You may already be familiar with pet insurance, and what it is. Just in case, though, Investopedia defines it as a policy for pets that can help with the costs of normal veterinary bills. It can also help with emergency visits and life-threatening ailments. The main problem that you will find with pet coverage is that there are three types to choose from. None of them cover all the ailments and issues that could arise.
Pre-existing Conditions
A pre-existing condition is any medical issue that your pet has prior to getting insurance. This is widespread practice for pet insurance. It is suggested that you get your policy while your animal is young, that way there is an exceedingly small chance that a condition will have occurred. These medical issues will be excluded for life, unless you can prove that your animal no longer has the ailment. This usually takes a signed letter from your vet, and even then, most of the time it will not make a difference.
Wellness Checks
Unless you have a rider or a separate policy, wellness checks will not be covered. This includes such things as shots, blood tests, or heartworm/flea prevention. If you are not sure what a wellness check is, it is a basic visit to make sure that your pet is healthy, happy, and in decent shape. It is like a wellness check that you are supposed to do every year. It is a way to catch medical issues early, to help prevent them from becoming a huge problem. A basic pet insurance plan will not normally cover them. This is something that will have to come out of your pocket, or through a wellness policy that you have added.
Grooming
Haircuts. Hairstyles. Baths. Nails clipped. Brushed. Bows put in. All are parts of grooming that your animal will need. You must check your personal policy on this, but many do not cover these types of visits. They are not considered to be something that is medically necessary, so they will be excluded.
Ligament Problems
Within the first year of having the policy if your fur baby has an issue with the ligaments in the knees it will not be authorized if you try and make a claim. This is a clause that it usually put into the main policy and may allow this type of issue after the year waiting time. Other policies may not even offer coverage.
Hereditary disorders
These are disorders that have been passed down to your pet through their parents. If you have a top-notch plan these may be covered, but the majority of policies will not cover them. Even if they are not visible, the policy will not authorize any vet visits for them.
Congenital Anomalies or Developmental Disorders
Congenital anomalies are medical issues that are present at birth. Developmental disorders are ones that occur due to problems developing. This means that if your dog is born with a leg that is shorter than the rest, your policy will not cover any procedures that need to be done.
Closing
It may surprise what pet insurance plans do not cover. It is very important to check around with many companies and get policy details for them all. Read through them carefully and make sure that you are choosing the plan, or plans, which cover what you what covered. The only time that you will be surprised about a denied claim is if you have not read your policy from top to bottom, and from front to back. If you have questions, ask them before you commit to the policy.
