Pet Health Insurance Becoming More Popular
ALTOONA -- Those concerned about their health waste no time getting health insurance for themselves and their families. But how about
for a family's favorite pooch?
For a number of years, insurance companies have been sprouting
up not to insure humans, but to offer health coverage for pets.
"It's something people should look into, especially with
multiple pets," said Dr. Matthew Stachmus, a veterinarian
at Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital in Altoona. "In the past
10 to 20 or even five years, the ability of veterinarians and
the things were taught, you can really almost do anything on
a pet you can do on a human if you can afford it.
"Veterinary care has gotten expensive, but peoples expectations
have also gotten higher. Like anything, it will become more commonplace,
especially with rising costs."
Just for general care during a year, pet owners can expect to
spend almost $300, said Suzanne S. Weaver, director of the Matthew
J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania.
Add in extra costs associated with illnesses, accidents or other
unforeseen dilemmas, and the costs rise.
"If you get (pet insurance) at the right time, we do think
it generally is a good thing," she said. "Often people
are not even aware of it until they come to a place like this.
It needs to be advertised more."
As opposed to waiting until a pet is older and has specific
health issues, it would be cheaper and more logical to get pet
insurance when a pet is younger and relatively healthy, she said.
If people wait, they run the risk of not getting insurance coverage
for their pets because of pre-existing conditions.
"Different insurance companies cover different things,
and some don't cover diseases specific to a breed," she
said. "You really have to look into it before you purchase
it and find out what will be covered and read the fine print.
The best thing to do is go online, and you should be able to
find policies online. If you don't understand what they're saying,
talk to a veterinarian and have it explained."
Typing "pet
insurance" into an Internet search engine
yields numerous links to pet insurance companies Web sites, one
of them being California-based Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.
VPI insures approximately 400,000 pets across the country, spokesman
Brian Iannessa said. His 4-month-old miniature pinscher is one
of them.
"If you're a pet owner, it's there as a risk-management
tool, and in terms of catastrophic illness, it's there to help
defray costs with tests and treatments associated with the illness," he
said. "It's peace of mind."
While peace of mind is a factor, some may want to know one thing:
How much does it cost?
The cost of health
insurance for pets varies depending on specific
companies, policies and medical history of pets. At VPI, monthly
costs of policies average about $7 to $10 for exotic pets and
birds, $21 or $22 for cats and $25 for dogs, Iannessa said.
"As a pet owner, it depends if that peace of mind is worth
$25 to $30 a month," he said. "Consider you may not
have to use it, but heaven forbid your dog gets hit by a car
or your cat gets diabetes."
Joining the list of companies offering pet insurance is Pethealth
Inc. based in Ontario, Canada. The company offers a variety of
policies, from a budget plan for $10 a month up to comprehensive
plans.
Pethealth also runs ShelterCare, which is available to recently
adopted cats and dogs coming from animal rescue organizations
and has insured more than 1 million pets in the United States
and Canada. Clients could pay $1 the first month or get a gift
month from the rescue organization depending on the organization,
said Sue Howard, marketing manager.
"It's important to go with a reputable company," she
said. "There are a lot of companies popping up, but they
don't have the track record yet. We've been around seven years
and the thing people need to know is the insurer will be there
when you need them."
Dr. John Robb, of New Fairfield, Conn., founded Protect the
Pets to educate pet owners about the realities of unsafe veterinary
medicine and to inspire veterinary professionals to value the
health of pets over the drive for profits. He said like anything,
pet insurance is something that can be good, with the right resources.
"I'm a straight shooter and the truth is the truth," he
said. "There are good companies, and there are bad companies.
It's a hot topic and it's an important topic."
Provided a person does research and understands specific policies,
purchasing pet insurance can definitely be a good thing, he said.
"The key thing is to find out if a veterinarian promotes
pet insurance and has clients who use it so he or she can educate
their beliefs," he said.
References :http://www.centredaily.com |
