May 19, 2010
By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Choosing a pet insurance company.
Picking a pet insurance company for your pet’s health isn’t what it used to be. Many companies in the past, and some current companies, put a lot of limitations on what pet owners could use the insurance for. In other words, if you had a dog that needed to go to the vet twice in one year for the same problem, your insurance company most likely would only cover one of those visits.
One company offering much better services and that has been introduced to the United States for the past two years, is Trupanion. A company that started in Canada 12 years ago, offers much more coverage, has a higher payout, faster approval and payment, does not have penalties for filing claims and has very fair premiums. Premiums in which you can decide what you want to pay monthly and choose a deductible that fits your budget.
Trupanion’s goal is to provide a product that is beneficial for both pet owners and veterinarians. In speaking with the Long Island company representative, Thomas Russo, he said, “It is important for us to be transparent in our coverage and practices, thereby giving us the ability to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients. One of the most important strategies to achieve this goal is to eliminate the possibility of pre-existing conditions by enrolling puppies and kittens for lifetime coverage. Simply put, this translates into more paid claims for our pet owners.”
Pet owners that are interested in Trupanion should know that they would have one simple plan with 90% coverage, and has no limits, caps or hidden penalties. No limits means, no limits per year, per claim, per incident, for the lifetime of your pet, and the policy actually includes hereditary conditions.
One of Trupanion’s core values is that they never penalize a pet owner of an unlucky pet. They will never raise rates, limit coverage or cancel a policy for an unlucky pet with multiple claims. Like with most pet insurance companies there are waiting periods of 30-days for illness and 5-days for injuries for new enrollments, this is to prevent insurance fraud.
As with all insurance, pre-existing conditions are not covered. A pre-existing condition would be something that is noted in the pets’ previous vet’s medical records, any new illness or injury after enrollment would be covered. So if your pet, let’s say had a small bump, but it was not noted in vet’s records, and now the bump needs to be addressed, it would be covered.
For owners that want to try the pet insurance but aren’t ready for a commitment, Trupanion offers a 30-day free certificate, but it is only available at participating veterinarian offices. This complimentary no obligation certificate is issued by your vet after an exam for your puppy or kitten which is less than one year of age. The pet owner must activate the certificate by midnight of the day following the exam. Trupanion waives the 30-day/5-day waiting periods for the trial offer, so owners would get immediate coverage for the 30-days following activation. Also note that veterinarians receive no financial or other incentive for presenting pet owners with this certificate. Veterinarians also really like Trupanion because the company does not question their medical treatment or decisions.
Pet owners can do their research at Trupanion’s website. Simply go to www.trupanion.com and generate your customized quote.
Trupanion even lets you customize your policy by letting you: compare cat and dog insurance companies; get detailed policy information; choose a custom deductible; add more pets; find a premium that fits your budget; and enroll your pet.
In this day and age of some outrageously high veterinary costs, pet health insurance may be the solution owners are looking for.
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