ByRenee
I bought my first dog for $75 on the side of the road and I realized just how much a pet can get a hold on your life. She was instantly my baby in keeping with early 2000’s trends, I carried her around in my purse. My little Daisy has been in my life for 13 years now and naturally we have made plenty of vet visits. Whenever she wound up getting injured or sick I hated having to ask about the cost of procedures before deciding whether or not to move forward with her treatment. Having to pay out of pocket for vet procedures had always been a stress on me. Now I know better and I understand the importance of pet insurance. What I wish I would have known was that I’m also able to get additional financial assistance on top of pet insurance. Let me tell you how.
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What does pet insurance do?
Pet insurance works very similarly to people insurance except that most pet insurance doesn’t cover small visits and check-ups. On top of this, there are also going to be deductibles and additional out-of-pocket expenses.
Because of the big events, like blood work, x-rays and surgeries are usually what causes people to break the bank, pet insurance helps lighten the load. To me, this is a no-brainer when it comes to pet ownership. One simple visit to the vet after an illness or injury can easily set a person back thousands of dollars! Pet insurance will quickly turn a thousand dollars into $300.
That is why I strongly recommend making the monthly investment by paying for pet insurance. I personally know first hand how overwhelming it can be trying to come up with the money to pay for a big vet bill that you weren’t expecting. This is even more stressful when you’re following the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps and not using credit cards anymore!
There is no denying the benefits of paying for pet insurance, but there are still some areas where there is room for improvement.
Where does pet insurance lack?
As I said, most pet insurance companies are not going to pay for standard visits and check-ups but there are other setbacks as well:
- Monthly costs increase with age
- May not be able to get insurance with already ill pet
- Specific breeds may be harder to ensure
- Insurance may not work with your current vet provider
- You will be paying out of pocket before the savings kicks in
- Insurance claims often have to be filed before you’re reimbursed
Like I said, despite these setbacks, pet insurance is still something I would recommend. Money should never stand in the way of you getting your pet the best treatment possible.
If you do have an older pet or a pet that is harder to ensure, it might be a smart idea to set up savings for them that will gain interest instead of paying the large cost of insurance. That way you can have financial peace of mind if and when a big procedure is needed.
How to fill the gaps with Pet Assure
Setting up separate savings is a great idea if you don’t feel pet insurance is right for you, but there is another great way to help make your vet visits even more affordable.
The Pet Assure program has plans starting at $6.58 per month and can end up saving you even more money in areas that insurance won’t. Here are some areas where Pet Assure can help:
- The cost is hundreds of dollars less per year
- There are no deductibles
- Pre-existing conditions are covered
- There are no exclusions for breeds
- Saves you money on wellness visits
- No need to file claims
- There is no waiting period for treatment
So how does Pet Assure manage to fill all of these gaps?
What Pet Assure does
Insurance often covers between 70% – 90% of major vet bills but may not cover certain procedures.
Pet Assure only reduces your cost by 25% but can be used on any procedure and with your basic wellness visits. That includes things like:
- Wellness visits
- Sick visits
- Dental procedures and cleanings
- Cancer treatment
- ER visits
- Hospitalization
- Diabetes and allergy care
- Vaccines
- Spays and neuters
- Surgery
- Tumor removals
The one area Pet Assure seems to not cover is medications. However, they do work with PetCareRX to get you a 15% discount on any food or treatments purchased.
How to get the most financial assistance
The best thing with Pet Assure is that you can use it in addition to pet insurance! That means you could be reimbursed through your insurance and also save money on top of that with Pet Assure! It’s quick and easy to apply and you can enter your zip code to see what vets near you are accepting Pet Assure.
The most expensive plan in my area is $16 a month (annually) or $21 a month (monthly) and that covers an unlimited amount of pets! Since we don’t have more than 4 pets in our home, our plan would end up being the Family Plan, which is the most popular and would reduce costs even more by about $5 per month.
There is no doubt in my mind if you are hoping to save more money with or without pet insurance, Pet Assure is the way to go!
