Is pet wellness coverage worth it?
We want what’s best for our pets when it comes to their overall health and happiness. However, we may only think about our pet’s medical care when faced with more serious injuries or illnesses.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to know whether your pet is experiencing a health issue from the early stages. Depending on the problem, your pet may not demonstrate any noticeable symptoms until their illness progresses. By then, you may be dealing with a serious medical problem that requires a lot of time and treatment, as well as tons of money to fix. This puts many pet owners in serious situations where they may not be able to afford their pet’s treatment.
One of the best ways to keep track of your pet’s overall health and wellness is by continuing preventive and routine care. This includes frequent visits to the vet and undergoing certain procedures that help your pet maintain good health and ensure they are being monitored for any early signs of severe illnesses or other medical issues.
While this is a great way to keep up with your pet’s health, routine and preventive care measures can be expensive over periods of time. Many pet owners may not be able to afford these wellness treatments and forego them. Pet wellness plans that cover routine and preventive care help owners be able to afford these treatments and to avoid more serious and expensive issues from developing later in your pet’s life.
What do pet wellness plans cover?
Most pet wellness plans are separate from your average pet insurance coverage. Typically, pet insurance providers offer plans that cover illness-only treatments, injury-only, or a combination of the two. Your provider may offer wellness plans as a separate plan or as add-on options.
For wellness plans, you can expect many of the same types of treatments to be covered, including:
- Wellness visits: Regular check-ups, wellness exams and routine physical exams are often covered by wellness plans.
- Vaccines & pest treatments: Vaccines that help to prevent common illnesses as well as pest preventive treatments for fleas, ticks, ringworm, and more are typically covered under a wellness plan.
- Microchipping & other procedures: Spaying, neutering, deworming and microchipping, as well as other preventive procedures are generally covered.
Though wellness plans offer different treatments from your typical pet insurance plans, it is important to note they will often not cover treatments for pre-existing conditions. Pets with cancer or other serious pre-existing conditions may not be covered under a wellness plan for treatments related to those specific health issues. Additionally, cosmetic procedures are also not covered under these plans.
How are pet wellness premiums determined?
Overall, there are many contributing factors that help determine your wellness plan’s monthly premium. Here are a few details that will affect your premium amount:
- Age: The older your pet is, the more likely you will need to pay more monthly for your wellness plan coverage.
- Breed: Because some breeds are more susceptible to certain illnesses or injuries, you may be more likely to pay a higher monthly premium. Pet breeds that are in need of more routine treatments to prevent certain illnesses or injuries can expect to have higher monthly premiums.
- Species: The type of pet (cat, dog, etc.) you have will contribute to your premium. Pets that require more overall routine or preventive care will have a higher premium for their coverage.
- Wellness plan details: The details of your specific wellness plan will play into how much you pay per month. Your reimbursement percentage, yearly deductible, and overall coverage cap will contribute to your monthly premium amount.
Additionally, depending on what treatments and procedures your insurance plan covers, you may be required to pay more or less for your monthly premium. Plans that have more holistic coverage and offer more treatments are likely to have higher overall premiums.
How to choose the best pet wellness plan?
You have many things to consider as you choose the best pet wellness plan for your pet. Here are a few things to keep top of mind as you make your decision:
- Determine your budget: Evaluate your budget and how much you are able to pay monthly for your pet’s wellness plan. Take a look at what the different plans have to offer within your budget to help inform your decision.
- Consider your pet’s needs: Depending on the type of pet you have, and their age, breed, and medical history, you may require different types of preventive and routine care treatments. Be sure to confirm the plan you are choosing has coverage options available for any treatments your pet may need in the future.
- Compare plan offerings: Just because a plan is the most expensive does not mean it offers the most preventive and routine treatments. Additionally, a cheap plan does not mean it is a good deal. Compare and contrast what each plan has to offer in terms of treatments, as well as monthly premium expectations, deductibles and coverage caps, to figure out what is the best choice.
- Read their reviews: Take a look at any reviews customers who have your future pet wellness plan. You will want to find out how they handle customer issues, and what the overall claims process looks like. Additionally, you will want to ensure your provider is trustworthy, and see if they have any accreditations from trusted organizations like the Better Business Bureau. We’ve also made a review for these wellness plans that could be helpful.