General Care: Insurance

Pet Health Insurance Premiums

Dog health insurance monthly costs can range from $10 to $75 a month.  Fees will vary based on where you live, the type of dog and a dog's age.  

Buy puppy insurance or kitten insurance, said another way, when your pet is young. Most policies will not cover pre-existing conditions. Some, but not all insurance companies will not offer older dog insurance or older cat insurance.   

According to the Chicago Tribune, the average cost of a dog is $1,350 per year. Dr. Louise Murray, who is the author of "Vet Confidential: An Insider's Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health,  and a director of medicine at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City, states that pet health insurance is needed since "Almost every animal at some point in its life is going to have at least one serious medical issue," .

Dr. Murray recommends that $1,000 to $4,000 be set aside for pet health emergency expenses.   The ASPCA reports that pet health insurance costs $19/mo. for dogs and $15/mo. for cats.  Typical deductibles are $200 for each incident and claim reimbursement at 80%.

Here's a video from the National Association for Pet Insurance on why pet health insurance makese sense.

Questions to Ask When Comparing Pet Health Insurance Plans

• Reimbursement for specific types of treatment or health procedures
• Out of pocket expenses
• Well pet care such as teeth cleaning, checkups and vaccinations
• Check if premiums will rise every year when the policy is renewed such as as your pet gets older
• See if premiums will rise based on the number of claims you submit
• Determine if you need to pay pet medical expenses up front or will the insurance pay the veterinarian directly
• Specialist Care (dermatologists - skin, oncologists - cancer)
• Ask about Multi pet Discounts
• Coverage for congenital problems

How to Buy Dog and Cat Health Insurance:

Comparison shop different plans and ask for a quote for your specific dog, cat or pet.   Most plans offer a basic level of insurance and then premium levels.  The difference is usually the lifetime limit of total health care expenses, annual limit and per incident limit.  

• A per incident deductible that is applied to all treatments associated with an incident, which is usually $100 in total, with all other expenses over $100 paid in full by the insurance company when you total all expenses together covered.
  
• Per incident limit: a basic plan will usually pay up to approximately $2500 for incident or problem.  A premium plan will pay up to $14,000 per incident.
• Lifetime limit: This can range from $42,000 to $100,000.

Click through some of the links below and look directly at the  insurers website vs. relying on information that is summarized on line.

Popular Pet Health Insurance Companies:

Each carrier has different rates and covers different ailments for the money. We suggest getting quotes from these leading companies when shopping for dog health insurance. Here are a few companies that are well known and provide free online quotes:

Pets Best Pet Insurance: All plans offered by this company reimburse 80% of your veterinary bills .  They offer a variety of plans including insurance for older dogs. Plans are designed to provide illness and accident coverage with an option to pay extra for wellness care (vaccinations etc.). 

Trupanion Pet Insurance: Trupanion insurance is offered and recommended by PETCO., the large pet products retailer.  They don't increase premiums as your pet gets older. They  will also adjust premiums based on the amount of deductible per incident.  Their website offers a helpful comparison tool for understanding the difference between plans.

24 Pet Watch Insurance Coverage: 24 Pet Watch Insurance is available in U.S., UK and Canada.   They offer an accident only option as low as $10.95 a month and specific plans for older dogs.  This is the #1 choice in North America for pet owners.