How to Find Lifelong Pet Insurance

Lifelong pet insurance ensures consistent veterinary care for your pet.

Any experienced pet owner knows the heartache and worry of treating a sick or injured pet. Add the veterinary expenses, and you may find yourself unable to provide the best care for a beloved pet. Finding a reliable lifelong pet insurance plan is a way to ensure consistent veterinary care for your pet. While most plans require you to pay the veterinary fees upfront, they reimburse you within two to three weeks. Most lifelong pet insurance plans cover basic emergency procedures, such as surgery and x-rays. Additionally, treatments for common diseases like cancer and kidney disease will also be covered. However, treatment coverage may be limited from year to year.

Instructions

1. Discuss pet insurance options with your pet's veterinarian. Veterinarians know about lifelong pet insurance options and, more importantly, know the reputation of various pet insurance companies. Avoid companies that switch the policy coverage, impose age limits for pet coverage or have a poor reputation for distributing reimbursements.

2. Research pet insurance companies. According to the University of Illinois, optimal choices are older, established companies that have short waiting periods before coverage begins. Also, check if filing a claim will increase your premium.

3. Call your top choices of pet insurance companies. Ask the representatives what lifelong pet insurance coverage includes. The best lifelong pet insurance option has coverage that does not diminish when the pet ages.

4. Ask whether treatments carry over from one policy year to another. Some pet insurance plans consider an illness a pre-existing condition for the next policy year and will not continue to cover treatment expenses. Lifelong insurance provides continuous coverage of treatments.

5. View pet insurance company web sites. Check the lists of exclusions and coverages and make a list of any exclusions you want included in your pet's plan. Most plans for lifelong pet insurance can be modified to allow additional coverage, however, expect the insurance cost to increase.

6. Choose a lifelong pet insurance that provides continuous coverage for your pet and covers all treatments crucial to your pet's health.

Tips & Warnings

• Pet insurance companies exclude services to keep your insurance payments low. Increasing your coverage will increase your yearly costs, but save you money in the long run if your pet needs that extra care.

• Pet insurance does not typically cover veterinary care for breeding or cosmetic alterations, such as tail docking. Additionally, injuries or conditions from organized dog fighting or racing are exclusions.

• Pre-exisiting conditions include hereditary diseases that have not yet presented physical symptoms in your pet.

• You must enroll your pet in an insurance program before it is eight-years-old to be eligible for lifelong pet insurance.

• Do not rely on pet insurance. To maintain the health of your pet, take preventive measures like feeding healthy food and providing fresh water, exercise and regular dental checkups.

References

• Cornell University: Is pet insurance right for you? First, crunch the numbers.
• University of Illinois: Pet Insurance 101
• Colorado State University: Veterinarians offer tips for caring for pet on a budget