My current pet insurance raised rates by 40% at renewal. I want to switch providers but my dog developed allergies last year thats now being treated. If i switch, will the new company consider her allergies a pre-existing condition and not cover them? Does anyone have experience switching providers with an ongoing health issue?
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Yes unfortunately. Any condition diagnosed or showing symptoms before your new policy starts is pre-existing. Most providers wont cover pre-existing conditions at all. Your dogs allergies would likely be excluded on a new policy even though your current policy covers them.
thats what i was afraid of. so basically im trapped with my current provider?
not necessarily trapped but you have to decide if the savings from switching outweighs losing allergy coverage. if allergy treatment costs $500/year and switching saves $600/year, might be worth it. do the math for your specific situation
Some conditions can become "curable" pre-existing conditions if theres no symptoms or treatment for a certain period. Ask new providers about their curable pre-existing policy. Some say 12-18 months symptom free means its no longer pre-existing. Allergies probably dont qualify since theyre chronic but worth asking.
I was in similar situation. Ended up keeping old policy for the dog with ongoing issues and switching my healthy cat to a cheaper provider. Split approach. More paperwork but saved money overall without losing coverage where it mattered.