Pet Insurance FAQ’s

Having top quality veterinary care can help your pet live a long and healthy life. That’s easy to understand. Understanding how pet insurance works can help you save money on your veterinarian care. This list of pet insurance FAQ’s answers many of the questions that can be floating around in your head as you read through your pet insurance policy packet.

How do I know which vet will take my insurance?

This is an easy question to answer because pet insurance pays you for bills you incur through any veterinarian. There’s no need to check if your vet will take certain pet insurance. It’s different than with human health insurance, where the doctor pays the insurance. Instead, you file a claim with your pet insurance provider with your vet bill in hand and they will reimburse you for the approved procedure.

What determines the cost of my pet policy?

As a general rule, pet insurance will cost a few hundred dollars per year. There are four factors that can make this number higher or lower. They are your location, the age of your pet, the breed of your pet, and your chosen deductible and reimbursement level.

Does pet insurance start immediately?

When a pet insurance becomes effective is different depending on the company, but some companies will cover any accidents that require medical attention within a couple of days. For a procedure that requires scheduling, you should be covered within a couple of weeks. Check with your insurance company to get your exact dates.

Can I get a policy that covers more than one pet?

Of course! This may actually help you out in the long run because many companies will give discounts for having more than one pet. This is called multi-pet insurance. Ask your pet insurance company if they offer it and what discounts that they offer. Some will even offer a bigger discount the more pets you have.

What is a reimbursement rate?

After you pay your deductible, you will be reimbursed for your veterinarian bills depending on your rate. This reimbursement rate is a percentage of your bill depending on the plan you choose. The higher the reimbursement rate, the higher your monthly premium will be.

A typical reimbursement rate will be between 70-90%. This is the amount of the veterinarian bill that the pet insurance will pay after your deductible is paid. So, if your reimbursement rate was 75%, it will pay 75% of what is left of the bill after you have paid your deductible. It does not pay that of the total bill.

When will I get my reimbursement?

There is no set date that you will be reimbursed for your vet bill. That all depends on the claim, the company, and the complication of the procedure.

What is a pet policy cap or limit?

Some companies will limit the amount of reimbursement that they will pay. This limit can be per incident, per year, or for the life of your pet.

There are more complicated limits such as limits per body system, which will only allow payment of a certain amount for visits pertaining to health issues of a certain body system such as the digestive system or nervous system.

What does pet insurance cover?

If you choose the right pet insurance policy, there are a few things that it should cover. All pet insurance policies should cover accidents that happen unexpectedly. This includes cuts, breaks, swallowed objects, etc.

Some policies cover illnesses like cancer, arthritis, and ear and skin infections.

Some policies also cover congenital or hereditary conditions. These are conditions that are determined by the breed of your pet.

A hereditary condition is something that has been passed down from your pet’s parents. These can include diabetes, eye problems, and hip dysplasia.

A congenital condition is a condition that developed in the womb. This can include things like a heart defect or defective limb.

Pet insurance policies do not cover any pre-existing conditions that your pet has before the purchase of your pet insurance policy.

How do I know if my pet has a congenital or hereditary condition?

A routine checkup at your veterinarian should help you determine if your pet has any medical conditions. Most pet insurance companies require a complete medical documentation before they will cover any pet.