Trying To Decide If You Should Get Pet Insurance?

Trying to decide if you should get insurance on your pet? Even if you haven't had a run-in involving your late pet, pet insurance has probably crossed your mind. If so, do you have pet insurance? If not, you may well want to read on if you want to save yourself thousands of dollars.


With pet accident and illness insurance you get full coverage insurance; namely, your insurance company will agree to pay for all the costs and expenses incurred as a result of your family pet having suffered any illness or accident. Then, in the unfortunate instance that your pet is missing and never recovered, the insurance company will pay a percentage for the value of your dog, provided that the animal has been missing for 30 to 90 days. Depending on the vip pet insurance policy.

When purchasing pet insurance online or requesting a quote, you will have to fill out a form that asks for standard information such as the breed of your pet, etc. It depends on the age and breed of your dog, but you can find pet insurance premiums as low as $10-$15 per month. Insurance premiums are affected by the age, health and breed of your pet, as well as the type of animal.

On the other hand, if you have special breed dogs that pose no threat, then you may want to consider a different type of pet insurance. At the end of the day, however, having pet insurance is like having any other type if insurance. Pet insurance is like other forms of insurance and has the general liability, bodily injury, and property damage.

There are various types of pet insurance available, including third party liability coverage, which will protect you if you pet harms, destroys property, causes an accident, and so forth. There are various levels of pet insurance to choose from, including Senior and Standard Pet Coverage plans. In addition, pet insurance plans also allow you to choose the veterinarian you would like your dog to see.

As with human health care insurance, pet insurance pays the health care provider, in this case the veterinarian, according to a schedule worked out by the insurance company. You might have wondered why people have health insurance and most pets don't, when the medical costs seem practically the same! And yet, navigating through the underbrush of fine print involved in pet insurance may have put you off. Is it worth the money?

Included in many vpi pet insurance policies are the covering costs of advertising in your area and local newspapers for your lost pets safe return. With the rising costs of pet healthcare and with the extremes that many of us would go to for our pets, pet insurance is becoming very popular with pet owners. To prepare for such an occurrence, many owners are taking out insurance for their pet, to offset any costs that may be incurred and to ensure their pet gets the best treatment.

Most pet insurance policies carry an excess which means that you have to pay a small amount towards the cost of any treatment claimed for under the policy. If an insurance policy doesn't seem like the answer for you and your pet, there are other options, which should be discussed with your veterinarian. Absolutely free non committal pet insurance quotes are there to assist you in finding the best deals, and applications are very user friendly for your convenience.

One thing you do need to keep in mind when arranging your family pet insurance is the excess amount. Also, make sure you shop around, there are loads of different pet insurance policies available and you can half the cost if you do your homework. Brokers Online provide you with a huge amount of information on pet insurance and cheap life insurance.

The cost of these different pet care pet insurance plans ranges from $99 to $200 for every policy term year depending on the type of policy. Moreover, as with human travel insurance policies, pet travel insurance can be purchased either as annual policy or as a one-off travel policy.

Pet insurance covers all kinds of emergencies, injuries and illnesses, as well as visits to the vet's office, prescription fees, tests to diagnose ailments, x-rays, etc. Pet insurance plan can give you peace of mind as it takes away all the financial tensions that come first to our mind, when our pets get ill.

Michelle Johnson is known for her knowledge about dogs. For more great articles visit her blog at http://rustydogblog.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle__M_Johnson

10 Reasons Your Pet Insurance Will Fail You

Anybody who has a pet is likely to adore it and treat it as a member of their family; they are important and also expensive. Unfortunately medical treatment and also other mishaps can be expensive and for this reason many people choose to take out medical insurance. Pet insurance is actually older than many people may realise, the first policy was actually underwritten in 1980. British people are well known for loving their pets and many households have them, in 2009 Britain became the second highest country to take out pet insurance, behind Sweden. Out of all pet owners in the UK, 23% have pet insurance; this may be due to the worry of vet bills, due to the pet being valuable or rare or for many other reasons.
10 reasons your pet insurance will fail you: When taking out pet insurance you should be aware that there are likely to be some exclusions which are not covered within a policy. These exclusions are the typical ones although each providers's policy should be checked; the exclusions are likely to include:
* Illness which arises within the first thirty days of a policy being taken out, this often applies to many insurance policies in relation to any claims being made.
* Illnesses or conditions which arise due to pregnancy or the process of giving birth.
* Animals, mainly dogs which are registered under the Dangerous Animals Act 1976 or the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, any policy which is found to breach these acts will be immediately be classed as void and illegal
* Dental treatment, although this is often policy dependent
* Behavioural problems and hereditary conditions
* Pets which are destroyed under the orders of the courts
* Illness associated with the illegal importing or exporting of animals
* Travel outside of the UK, unless stated within the policy, this is a major issue as many claims have been made which are not viable as people have failed to check their policies, individuals intending to take their pets abroad are advised to check all policy details.
* Claims in relation to diseases which should be reported to the correct associations, this includes diseases such as rabies.
* Dogs which are working, racing or guard dogs will not be covered under typical pet insurance although specialist insurance may be available.

People who take out pet insurance should also bare in mind when taking out a policy or when making a claim that there is likely to be a maximum pay out by an insurance company. The policy limits will depend upon each individual policy and also on the reasons for the claim. Some insurance companies stop pay outs for pets at £6000, although as previously stated, each individual policy is likely to be different.
Just like any other insurance policy, individuals taking out the policy will be asked to pay an excess towards any claims made, this happens with both house and vehicle insurance also. Some companies have a set excess fee and some will vary depending on the type of cover.
**The cost of excesses are listed below:
Direct Line - Fixed Fee
Marks & Spencer Standard - £75 cats, £90 dogs
Marks & Spencer Premier - £50 cats, £70 dogs
More Than - £50 cats, £70 dogs
E & I - Between £66 and £99
Churchill - £55 cats, £65 dogs
There also different types of pet insurance which can be taken out, individuals should select the type which they feel presents the best policy and also the best value for money. Some policies are time limited, meaning that a fee is paid for an agreed contract length, for example a 12 month policy is taken out, similar to car insurance. Although there is also the opportunity to take out pet insurance which will be valued for the lifetime of the animal, in other words the insurance policy is valid for the life of the animal whilst ever the insurance premium is being paid. People must consider that lifetime insurance provides a guarantee which is important.
As animals get older people may struggle to find fixed term insurance policies, for example a very old pet may not be a good opportunity for an insurance company to insure. Similarly if a pet has previously had extensive veterinary work, an insurance company may be reluctant to insure the pet again. These are serious considerations which must be made by all pet owners before agreeing to take a policy out.
People who own pets which are of unusual or rare breeds, whether this be a cat, dog or even snake, are likely to face higher pet insurance costs. This is ultimately due to the pet being valued at a higher price. These animals are also likely to require specialist vets to treat them which will produce higher costs than usual standard vets. Some insurers may avoid insuring such animals at all as the costs associated with these animals are often incalculable. Rare breeds are often expensive and are obviously very hard to come by; this increases the risk of such animals being poached or stolen. This risk has to be calculated into the policy and ultimately passed on to the owner of the pet; this may increase the premium substantially. What must be considered is that if the insurance is not taken out and anything was to happen to the animal, the owner would not have any form of cover at all.
Veterinary care has advanced substantially in recent years which means that pets can be treated with different kinds of treatments which do not include surgery. Such treatments include acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, herbal medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy and osteopathy. Whilst these advances are obviously a great asset to the veterinary world, unfortunately the costs are often very high which are obviously passed on to the pet owners. Due to this insurance policies have now begun to include such treatments up to a certain value. Not all insurance policies do include these treatments and therefore it is important that the policies are checked first. Companies such as Petguard, Direct Line, Argos, Liverpool Victoria, Marks & Spencer and Churchill all offer cover for such treatments up to a certain value. The value which these are covered up to is likely to depend on each individual policy. It can not be stressed enough that all pet owners taking out pet insurance should read all the terms and conditions so that they fully understand the extent of the pet cover taken out.
Many pet owners wish to take their pets abroad with them; legislation now states that insurance must be in place before doing this, the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) is the scheme which allows certain animals to enter certain countries without quarantine if certain standards have been met. The travel scheme can only be obtained if pet insurance which covers pets going abroad is taken out. There is often a premium to pay on top of usual policy costs to ensure that a pet is insured whilst abroad, although there is also likely to be a large amount of terms and conditions associated with taking a pet abroad.
People who own exotic pets are likely to want to take out pet insurance, this is normally done so though specialist insurance brokers. The cost of this cover is likely to be dependant on how rare the species is and also how much the pet is worth. Anybody wishing to take out exotic pet insurance may have to gain a vets medical report on the animal before a policy can be taken out. The majority of household names within the insurance market do no offer exotic pet insurance as it is such a specialist area.
Pet lovers will know that it is very important to keep a pets teeth in order, this just like any other pet treatment is expensive. Some pet insurance policies may cover dental treatment, although just like any other matter, it is policy dependent. If the policy does not cover dental care, specialist tailored policies can be taken out relatively cheaply which cover just pet dental care.
Horse riding is very popular within the UK and is also a multi million pound industry. Race horses and regular horses are worth large amounts of money, for this reason insurance will be taken out to cover them. Although insurance is not just taken out to cover the horse, the rider offer takes out insurance to cover them. Serious injury can result from horse riding and this risk must be covered through taking out an insurance policy. Horse insurance is often very expensive due to the value of horses and also the potential for them to be injured when racing or during regular riding. The benefits are clearly that the risk of being injured, whether it is the horse or the rider, is always covered when an insurance policy has been taken out. Fail to take out a policy may mean that any accident will be extremely costly in relation to loss of earnings and also injury.

For more information about purchasing pet insurance visit http://www.petinsurance.eu
*Always read the small print within the pet insurance policy, particularly the exclusions as this will tell you what is not covered. You can always discuss with the provider the option of including certain conditions.
** correct at the time of publication - check provider for latest information
Author: Howie James. This article was first published on http://www.petinsurance.eu a website for pet owners to get up to date pet insurance information, help, hints and tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Howie_James

Protecting the Smallest Member of Your Family: A Step-by-step Guide to Pet Insurance

Let's face it - Fido and Fluffy are an important part of your family. Do you want to have to assign a dollar value to them if they become sick or injured?
That may well be the case if you don't have pet health insurance. Rising veterinary costs mean that pet owners can pay hundreds - and even thousands - of dollars for their pets' health problems. As the bills stack up, uninsured pet owners must determine how much they are willing to spend on their animal friend. It can be a heartbreaking decision to make.
Much like insurance for health, cars and homes, pet insurance helps people put a little money away now to avoid a major payout later. Coverage and cost vary, so it's important to thoroughly research the options if you decide to insure your pet.
Step one: Determine if Pet Insurance is Right for You
When people decide to get a pet, they often don't consider how they will deal with the inevitable unexpected illnesses or accidents. Keeping a pet indoors by no means eliminates all the hazards. They can still swallow foreign objects, ingest a poison or injure themselves. As well, living indoors does not make a pet immune to disease and infection - particularly those that are common to their breed. Pets with access to the outdoors have even more opportunities to pick up a disease or get hurt.
Don't have a dog or cat? Insurance companies are starting to offer plans that meet the needs of a variety of pet owners. Some now offer coverage for birds and exotic animals.
Not all owners are good candidates for pet insurance, however. Pet insurance is ideal for owners who deeply love their pets and are willing to spend a significant amount of money to keep them healthy and extend their life. They buy their cherished companions the best food and care they can afford, sometimes even putting their pets' needs before their own. For this type of owner, pet insurance can be a smart investment that can prevent considerable costs and bring peace of mind.
Pet insurance is not a good investment for owners who don't have a strong emotional tie to their pet. Owners who would rather have their pets euthanized than spend money on vet bills are not good candidates for pet insurance.

Step two: Decide What Type of Coverage You Want
Most pet owners will weigh two main considerations when shopping for pet insurance: budget and coverage. Peace of mind can also be an important factor, but far more difficult to quantify.
Pet health insurance is still relatively new in the United States and Canada, so the options available are fewer than for other forms of insurance. That said, North American pet owners can choose from a variety of coverage choices, ranging from injury/accident-only to all-inclusive.
As with all insurance products, the cost of pet insurance increases as the coverage improves. As a pet owner, you must decide what is the right balance between affordability and the care you want for your pet.
- Coverage
When choosing pet insurance coverage, first consider what kind of insurance customer you are. Do you prefer all-inclusive coverage that pays for everything from routine checkups and vaccinations to accidents and chronic illnesses, or are you comfortable with a lesser degree of coverage that just kicks in during emergencies? Perhaps you prefer a flexible plan that offers discounts on a wide range of services, from veterinary care to training. This decision will lay the groundwork for your final choice.
Some issues to consider:
* Make sure to check for coverage of pre-existing conditions as well as breed-specific genetic ailments, such as hip dysplasia for large dogs. Some plans refuse to cover these conditions.
* Some plans place limits on annual, per-incident, per-illness or lifetime costs.
* How old is your pet? Coverage usually starts at eight weeks, but some plans won't cover pets over a certain age (usually between six and 10 years old, depending on the breed, type of animal and other factors).
- Cost
Payment options for pet insurance include flat fees or deductibles and/or co-payments. Not surprisingly, plans with lower monthly premiums come with higher deductibles and/or larger co-payments.
Some issues to consider:
* Insurance premiums are affected by the age, health and breed of your pet, as well as the type of animal.
* Some plans offers discounts for multiple pets.
* Plans generally require customers to pay the vet bill first and then submit receipts for reimbursement.
* Find out if the insurance premiums will increase as your pet ages.
* Depending on the plan you choose, the monthly premiums can range from less than $10 to about $40.
Step three: Choose an Insurer
You've determined what you can afford to spend and the amount of pet insurance coverage you want.
Before selecting an insurer, here are some final considerations:
* Make a list of your questions and priorities in advance. Make sure to answer or check off each item when reviewing plan options.
* Research the insurer thoroughly. Review its website and sales materials, read its testimonials, talk to other pet owners and look for on-line reviews. How long has the company been in business? Are its customers satisfied? Make sure you feel comfortable about everything you hear or read.
* Compare the plan's benefit schedule with your vet's fees to determine to what degree the plan will cover the actual treatment costs.
* Find out how quickly the insurance company reimburses customers' claim payments and if it has claim deadlines.
* Read the fine print. Make sure you completely understand the plan's benefits and, more importantly, the limitations. If something isn't clear, ask - and get the answer in writing. Otherwise, you might find you don't have the coverage you need if an accident occurs.
* Start a file for your pet. Use it for all receipts and insurance paperwork so you can keep on top of your claims and make sure you are maximizing your insurance investment.
Your responsibility as a pet owner doesn't end with food, shelter and affection. Pet health insurance can give the smallest member of your family a longer and healthier life - and provide you with more time to enjoy the unconditional love it so willingly offers to you.

Burke Jones is a frequent contributor to Pet Health Depot [http://www.pet-health-depot.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Burke Jones