VIP Pet Insurance If you find that whatever any pet insurer offers as standard coverage is not good enough for your pet, then you have the choice to go to the next level. All pet insurers offer VIP insurance packages – where the VIP stands for your Very Important Pet – albeit using different brand names but this would cover the most comprehensive plans they can think of to offer to you and your pet.There is no doubt to most of us that our pets are important to us and that they are considered to be part of our family.
We don’t want any harm to come their way and nothing will ever be good enough for them. So we give them the best possible care in as much as we would the members of our family, and many would want the best comprehensive cover available.
In this article, we hope to give you insights on the various VIP packages that are available out there from different companies with the aim of helping you decide what type of a VIP animal insurance package you can get for your pet.
Click any of the links above to go directly to that section of the article.
VIP Pet Insurance – Accidents Do Happen
Unfortunately, we do not control all events and some things are just unpredictable. Accidents do happen and isn’t it ironic that something always happens when we are least prepared for it. Just as with a car, whenever our wallets are at their emptiest, that’s when the carburetor decides to fail and we have to invest in expensive repairs and new parts.
By all accounts it would seem our pets can give us the same heartache. We cannot insure a car against a breakdown but we can insure our pets for when they are sick, injured and as you shall discover a whole lot more by investing in the best VIP insurance policies for our pets.
That is why it is a wise decision to make sure you get the best possible insurance coverage you can find for your pet. Treating your pet as the Very Important Pet that it is will leave you with a feeling of satisfaction and peace of mind knowing that you have done everything that was humanly possible for it.
Finding the Right VIP Pet Insurance Package
find out what the best possible solution will be for your pet, your vet would be the best person to ask for advice. As he or she knows your pet inside and out, your vet can give you a recommendation on what would be a good coverage plan that would be the best for your pet’s needs.
Your vet would be knowledgeable with the variety of plans that are available from different insurance companies, whether it be VIP dog insurance or for your cat, and therefore be able to suggest which could be the most suitable for your pet.
A little tip though would be to remain conscious that they just may be earning themselves through some return commission arrangement with some of these companies, therefore your vet may have a vested interest in steering you towards particular companies. However, it can be a step up to getting the best VIP insurance solution you are looking for.
This is one of the reasons a good relationship with your vet is vital. If you are not fully confident your vet may be giving you the right advice and suspect they may be thinking more of their own commission, then by all accounts you have the wrong vet.
Most vets will give you straightforward advice without an ulterior motive. If you feel confident in your vet that is a great thing and I can think of nobody more qualified as they deal with such matters daily and would have acquired a lot of knowledge and heard a lot of feedback from their clients.
To be extra cautious you can speak to other veterinary practices and ask them for their advice and opinion as well and collate all information you can get.
List down the recommended pet insurers and call these companies one by one and see what they offer in as far as VIP pet insurance packages are concerned, and compare. You can even ask them to give you references to other clients that have bought the solutions for their pets.
If you are unable to find references (which may be likely as only a limited selection of people buy VIP insurances), then another option for you would be to go check out some of the VIP pet insurance review sites online.
There are several sites that specialize in rating the insurance companies, and the public can often leave their comments about good or bad experiences that they have had.
Questions You Need to Ask
Before you select your insurance provider, there are certain questions you need answered:
- What services and treatments does the plan cover?
- Are they flexible in meeting your needs?
- What are the exclusions?
- Is customer service of good quality?
- Is the company open 24 hours to answer your queries or call in an emergency?
- How much will your premiums be for the most comprehensive plan that would be suitable to your needs?
- What is the payout time? How long do they take to reimburse you?
When you’re fairly satisfied with the answers from different insurers, then you can start comparing and see which one gives you the best.
Samples of VIP Insurance Coverage
Every pet insurer has an offering of a VIP package. Below you will find several sample comprehensive packages from ASPCA and Embrace.
Embrace Pet Insurance
The Illness & Accident Coverage Package offered by Embrace is a lifetime plan to cover your cat or dog against illnesses, except pre-existing conditions, whether breed-specific or not, and accidents that include:
- Breed-specific conditions, i.e. Elbow dysplasia, Hip dysplasia, Interverterbral disc disease (IVDD), Patellar Luxation, Allergies and Cancer
- Cancer treatment, which would include Diagnostics and testing, Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy, Rehabilitation, Surgery & Hospitalization, and Alternative therapies;
- Emergency Room care
- Specialist care
- Exam fees of your Vet (some companies do not cover this)
- Optional coverage on Prescription Drugs
- Routine care which has 2 options that include wellness check-ups and procedures, i.e. spaying/neutering, heartworm treatment, and vaccines; dental check-ups that include teeth cleaning, and dental illness treatments.
Embrace provides accident and illness coverage to mixed breed that includes hybrids, and pure breed dogs and cats, depending on age. Also, if your pet has not shown symptoms or been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease or diabetes. Otherwise, Embrace offers the accident only coverage plan.
There is so much to consider when selecting the right policy for your pet, so it may be as helpful as anything to know what is not covered as much as what is covered.
As far as exclusions are concerned, Embrace will NOT cover the following: VIP Pet Insurance
- Pre-existing conditions, depending whether these are curable or incurable;
- Treatment for behavioral issues such as aggression;
- Prosthetics or artificial devices and limbs;
- Burial and cremation;
- Pregnancy, whelping and breeding;
- Injuries caused by mistreatment by yourself, other people or pets living with you;
- Illness or injury because of racing, fighting, neglect, or cruelty;
- Certain unsavory practices such as ear cropping, tail docking, and dew claw removal, unless it is a medical necessity;
- DNA cloning or testing;
- Stem-cell treatments unless pre-agreed to by Embrace;
- Organ transplants;
- Avian Flu;
- And not surprisingly, Nuclear War.
Reimbursements
You can choose your own level of reimbursement as all plans are customized. This means that you will be reimbursed up to the maximum allowable amount per year, anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000, depending on your choice of plan after your deductible and co-pay, up to a lifetime maximum of $50,000. They do not have category limits.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
At ASPCA, this can be the most comprehensive package providing the utmost benefit to you and your pet that may include but not be limited to the following:
- Accident protection including all related hospitalizations, x-rays, and surgeries;
- Illnesses coverage, this usually takes effect 30 days after plan starts;
- Spaying/Neutering, this is strongly recommended in most states for reproductive health and population control;
- Standard vaccinations, including rabies, coronavirus, and canine and feline distemper vaccines;
- Advanced vaccinations, including bordetella, lyme, feline infectious peritonitis and feline leukemia vaccines;
- Annual Physical Examinations, continuing good wellness care;
- Annual Dental Cleaning;
- Heartworm prevention;
- Ongoing conditions continuing care.
What’s Not Covered by ASPCA Plans
- Similar to Embrace, ASPCA primarily does not cover inhumane treatments;
- Pets with Pre-existing conditions which they have before you start your coverage;
- Dental treatments are not covered unless and extraction is required due to an accident or an abscess;
- There are various exclusions such as costs related to pregnancy, breeding, special diets, grooming, herbal supplies and homeopathic or holistic treatments. Also organ transplants, vaccination tags and health certificates nor travel time to the clinic is covered;
- You can only be covered for multiple ingestions of foreign objects after one year;
- They will only reimburse 90% of the charge and not any fee exceeding what is usual and customary;
- Only on level 1 can you have continuing care for a dog over 9 years old and a cat up to 11 years. On levels 2, 3, and 4 they are non-eligible.
VIP Insurance Reviews
Customer feedback is always a good way to get the reviews we need to study the different pet insurance companies and their offers. Many policy holders sign up without full knowledge of what they are covered for and are not aware of some of the exclusions.
These reviews echo disappointment as much as satisfaction. But on analysis it could be said that the information is available but not always fully understood by the insured party. Check out here for customer reviews on Embrace.
In Conclusion
Finding an insurance package for a Very Important Pet is not easy as there are many options available to you as you will find. Consider all the feedback that you can get from other clients as you can never get anymore good advice than from other people who have experienced it.
However, once you have it, it will take care of your pet family member for the rest of its life, and will give you that valuable peace of mind when illness or accidents happen.
As a responsible pet owner, you will not only give your pet the best care as humanly possible; you uphold the rights of your pet to enjoy its remaining life being treated as a VIP. So don’t delay!