Pet health insurance? Should i or shouldn't i?

[thecavemankevin]

I've got two dogs, (just got a new mutt a couple days ago) and i've been kicking around the idea about getting health insurance for them for sometime now. I haven't been the kind that takes our dogs to the vet quite as often as i should, but i want to change that. I also know that i wouldnt be able to afford some of the very costly procedures you sometimes hear about animals needing (say cancer for instance). But i dont know how well i'd be able to live with the guilt of not being able to afford it.

What do you guys think? Anyone have it for their pets and is it worth it? What company do you use? Any pointers?

thanx

[wjr]

I wish our dog had health insurance. Just recently she ate a pair of leather shoes and had to have an operation to have them removed. Then she tore her ACL. She had one surgery to fix it. Then, do to complications, she had to have two more. Then she had tons of medicine we had to get her.

On top of that, she now has a condition that's been caused by stress from the operations. And of course, she'll need medicine for that.

We've spent close to $2,000 on a dog that was free to begin with.

So, yeah. You may want to consider it.

[MANN]

I dont have it as I have always been afraid that my vet wouldnt accept it or whatever other BS that ins companies do. That being said if either of my dogs needed vet care cost would be no option. I treat them like children.

How much is ins per year/month?

[bentothejam1n]

We've spent close to $2,000 on a dog that was free to begin with.

you mustve gotten a good deal on the acl surgery. I thinks ours was like 1200

[beam]

America
Land of over-insured pets and under-insured people.

[iambored]

America
Land of over-insured pets and under-insured people.

QFT

[wjr]

you mustve gotten a good deal on the acl surgery. I thinks ours was like 1200

I think he may have given us the second surgery for free cause he felt bad about it. That plus he's sort of a "family friend", so I bet he didn't charge us as much.

[billybob_81067]

I hate to say it, but if any of our animals got sick or hurt badly it'd only cost me a $0.02 .22 bullet to put them down. Not worth it IMHO.

[MANN]

I hate to say it, but if any of our animals got sick or hurt badly it'd only cost me a $0.02 .22 bullet to put them down. Not worth it IMHO.

Hey whatever lets you sleep at night.

[thecavemankevin]

America
Land of over-insured pets and under-insured people.

take your bleeding heart elsewhere huh? i agree that all people should have health insurance, but its not my responsibility to pay for you. but moreover that i think that health care is far to expensive...its a never ending roller coaster heading up and up. It in itself should be more affordable mitigating the need for insurance all together. But thats just a crazy fantasy.

I hate to say it, but if any of our animals got sick or hurt badly it'd only 2cost me a $0.02 .22 bullet to put them down. Not worth it IMHO.

yeah, try getting my wife to go along with that. you'd have better luck bringing peace to the middle east.

[Crighton]

I watched a couple I know buy a puppy mill dog, spend a $1000 on vet bills, then it broke it's leg, another $650, then it rebroke it's leg again and had to have it amputated, another $4000.

I offered to put it down for them but noooooo, wifey had to save the poor dog.

I call it the million dollar mutt or tripod when ever I see it now. Course these same two people can barely afford there mortgage and had to take in a renter for a spare room to keep afloat.

[Ole Unka Phil]

What is the cost? What is the coverage and potential pay back? Is it going to pay off or is it going to be denied for some various reasons?

Versus...

putting that same amount of money per month in the bank and being self insured and perhaps never needing it and being able to use it for something else?

Thats what you have to consider and work out.

[thecavemankevin]

i've done a little shopping around, but mostly i'm asking here to see if anyone has previous experience with it.

the one that i'd likely get is about 14 per month....but i'm still leaning towards not getting it right now.

[Altimas]

Secret: We make money by placing bets that you or your animal isnt going to get hurt.

So think of it like a gambler, how likely is the animal to get hurt or get sick. Personally I agree with Phil, Animal Healthcare is not near as inflated and super expensive as Human healthcare, depending on the premiums you would prolly be better off just saving the money.

Also the way health insurance works is we are able to have contracts with doctors and hospitals that we only have to pay them a certain amount for a service, where as Joe Jimmy Dangler off the street pays about 10 times as much as we do, this is why insurance premiums arnt 10,000$ a month. The thing i worry about on Pet Health insurance is it wouldnt be a business if they wernt making money and the only way i know that they could make money off of you is by charging you to much or making you pay high deductibles and copays.

[Lohman446]

Insurance companies also work on telling doctors what they will pay.

Since there is compulsary care (an ER cannot turn you away) the hospital takes what it can get from the insurance company, rather than gambling and charging what they want.

Not true for a vet or, in my case a mechanic. In my case when an insurance company tells me what they will pay I just pass further costs to the customer. I would guess a vet to be the same way. So your insurance, will ony cover part of any costs, and that left you will likely be more than the advertised deductible - I would guess.