I was recently thinking about human health insurance. If someone told me that my own health insurance didn't cover hereditary conditions, rightly or wrongly I dont' think I'd be all that fussed. I figure that if I had anything "hereditary" whatever that is, it would have shown up by now.
But for pets, particularly purebred dogs, you have to be much more aware of genetic conditions because they very well might impact your pet's health, no matter his or her age. If you are concerned about your family's pet health costs, you probably should think about the potential for your pet and your pet's breed to have a hereditary condition in the future and how that fits in with buying a pet insurance policy.
A Genetic or Congenital Condition is an illness that is determined by hereditary factors, which may or may not be present on the policy effective date. A Pre-existing or Foreseeable Condition is an illness or injury that first occurred or showed clinical signs before the effective date or within the policy waiting period. Since insurance covers unexpected events only, pre-existing conditions are not covered in all pet insurance policies on the market at the moment. So, how can hereditary conditions be covered by pet insurance since it looks like they may be pre-existing? A dog (or cat but to a much lesser extent) can have a genetic predisposition for a particular illness, like hip dysplasia, but a particular dog may never actually get the condition. It's a bit like if your mother and your grandmother have had breast cancer, your chances of getting breast cancer are higher than a woman with no breast cancer in her medical history. The chances are higher, but you are not guaranteed to get breast cancer.So, your dog or cat's breed can be prone to genetic conditions but your dog or your can might not actually ever get the condition.
And that's why Embrace Pet Insurance policies do not consider hereditary conditions pre-existing as long as you haven't seen any signs of the condition before you buy your policy.
Just what you would expect from your pet insurance policy, isn't it?
Questions?
