Pet Insurance Quotes For Cats - According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. A record number of more than 2 million pets in North America were insured last year, an increase of nearly 17 percent, according to Credit from Studio OMG/Getty Images.
Sam, our beloved chihuahua-terrier mix, was healthy as a horse (excuse the expression) until he suddenly fell ill with a life-threatening bacterial infection. Fortunately, the emergency vets at the local animal hospital knew what to do and saved Sam's life.
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My wife and I know that the bill for five days of round-the-clock care can be expensive, but Sam has health insurance so we don't have to worry about that. The total bill came to $10,000, which we had to pay to take Sam home. Within a week, we received a $9,000 check from the insurance company.
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Just like human members of the family, our pets can get sick or injured. And when they do, vet bills can be staggering, prohibitive. Additionally, many foster parents in the US lack coverage.
Dr. Jason Nichols, a veterinarian practicing in Portland, Ore., who runs the website PreventiveVet.com, says it's not uncommon for people to skip treatment or, in worst-case scenarios, euthanize their pet due to financial constraints.
"And it breaks your heart, especially when it's a treatable condition, and they can't do it because of the money," Nichols told NBC News Better. "There are certain people who can afford $50 a month for insurance, and $8,000 at the moment can't afford it."
Checkbook.org, an independent, nonprofit consumer organization that rates products and services, took a deep dive into pet insurance and found that it has "evolved over the last 15 years." Most policies now cover hereditary and congenital problems, chronic problems and even alternative medicine.
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But from a purely financial standpoint, Checkbook found that "pet insurance isn't worth it for most people, especially those who don't want to incur large vet bills if their pets suffer serious injuries or major illnesses."
Checkbook collected premium quotes from nine pet insurance plans for "Woof," a medium-sized male mixed-breed dog, and found that even the best insurance plans cost more in premiums than Woof paid over his 13-year life. If Woof suffers costly health problems, its owners usually come out ahead financially.
"Pet insurance often markets their policies as affordable, and when most animals are young," says Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Checkbook. "What most companies don't disclose is that premiums can skyrocket as pets get older, eventually making them unaffordable."
As an example, coverage for a puppy from a reputable insurance company in the San Francisco area is only $44 per month. But at age 8 it is $106 and at age 12 it is $191 per month. Purebred premiums often cost much more, sometimes twice as much as a mixed-breed animal.
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What most companies don't disclose is that as pets get older, their premiums can increase dramatically, eventually making them unaffordable.
"Premiums for most policies increase as pets get older. By the time a puppy or cat is 4 or 5 years old, rates double and may actually require expensive veterinary care," Brassler told NBC News Better. "Many pet owners will meaningfully drop coverage when they have to pay more than $200 a month for it."
According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, a record number of pets in North America, more than 2 million, were covered by insurance last year, an increase of nearly 17 percent.
Checkbook found that two companies stood out from the pack. Healthy Paws and Trupanion offer the lowest lifetime premium costs. This is because premiums do not increase as pets age.
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Based on its extensive research, Checkbook concluded: "If you're going to buy pet insurance, Healthy Paws and Trupanion are two good places to start looking."
"When we added wellness coverage to our hypothetical pets, we found that the increased premiums for most policies outweighed the benefits we received; in other words, a waste of money," Brassler said.
I buy insurance to make sure my pets get the best possible medical coverage if they get sick or injured. And as any veterinarian will tell you, there is no way to know whether your pet has moderate medical problems or serious and expensive ones.
Buster, our 10-year-old cat, has no medical problems, thankfully. So now, we lose $600 a year from his insurance coverage. And that's okay. We buy insurance - auto, home, health - to cover disaster. We don't want to use it.
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And remember: our pets are living longer these days, and the risk of cancer increases as they get older. According to PetCareRX.com, if a dog's cancer treatment includes surgery and chemo or radiation, it can easily reach $13,000.
"Ideally your pets will get through life without any major illnesses or injuries, but you never know," says Dr. Nicholas. "This happens to every pet - accidents and illnesses. And these things can be very expensive. With insurance, if the worst happens, you are covered and you don't have to worry about the financial implications of your decisions.
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No matter what type of cat calls its human, Trupanion coverage covers all breeds. Do you have one they cover it.
Enjoy unlimited payments on the cover price. No matter how many claims you file, your coverage will not be dropped.
Cats are notoriously independent creatures, and sometimes their curiosity gets the best of them. Cats' medical expenses are estimated to average $343 per year
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, from foreign object ingestion and urinary tract infections to accidental poisoning and more.
When Snickers, a cute little ball of fur, developed acute pancreatitis 4 months after arriving at his new home, Trupanion paid over $7K in emergency hospital bills and got Snickers the veterinary care he needed to recover.
If your cat gets sick or injured, having a high-quality cat insurance policy from Trupanion can prevent your cat's vet bills from burning a hole in your budget.
Trupanion strives to provide you and your furry feline with the most comprehensive coverage available from any pet insurance company.
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With Trupanion's Direct Pay software, veterinarians can submit your claim directly to Trupanion from their office. If you submit your own claim, Trupanion's claims team processes 60% of claims in just 24 hours.
From everyday illnesses and injuries to emergency care, hospitalizations and more, your cat can receive the best veterinary care with a simple, high-quality plan. Pre-existing conditions are excluded. Get your paws on the policy details to know more.
If allergies, cancer, heart disease, or other serious illnesses strike your pet, you may be in a position to provide them with the best care possible.
Broken bones or bite wounds can result from accidents. Your pet depends on you to cure such ailments.
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Whether hereditary or congenital, Trupanion helps with conditions such as elbow and hip dysplasia, cherry eye, thyroid disease and other chronic problems.
Covers certain medical conditions as long as diagnostic tests, surgeries, hospital stays or holistic treatment are prescribed by a licensed veterinarian for treatment of the covered condition.
Medications, prescriptions, veterinary supplements, herbal therapy and prosthetic devices and carts are also included in the Trupanion pet insurance plan.
Trupanion covers eligible veterinary care expenses for your cat or kitten based on your policy. You are responsible for any ineligible expenses.
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Qualified veterinary care expenses include new and unexpected illnesses and injuries, hereditary and congenital conditions, diagnostic tests, surgeries, hospital stays, medications and more.
Trupanion may not cover non-eligible veterinary expenses or the portion of your veterinary care expenses based on your specific policy.
A pre-existing condition is any illness, condition or injury that has signs or evidence of a potential manifestation of your pet that occurred before the effective date of your pet's coverage. A pre-existing condition can be an injury or recurrence of an injury that occurred before the effective date of your pet's coverage.
No. Your coverage won't drop if you take your cat to an emergency
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