Obtaining insurance policies can protect you from unexpected costs from accidents, injuries, and natural disasters. Individuals may have multiple insurance plans, including health insurance, life insurance, auto insurance, and pet insurance.
In Australia, 69 percent of households have pets. Popular pets include dogs, cats, fish, and birds. Perhaps you’re wondering what pet insurance is and whether you need pet insurance. You may already have pet insurance and wonder if there’s a way to save money on your insurance policy. Let’s look at how you can compare pet insurance plans, what pet insurance covers, and how you’ll benefit from investing in a pet insurance policy.
Compare Policies
Online insurance comparison tools make it easy to evaluate pet insurance policies. To compare pet insurance plans, locate a comparison tool and provide information about your pet. The tool will ask if your pet’s a cat or dog. You’ll also identify your pet’s name, age, and gender and indicate whether your pet’s neutered. Once you enter your contact information, the tool compiles a list of insurance companies offering plans, such as Guide Dogs Pet Insurance, RSPCA Pet Insurance, Prime Pet Insurance, and Real Insurance.
View each pet insurance company’s monthly costs or switch to look at their fortnightly or annual rates to find the most affordable policy. The tool outlines which routine care options you can include in your policy. For example, some plans contribute a fixed amount per year toward neutering your pet, teeth cleaning, or heartworm prevention.
Policy descriptions also outline any exclusions that apply. For example, if your pet has a preexisting condition, it won’t be covered under your policy. Policies don’t exclude hereditary or congenital conditions from plan coverage if your pet hasn’t displayed any symptoms. Acquiring an insurance policy as soon as your pet turns eight weeks of age is an effective way to ensure you have full coverage for your pet’s health care needs.
You may determine it costs less to pay for a more expensive policy and reduce your out-of-pocket veterinary costs. Once you identify suitable pet insurance policies, check the policy brochure and talk to your vet to ensure they accept your policy before signing up for coverage.
Coverage Options
Pet insurance is comparable to health insurance for people. Policyholders can use their insurance plan to cover the costs of emergency veterinary care and some annual vet care. Policyholders pay a deductible fee when using their insurance plan, and their insurance company pays the bill’s balance. Costs vary and may determine how much coverage you have with your policy.
Some pet insurance policies only cover the cost of treating injuries from accidents and unexpected illnesses. Other policies include routine care options, making it more affordable for pet owners to take their pets to the vet. You’ll pay lower premiums for accident and illness plans, but you’ll have to pay out of pocket for all your routine veterinary care. Routine veterinary costs include the cost of vaccinations, health checks, and blood work.
Benefits
Pet owners enjoy peace of mind and save when they have a comprehensive pet insurance policy because they don’t need to come up with the funds to cover unexpected vet bills. Dogs and cats can be injured by automobiles, other animals, house fires, or natural disasters, or your vet may need to deworm your pet during routine wellness checks.
Policies including coverage for some routine veterinary care options make it more affordable to get the veterinary care you need for your pet. You can use the coverage to pay for alternative therapies, cremation costs, microchipping, obedience training, and dental treatment. Alternative therapies include acupuncture, hydrotherapy, chiropractic treatment, massage therapy, and herbal therapies.
Pet insurance plans cover emergency veterinary costs. Depending on your insurance company and the terms of your plan, your policy may also cover some routine veterinary care costs.
Featured Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash