Insurance Cat Health Problem Programs
A Starter Guide for Reviewing Cat Health Insurance Options

Cat health insurance pet care programs have gained widespread acceptance among owners and veterinarians. These programs won't save your cat from injury, but they relieve you from making a life or death decision based upon financial resources.

Cat health insurance programs provide peace of mind for owners. Instead of making the difficult decision to euthanize a pet because you can't afford the costs of a medical recovery, cat owners can afford to consider the best and sometimes, more costly care.

Here are some factors you should consider during your search for insurance cat health problem.

• Limitations by state;

• Limitations to specific veterinarians;

• Wellness care benefits like annual physicals, office visits, vaccinations, teeth cleaning and spaying or neutering;

• Prescription coverage;

• Flea and heartworm preventives;

• Coverage for pre-existing conditions;

• Coverage for older cats;

• Coverage for cats with a genetic predisposition for certain ailments;

• Testing for urinalysis or kidney;

• Discounts for multiple cats;

• Fees and deductibles.

Cat health care insurance can mean the difference between saving you cat and having to euthanize him.

What's covered?

Its best to insure your cat when he is young because, you have fewer options once he get's over 9.  Another pain is finding a program to cover pre-existing conditions, birth defects and genetically related disorders.  Cosmetic care like docking tails or ear clipping is not covered (usually these aren't processes searched out by cat owners.)

The lesson here is to get covered before the big ticket items hit your pocket book.  Coverage is for individual cats. You can't use Simon's coverage to pay for Ms Dee's ailments.  She must have her own coverage.

How does it work?

Usually you, the cat owner pays the vet for services, then they file a claim with the cat health insurance carrier, then they are reimbursed by the carrier. This takes the vet out of the billing and claim filing nightmare plaguing human health care. There are one or two programs that pay the vet instead of the owner.

Usually there is a deductible, typically $50 - $100 which can be per incident or annually.  Some have co-pays. The the coverage is for anywhere from 80% - 100% of the veterinarian's fee. 

Some insurance cat health problem progrmas base the payback on a benefits schedule; some on what is called Usual, Customary & Reasonable (UCR); and others are strictly a percentage of the total charges.

Most plans place a "cap" on how much they pay for each illness or injury per animal, per year. Some have lifetime "caps."

More tips

Some plans limit your participation to certain providers. This may be fine if your provider is included in their list, but what if she isn't? Also, if you travel with your pet how would you deal with emergency vet visits?  Are you working with a holistic vet?  Consider a company that allows you to deal with any veterinarian.

Take advantage of free quotes. If you can't find answers on their website for your questions, then give them a call.

Does the program give discounts for multiple cat households?

Understand when the policy begins and ends. Find out if there is a x-day wait period before you can benefit from the coverage. Find out if your cat is covered until he dies or if there is a age limitation.

Typically you can start a program for your kitten at 6-8 weeks. Usually there is an enrollment age limitation.

Pre-existing can mean any illness, accident, or injury that was contracted prior to the effective date of the policy.  Many programs do not pay for pre-existing conditions so be sure to understand their boundaries.