No matter if they have furry tails that wag or they spend their days sunning on a heat stone, many of us treat our pets just like family. This means getting them the best possible care, including a pet health plan.
Pet health insurance is one of the fastest growing lines of insurance offered today. This market is expected to top $1 billion dollars by 2011. Jack Stephens, founder of Pet’s Best Insurance, pet health care costs have soared over 40% in the last to years totaling $10 billion dollars. Only about $250 million of this however was spent on health insurance.
A pet insurance plan is very similar to one you might have. They can cover any sort of animal, but are generally taken out for dogs and cats. The policies vary in their costs and coverages, and can be as simple or as inclusive as you need.
Like all insurance plans, you always hope you don’t need the coverage. But often when dealing with animals, the need is sudden. And, if surgery or emergency treatment is needed, the cost can often soar into the thousands of dollars. Even purebred or pedigreed animals aren’t safe from this fact, and they often have more genetic troubles.
In recent months, the ASPCA has noticed a significant increase in the number of people calling it who simply cannot afford the routine health care that their animal requires.
Generally, pet insurance policies cover bills due to injuries and illnesses. They also cover preventative care and vaccinations. Some plans will also cover a portion of obedience training costs and flea/tick medications.
Some of the top pet insurance companies will also cover the cost of a microchip for your pet which can help if they are lost or stolen. In many cases, they will cover the cost of advertising and offer a reward to help find your pet.
When selecting a policy, it is vital that pet owners check the terms and conditions that apply, rather than being swayed simply by price.
These pet insurance policies are becoming much more common. This helps all owners feel comfortable knowing that their pets will be taken care of without causing undue financial stress on the family.
Making a choice between expensive health care for a pet or ending the life of that animal companion is never easy. Wallace Sife, who as founder of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement has counseled hundreds of guilt-racked pet owners, said, “There is no right answer.”
There is no hard and fast advice on what to do when a pet needs urgent care. It does appear, however, that pet insurance is the financial cure, though it may end up making the emotional decision a little easier.
Hopefully, this article has helped you with the basics of this issue. It’s still important that you do some research when getting a plan so you know what will be covered and what it will cost. A simple search should yield a very wide range of insurance providers, and you can use their websites to compare the plans that will give you the best deal. Please don’t automatically go for the cheapest price; your first concern should be the well being of your pet. You ultimately want to be prepared to care for them should anything go wrong with their health.
