Trupanion Pet Insurance

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

I am so pleased with Trupanion pet insurance. I have it for both Ava and Henry. The price does change each year. Last year it decreased (by less than a dollar a month) for Henry and went up a couple of dollars a month for Ava.

I just got the renewal for Henry, and his plan increased by 69 cents a month. I won't know about Ava's until next month.

Previously I had Healthy Paws. They were great about paying when Frankie, my dog, got very sick. She spent one or two nights in the ER with numerous tests being done. Then she spent one night at the Vet School and had an MRI. Before all of that she had many Vet appointments.

I spent well over $5,000 on all of this. I'm pretty sure that was the cost. Healthy Paws paid 90%, and I had a $100 deductible. Healthy Paws premiums did increase quite a bit each year.

After Frankie died, I wanted to get the same insurance for Ava. They would only give me 70% coverage (instead of the 90% that I wanted). I was very disappointed.

A friend that has had a lot of Vet expenses has used both Healthy Paws and Trupanion. She recommeded Trupanion. I called and talked with them about their coverage. They provide 90% coverage for everyone. I feel really good about Trupanion.

Like any pet insurance company, they don't cover pre-existing conditions. They don't cover wellness exams, vaccinations or spay/neutering. You pay a lot more for that coverage with other companies. They do cover breed specific conditions.

People have asked about health insurance recommendations on this forum before, so I just wanted to give my recommendation.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

Glittergal · ‎05-12-2010

Thank you for sharing your experience with this. I'm going to look into pet insurance.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

@Glittergal I’ll never be without pet insurance again. Keep in mind, though, that anything your pet has been treated for before is considered pre-existing and won’t be covered. That’s why it’s best to get insurance as soon as you get your pet.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

chiclet · ‎03-19-2010

I just got a quote from them for my two dogs aged 9 and 12 and it was $250.00 a month for 75% coverage and a medical record fee of $111.00. It seems that is about average and you still have to pay for well visits, pre existing and shots etc. Unbelievable what it costs to have a pet now. For seniors who really need the companionship of a pet to keep them up and moving it is almost impossible to afford a pet. I understand that vets have a lot of overhead and education etc etc. but every time you walk in the door it is $200-$800.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

@chiclet wrote:
I just got a quote from them for my two dogs aged 9 and 12 and it was $250.00 a month for 75% coverage and a medical record fee of $111.00. It seems that is about average and you still have to pay for well visits, pre existing and shots etc. Unbelievable what it costs to have a pet now. For seniors who really need the companionship of a pet to keep them up and moving it is almost impossible to afford a pet. I understand that vets have a lot of overhead and education etc etc. but every time you walk in the door it is $200-$800.

@chiclet I'm attaching a quote from Trupanion's first page. They cover each pet at 90%. I've never heard of them charging a medical record fee. I couldn't find anything about that on their website, and they didn't charge me a fee for getting medical records for my pets when I signed up two years ago. I just Googled the question and didn't find anything about it either.

I'm definitely not saying you should get it. It's definitely not worth it if there are any pre-existing conditions at all. I just wanted to correct the information about them only covering 70% when all pets are covered with Trupanion at 90%. The first year I had insurace with them for my cat, the price went down about a dollar after the first year. I just got notice that it was increasing by less than $1 this year. I haven't gotten notice about my dog yet. It went up last year with her, but not by that much. When I had Healthy Paws it went up quite a bit each year.

Are you thinking of Healthy Paws? They let you choose your coverage. They paid 90% for my dog when I first got it. They paid out thousands when she got very sick at the end. When I got another dog after she died, they would only cover her at 70%. I'm wondering if that's who you meant, although they didn't charge me a medical record fee either. They may have changed that policy.