Here's What I Do Know.
Am I sexy, or what?
- It's cheaper than human insurance.
- That all pet insurance companies have exclusions; just like human insurance.
- That on average pet insurance could cost about $30/month or $360 a year or even LESS (I've spent that much in just ONE visit to the vet)!
- Vet bills aren't cheap. And if you're out of work the bills seem even higher. There are really very few things that are worse than NOT being able to take your pet to the vet because you have ZERO money. Help your pet or be forced to euthanize? What kind of crummy option is that?
One year I spent a fortune (I did not have) on my dog's undescended testicle; scratched cornea (dog - delivered by cat during batting session); bee sting (dog); bacterial infection (dog) - Cause? One of dogs nipped the other on the face. The "vic" then kept rolling his face in the dirt outside and rubbing at the (not-visible) wound. This itch-scratch cycle resulted in a viral infection causing all the fur on his face to Fall Off. Yep, a small fortune. My cat incidences are too numerous to even list here.
I imagine that pet insurance WOULD have come in handy.
Here's something I learned:
- Because ALL my pets are neutered/spayed, I would get a discount on policy rates.
- Because I have a multiple-pet household, I would get a discount on policy rates.
- That there are military discounts, hip dysplasia (rating) discounts, employee discounts, pay-policy-in-advance discounts! It goes on!
Prescription, check-up, vaccination coverages. I never knew so much. There's still more to learn.
One really significant thing I found out was about microchipping. Yes, SOME companies WILL cover part of the chipping; some will pay for ALL of the microchipping. SOME will give you a policy discount if your pet is microchipped. It's up to you to choose what's important to you coverage-wise.
I also know this: One company I want to recommend DOES cover the chipping.
An episode with EMBRACE PET INSURANCE.
- I called to ask them some questions about pet insurance.
- I was on hold for less than 30 seconds to speak with a representative.
- The representative answering was SO perky and SO cheerful I thought I had reached a recording.
- The representative, "Tenesha" (you BET I got her name), answered EVERY question; even the "difficult" ones. She NEVER put me on hold. She did not hem-and-haw. She did not tell me to call back. She did not tell me to speak with her supervisor. She never said, "I don't know". She was thoughtful, considerate, and polite. She had everything right at her fingertips. I heard no background noise; no employees laughing or squealing; Tenesha had no food rolling around in her mouth while she was speaking with me.
I began to think I was on another planet. So much so that I called back to see if I could get a cranky, impolite rep. Didn't happen. I got another rep who was just as nice. I asked a few questions then I told him I was actually calling to "trip them up". He told me that Embrace wants you to know everything up front.
I wish EMBRACE had human insurance. You'll see they disclose EVERYTHING right on their website (not like the others I've tried to get into). I think I'm in love.
Whether or not you use them matters only to you. I will say this: if you're tired of being treated rudely, if you firmly believe there is NO SUCH THING as real customer service, if you can't believe there are call centers in the United States, OR if you just want to hear what real quality service with a friendly voice sounds like: Call them.
Go ahead, click either link below to see what works for you!
THE AKC PET HEALTHCARE PLAN
I did NOT do my homework on the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan but the POINT of this page is to let you know that there ARE plans out there worth investigating. Just Do Your Homework to find out what is BEST for your pets.
The AKC Pet Healthcare Plan