Two of the largest veterinary organizations in the US, AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and AAHA (The American Animal Hospital Association) , both have statements that support pet insurance.
You might wonder at this because not all vets individually support pet insurance (he might have seen his clients get burnt in the past perhaps?) but the organizations sees the benefit of pet insurance for vet clients.
AAHA's statement covers the more general topic of meeting the cost of pet care and includes the following:
The American Animal Hospital Association strongly suggests that all pet owning families assess their financial situation and consider their ability to meet unexpected expenses that may be incurred for veterinary care. For some families, these expenses may be met through existing savings. Others may be able to use credit card reserves or medical payment cards. Some families should consider budgeting for these expenses and still others may want to consider protecting themselves through pet health insurance policies.
The statement goes on to list some of the considerations you should consider when choosing pet insurance:
- Be sure you understand what the policy covers. Some policies (but not all) cover some preventative care, such as vaccinations, but there may be additional cost for this coverage.
- Understand the exclusions. Almost all policies exclude pre-existing conditions and some exclude hereditary conditions. Some may exclude certain conditions unique to certain breeds.
- Almost all policies have a deductible and a co-pay requirement. Some pay according to a set schedule of “usual and customary fees” while some pay based on the actual incurred expense. Be sure you understand how expenses will be reimbursed.
- Ask whether or not the policy allows you to seek care from a veterinarian of your own choosing or whether you must go to a veterinarian that participates in the company’s network of providers. When faced with a pet’s serious illness, most pet owners want to be able to obtain care from their regular veterinarian.
- Speak with your veterinarian or someone on her practice team. While veterinarians do not sell insurance, chances are they have had experience with the policy you are considering and can provide helpful advice.
These are all pretty sound points to consider. I'm not sure that a vet will know every pet insurance product out there and her consideration may be slanted by what she's seen in the past but it's worth asking anyway as just one of many data points for your research on pet insurance.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find AVMA's statement on-line. We know they have one but it's not on their website that I could find. If anyone does happen to find it, let me know will ya?
