Pet Insurance Coverage Types: My Trial and Error Experience

Published May 31, 2024

I've had three different types of pet insurance coverage. The first one was useless, the second was overpriced, and the third finally made sense.

The insurance companies make this way more complicated than it needs to be. Here's what the different coverage types actually mean in real life.

The Coverage Types I Actually Tried

I started with the cheapest option and worked my way up. Here's what each type actually covers when your pet gets sick.

My first policy was accident-only because it was $18 a month. Seemed reasonable for a young dog.

Then my dog got an ear infection. Not covered. Skin allergies? Nope. Upset stomach? Still no.

In two years, I never used it once. Every problem was medical, not accidental.

The only thing it would've covered? If he got hit by a car or broke a bone. Everything else that actually happened? I paid full price.

Complete waste. Don't bother with accident-only unless you literally only care about major injuries.

After getting burned by accident-only, I switched to full coverage. Cost about $55 a month but covered everything important.

Ear infections, allergies, stomach problems, even when he ate something weird. All covered.

When he needed hip X-rays, insurance paid for those too. That would've been $800 out of pocket.

This is what most people need. Covers the random stuff that actually happens to pets.

I added wellness coverage for $25 extra per month. Covered annual exams, vaccines, dental cleanings.

Sounds great until you do the math. That's $300 extra per year.

Annual exam: $120. Vaccines: $80. Dental cleaning: $400 every couple years.

So I'm paying $300 to save maybe $200-250. Plus wellness coverage has limits. Dental cleaning was covered up to $150, but it cost $400.

I dropped the wellness add-on and just save that money separately. Much better deal.

Here's what matters when your pet gets sick. The boring stuff nobody talks about until you need it.

X-rays, blood work, ultrasounds... this stuff adds up fast.

When my dog was limping, the vet wanted X-rays to check for hip problems. $800 just for pictures.

Blood work for his annual exam? $200. And they want to do it every year for older pets.

Good insurance covers all this. Cheap insurance makes you pay out of pocket, then wonder why you even have insurance.

Here's where insurance companies get sneaky. Some cover a condition the first year, then call it pre-existing after that.

My neighbor's dog got arthritis. First year of treatment was covered. But when the policy renewed, suddenly arthritis was a pre-existing condition.

Make sure your policy covers chronic conditions for life. Otherwise you're just paying for one year of treatment, then you're on your own.

My friend's cat needs insulin. $80 a month. For life.

Pain medication for arthritis? $40 a month. Allergy medication? Another $30.

Over a pet's lifetime, prescription costs can hit thousands of dollars. Insurance that covers medications is worth it.

Just make sure there's no weird limits. Some policies only cover $200 per year in prescriptions. That's not even three months of insulin.