Re: In your opinion: Why health insurance?

[Roxanne]

I used to think Petcare was the best in the US .....and have 4 of my dogs insured with them. But i recently found out about Petplan ( US company ) and they are better ( Sorry Cathy !!!!! I wish I would have known before i talked you into Petcare !! ) Their premiums are cheaper and their coverage is MUCH higher !! They have only been writing in the US for 2 years but have been in other countries much longer. From what we have found out the Petplan in Canada and UK has different limits and coverages .

For more info on Petplan for US peeps here is the URL

www.gopetplan.com

I just switched my 2 healthy dogs to Petplan and am considering switching one of the others ( she has a pre-existing condition that wouldnt be covered with a new policy )

[Coco's mom]

I also have Petplan, but I am in Canada. We talked about it in a recent thread. I have the Champion Plan which covers all the hereditary conditions, but also the smaller things like vet visits, vaccinations, urinanalysis, neutering/spaying, dental cleaning, etc.

[Cathy T]

Roxanne!! Oh well, I'm sticking with Petcare since I just switched over last month!

[Dottie]

I just tried to get a quote from the PetPlan site and it said it wasn't available in my state! Tennessee, US

[Shay]

Me too, and not in Alabama either. There was just a segment on a local news channel about it. They interviewed the owner and showed his Cav. a beautiful black and tan. It was just talking abut how the company is from England and now in the US. Talked about the importance of having Pet Insurance, and that they carry hereditary and genetic coverage. I missed the first part.

[Dottie]

Well I hope they make it down South soon!

[judy]

PetPlan isn't available in California at this time. I will stay tuned.

PetCare has worked well for me.

When I got Zack, i signed up for PetCare that day. I already had it on my cat but never used it, after years. I checked about hereditary conditions and they said for sure, so i signed him up.

I don't consider paying premiums for insurance on a healthy animal paying for nothing. I am happy the animal is well and i am happy to have the peace of mind knowing if needed, i have insurance. I would rather be paying premiums on a healthy animal than a sick one!!

When i first got zack he had bloody diarrhea and vomiting the first month, it was not covered because it was in the 30 day waiting period. In 5 weeks it cost $1100, it just turned out to be worms and the cure was a cheap medication but it took $1100 before i found a vet that diagnosed it right, the point being it was a simple illness not unusual in a puppy and it cost $1100 in a month.

PetCare put diarrhea as a temporary exclusion on the policy, he would not be covered for diarrhea for one year, unless it could be shown that it was complete different in cause or nature from the first diarrhea. It's been a year and i will get that exclusion removed.

Then Zack was healthy for 4 months. Then, he got sick. The diagnosis was pyoderma, he had skin lesions and abnormal blood tests and other symptoms. That was my first claim with PetCare, it came to about $700 and they paid all of it except the $50 deductible. About a month later, he was playing fetch and he scratched his cornea on a bush. That cost over $300 and PetCare paid everything except the deductible.

It didn't matter which vet i took him to. On the pyoderma, i took him to three different vets and they paid all of the visits, and all the medications.
They also pay for flea treatments like Frontline.

I pay a high premium for $6000 per illness category and 100% coverage with no copayment, i think it's about $53 a month, but they've paid out a lot more than i've paid in.

[Barbara Nixon]

Although Izzy is costing me £40+, a month, for heart meds, and Teddy is costing for allergy tests, I still feel that I'm not out of pocket, by not having insurance. I've had at least two dogs for most of the time since 1973 and , if I had insured them all, I still would have spent much more money, in total, than I've had to fork out.

I agree with Karlin, in that, if one of mine needed a very expensive procedure, then it would probably be very unpleasant, so I wouldn't want to put my animal through it.

[Charley's Mom]

Your answers have really helped me out and made me think about things a bit harder. I really love this site and all of you fellow Cavalier lovers. These little dogs are like no other!

Thank you all and if anyone else wants to add something more I'm more than happy to hear your opinion.

[KingstonsMom]

I ordered PetCare Insurance and the VERY NEXT DAY Kingston had a major injury to his eye. His surgery cost $1700 dollars and PetCare paid the whole thing minus my $50 dollar deductible. It will take three years worth of my monthly premiums to add up to that amount! Getting insurance was one of the best things I could've done.