As wonderful as pet insurance is to protect your pocket and your pet’s health, There are some conditions that are often not covered by it. You should be aware of them so that you are not surprised down the track.
Existing medical conditions – These are any health problems that developed prior to the start date of the pet insurance coverage (aka effective date). Anything documented on your pet’s medical health record prior to getting pet insurance will almost certainly be deemed a pre-existing condition and will be excluded from coverage, which means any claim you make on that illness will be refused.
Why is this the case? Any insurance plan – for pets or people – that covers pre-existing illnesses would allow people to purchase insurance only once they or their pet become ill. Then they could claim thousands of dollars on treatments immediately, putting a strain on the insurance business – which would flow through to the quality and value of the insurance plans offered in the longer term.
Because pre-existing conditions are always excluded, you should get dog insurance as soon as possible for your pet. The longer you wait, the greater the chance your pet may experience a health issue that would be excluded from coverage.
Routine care and wellness appointments with your vet keep your pet healthy, including neutering, yearly checkups, vaccinations, microchipping and so on. However, these are almost always excluded from standard cat insurance plans too. Having said that, a good pet insurance provider will instead allow you to add wellness coverage for an additional cost on top of your plan.
If you don’t take out this extra cover, these are the kinds of expenses you should anticipate as a conscientious pet owner. They are predictable, you can budget for them and they’re typically affordable.
At the end of the day, your money would be well spent on a comprehensive pet insurance plan that covers unexpected illnesses and injuries. Look for a high annual benefit limit and lower excess, which means greater reimbursement, as well as the features and benefits of each pet insurance plan. Also look at the exclusions and restrictions around payouts and, of course, the monthly cost.
It is only once you have all the information at hand should you then decide which plan is best for you and your pet.