when I adopted him. I'm hoping I continue to enjoy good health for these boys as they age. However, on more than one ocassion I've been at the e-vets with a sick pup and signed an estimate for $5,000+. It takes some of the pressure and anxiety out of the situation knowing there is some financial provisions.

That's exactly why I got it--less anxiety and more financial security. At the time of the $5,000+ bill in 2009, I had recently retired and was living on cash savings and early Social Security (holding off taking from 401K and investments as long as I could) until I was on Medicare (and didn't have to pay so much for my own health insurance), so that big bill hit me hard.

 

In hindsight, I wish I'd signed up for the smaller deductible and co-pay, but for me to change now would cost me more than I care to pay, so as said earlier, I'm sticking with my original signup. The wellness and dental plans are worth it for me, and I like the fact that they allow whatever the vet charges and don't limit it to what they feel the "norm" is.

[NeylasMom]

I had Kasey signed up from day one and cancelled before 30 days was up. I just found after I read ALL the fine print, that if he ever had something I would need him to be covered for, they would find some way to deny me. I'm very happy to read that someone has found insurance useful.

How did you reach that conclusion?

 

I had VPI for Neyla and have it now for Zuri. When I was looking for Neyla there weren't nearly as many options and the limits based on dx seemed pretty common so I went with them. Then I added Zuri because I got a second dog discount. I wouldn't go with that type of plan again (and in fact I chose Healthy Pets for Violet), but I've done pretty well with VPI. I do feel like in the last couple of years they've been better about approving claims or redoing ones as requested when I think they've made a mistake and I have to wonder if it's because they do have so much more competition now.

 

Either way, I've generally been pleased with them and their customer service is always incredibly helpful. I actually just spent about a half an hour on the phone with one rep with her digging through Neyla's whole history of claims to answer some questions for me because I can't access her claim history online anymore (they leave access up for a year after your pet's death). It must have been really tedious and annoying for her, but she kept plugging along and was incredibly friendly.

 

For anyone thinking about it, there have been a few threads in here as well as at least one in EEG. I started one where I shared a spreadsheet I had made comparing a few of the main companies. You do have to consider what your goals are and choose carefully based on how the deductible is applied, what limits there are, and what exclusions there are (most don't cover exam fees or holistic care for instance, but some do).

 

I used VPI as a way to pay for a lot of my dogs vet care because I didn't have a good savings plan at the time. This time around, I am more careful about saving for medical bills so I opted for a plan and deductible that I felt would give me the best help with a serious accident or illness.

 

To the OP, now that I've rambled totally off topic all of that time I've had the same thing happen with you, but with VPI it also worked to my benefit. Neyla's plan renewed in the middle of her osteo treatment so all of our limits reset and I got another round of money, which was REALLY helpful. Of course, with a plan that doesn't have limits, that doesn't help you.

[XTRAWLD]

I believe Canadian and American coverage plans differ greatly. For one, no dental plan was available, I think only for emergencies. They also wouldnt treat anything with a pre-existing condition or something that has occurred before. For example, Kasey came to us with a skin tear and scar. Because of this, he was "pre-disposed" to get this injury according to them and if something happened in the future they could told me it would not be covered. Likewise, if he was ever treated for diarrhea, and later needed to be treated again, I would not be covered. I just found way too many problems than solutions and figure for $35 a month (if I remember correctly) it would have been better for me to put that money away for them instead of paying into a premium that wouldnt give back. I can also pretty much guarantee when we had to go for all his allergy testing, various meds and trials, that coverage for things of that nature would not be on their list.

 

Again, I'm very happy and pleasantly surprised to read that people do find this insurance useful and that the end user wins. It is just not for us, when it always seems to be a no win situation.

[Guest capers7]

We had our poodle on VPI insurance for years. They were always good reimbursing for the things they covered. That was a long time ago, and I do not believe there were many others available, but when she hit a certain age, the premiums became really high and not really worth it to us at the time, so we dropped it.

[ShebasMom]

I believe Canadian and American coverage plans differ greatly. For one, no dental plan was available, I think only for emergencies. They also wouldnt treat anything with a pre-existing condition or something that has occurred before. For example, Kasey came to us with a skin tear and scar. Because of this, he was "pre-disposed" to get this injury according to them and if something happened in the future they could told me it would not be covered. Likewise, if he was ever treated for diarrhea, and later needed to be treated again, I would not be covered. I just found way too many problems than solutions and figure for $35 a month (if I remember correctly) it would have been better for me to put that money away for them instead of paying into a premium that wouldnt give back. I can also pretty much guarantee when we had to go for all his allergy testing, various meds and trials, that coverage for things of that nature would not be on their list.

 

Again, I'm very happy and pleasantly surprised to read that people do find this insurance useful and that the end user wins. It is just not for us, when it always seems to be a no win situation.

I believe most, if not all, USA pet insurance plans also have the "pre-existing condition" clause, but I was fortunate enough to get Sheba at a young age with no pre-existing conditions and very good teeth. I encountered the pre-existing condition rule, however, when after she'd been on the plan and diagnosed and treated for hookworms, when I decided to add the prescription coverage to my plan, they now consider the hookworms as pre-existing and won't cover the medication for it. They cover the testing, just not the treatment. No problem, though, because I get Dontral Plus much cheaper via the web than I can it at the vet so save money anyway.

[Guest zoolaine]

Wouldn't you know it, my 2012 Embrace pet insurance renewal comes up 03/02/12 and I haven't needed to use the accident/illness plan and $500 deductible all year--until yesterday. My very active girl Sheba rambunctiously jumped off the bed and got her left leg caught between the mattress and platform bedrrame, causing a deep laceration right at the knee(?) joint that required knocking her out for a bit and extensive stitching. On antibiotics and pain meds. No walks, runs, playing, jumping, etc. for a while so the area will heal and not open up again. Of course I wish it hadn't happened, but why couldn't it have happened at the beginning of the renewal year instead of the end?! Just grumbling. . .

 

Now into my third year with Embrace, thus far I've been very happy with the annual insurance plans (accident/illness/prescriptions ($500 deductible; 20% copay; $5,000 maximum coverage; $50,000 maximum lifetime coverage), wellness (no deductible; $200 maximum coverage), and dental (no deductible; $400 maximum coverage)) as well as their speedy reimbursments. I can go on and off the dental plan as needed with no penalty, but if I lower the deductible or copay, the price goes up, so I've stayed with what I originally purchased.

 

Here's hoping Sheba's leg wound heals nicely with no problems and doesn't happen again, at least to that spot:).

 

Poor girl. If it's not one thing, it's another. I hope keeping her quiet and calm and content without a lot of play is easy for you.

 

A question about Embrace Insurance: Is the $500 deductible applied to each different illness/injury or is it just one $500 deductible for everything?

 

ETA: I just called Embrace and the deductible is cumulative, not just for each and every problem. I currently have Trupanian and the deductible has to be reached for every *new* problem. Embrace is also less expensive than the Trupanian.

 

But Trupanion is a one time deductible where Embrace is a yearly deductible. I have some of mine on Trupanion and some on PetPlan. PetPlan is cheaper but it is a yearly deductible - so with Briley for example I have to pay a $200 deductible for his knee every year and $200 for his thyroid every year. So basically an extra $33 a month ($400/12months). If he was on Trupanion I would have only had to pay the $200 one time for his knee and one time for his thyroid

[Feisty49]

Wouldn't you know it, my 2012 Embrace pet insurance renewal comes up 03/02/12 and I haven't needed to use the accident/illness plan and $500 deductible all year--until yesterday. My very active girl Sheba rambunctiously jumped off the bed and got her left leg caught between the mattress and platform bedrrame, causing a deep laceration right at the knee(?) joint that required knocking her out for a bit and extensive stitching. On antibiotics and pain meds. No walks, runs, playing, jumping, etc. for a while so the area will heal and not open up again. Of course I wish it hadn't happened, but why couldn't it have happened at the beginning of the renewal year instead of the end?! Just grumbling. . .

 

Now into my third year with Embrace, thus far I've been very happy with the annual insurance plans (accident/illness/prescriptions ($500 deductible; 20% copay; $5,000 maximum coverage; $50,000 maximum lifetime coverage), wellness (no deductible; $200 maximum coverage), and dental (no deductible; $400 maximum coverage)) as well as their speedy reimbursments. I can go on and off the dental plan as needed with no penalty, but if I lower the deductible or copay, the price goes up, so I've stayed with what I originally purchased.

 

Here's hoping Sheba's leg wound heals nicely with no problems and doesn't happen again, at least to that spot:).

 

Poor girl. If it's not one thing, it's another. I hope keeping her quiet and calm and content without a lot of play is easy for you.

 

A question about Embrace Insurance: Is the $500 deductible applied to each different illness/injury or is it just one $500 deductible for everything?

 

ETA: I just called Embrace and the deductible is cumulative, not just for each and every problem. I currently have Trupanian and the deductible has to be reached for every *new* problem. Embrace is also less expensive than the Trupanian.

 

But Trupanion is a one time deductible where Embrace is a yearly deductible. I have some of mine on Trupanion and some on PetPlan. PetPlan is cheaper but it is a yearly deductible - so with Briley for example I have to pay a $200 deductible for his knee every year and $200 for his thyroid every year. So basically an extra $33 a month ($400/12months). If he was on Trupanion I would have only had to pay the $200 one time for his knee and one time for his thyroid

 

Sheesh, deciding on pet insurance is as complicated as it is for us humans. Thanks for the info about Trupanion. I was unaware of this - one of those things that got lost in the fine print, at least for me.