Long post about insurance in UK and thoughts...
This is interesting as I think your pet insurance works a bit differently from ours in the UK.
Here pet insurance is big business and gathering momentum all the time with more and more specialist companies setting up, along with general firms that insure everything. However, as with yours policies differ:
1/ Accident only. Pretty cheap for those on a tight budget to cover unexpected accidents.
2/ Annual cover. A bit more. Any condition diagnosed during the policy year will be covered for the remainder of that year. When the policy renews 12 months on from when you take it out the condition is not covered any more.
3/ Condition/lifetime cover. When a condition will be covered from diagnosis for life or up to a maximum amount, usually several thousand pounds.
There are variations on the above but trying also to keep this as clear as possible these are the main types. Obviously the condition/lifetime cover is the most expensive.
General rules usually apply:
1/ Conditions which arose or showed symptoms prior to policy inception are not covered.
2/ There is an 'excess' for the owner to pay which can be a fixed sum eg £50 or a percentage of the treatement costs, eg 25%, which is regrettably becoming more common. This will usually be per condition for something like an accident or acute illness but per policy year for a chronic condition.
3/ Virtually if not all policies will pay (apart from the excess) the entire cost of the treatement up to the policy limit. So if your bill comes to £1500 and your cover permits up to £3000 then you are ok. I think from reading your posts that your policies do not cover the whole amount of treatement? eg if I used a vet in London (expensive) and it cost £1500 and the same treatement costs £600 in Cumbria, the insurance company would pay out the relevant amount it costs at YOUR vet. I have never come accross a policy here which paid out what the average cost was -this would only happen in exceptional circumstances where there was a suspicion that more was being claimed than should be.
4/ The majority of policies will cover Vet fees plus additional things likecosts for advertising following theft or straying, Third Party Liability, holiday cancellation costs due to dg being poorly etc.
5/ The cost of the premium varies obviously between companies and covers but also accross the different breeds. As the dog gets older the policy terms often alter, eg the excess increases and some things like paying a sum for a death due to illness (not vet fees but the cost -presumably-towards getting a replacement dog) is not covered.
Premiums are paid usually monthly but can be annually but all policies to my knowledge are annual based.
Some of the 'better' ones offer cover for homeopathy and other alternative treatements, plus some money towads travel costs if you are referred to a specialist. Many now do not have blanket exclusions if the dog is not annually vaccinated, they just exclude claims for conditions which are preventable by vaccination - which is fair enough. The vast majority will not cover routine or preventative treatement such as for nutering, teeth cleaning and vaccinations and will not cover any costs associated with breeding.
Now as I said at the beginning, pet insurance here is big business and growing, so I guess I am speaking from the viewpoint of somewhere where it is the 'norm'. I also work in insurance (but not directly pet) The following are some thoughts:
Both my boys are insured and have been since I had them. I would not be without insurance for one minute although I expect I have paid out far more in premiums than I hope to ever claim for. Last year both boys were poorly at the same time. I only do part time work, we have hardly any savings and I would have really struggled to find the sums necessary for both their treatments, which together came to nearly £1000. At the time both policies had fixed excesses of £50 and £65 so I was able to proceed with the treatment knowing all I would be paying was £115 in total, which I could budget for fine. This meant I could say yes to Revel having a £70 ultrasound scan to check he did not have cancer. Peace of mind for me and appropriate course of medication for him.
There is a significant feeling here however that vets will charge more/suggest unnecessary or more expensive treatment if they know an animal is insured. It is also felt that the cost of veterinary care in general has increased as insurance companies rather than cash strapped individuals are paying for it. On the other hand, because owners are less restricted in funds vets can do far more and as a result many treatments and proceedures have become available that were not before insurance was common. Better for the animals. (?)
Those in multiple dog households (breeders especially) will often put money aside every month rather than paying premiums as they then have their own pot to dip into.
My insurance company that paid for Revel last year was great, couldn't fault them. However, when my renewal came in the premium had TREBLED to over £1100
I checked and it was nothing to do with his claim or even age really. Just rising costs but they said the same last year when it increased by £112 for the year. There was no way I could afford this, although it was top notch cover so regretfully I have left them. It took a lot of soul searching as Revel was treated for prostate infection and there was a very real possibility of this reoccuring, which would not e covered on a new policy. I have downgraded his cover slightly and changed companies. I put the difference between this years premium and last years in a seperate account to be drawn upon i the event of further prostate trouble or paying excesses, which are now %
My friend has 9 dogs, 6 beardies of which all but one are over 7. All hers are insured but she has been able to have cruciate ligaments repaired and costly ops done knowing that the main expense is covered by the insurance.
Most vets if not all here push pet insurance as the responsible thing to do and the general consensus (eg in magazines etc) is the same. If you are a 'good' owner you pick up after your dog and get it insured.
Ovbiously there are lots of people who are on low incomes, especially now. We are most fortunate in having animal charities like the Peoples Dispensary for Pet Animals who run clinics for treating the pets of people in this situation for a greatly reduced fee. Our local animal sanctuary does this too.
Final thoughts (if anyone is still reading this??
) Personally I am a great believer in everyone having pet insurance of some description, ( I think there should be a very basic low cost one just for vet fees without extras). It gives peace of mind as you know should something horrendous happen, an attack, accident or horrible illness, then you can get the dog treated without really having to make cost an issue. It would (I think) stop people giving up sick but loved animals or worse, having them euthanased, because they cannot afford to pay for a broken leg to be fixed for example. I cannot imagine being forced to decide whether to pay the rent for the following 6 months or have Revel with me. To me it is worth every penny.
I am sorry this has been a hugely long post and I expect riddled with gramatical and spelling errors as the clock is ticking to beyod bedtime.
But no I meant gutting her with a swipe of their ferocious middle claw - they do it to dogs that harass them.
