Articles

Insurance and Pre-Existing Conditions

Posted by Angela Klein on 6/17/2008 in Articles from Veterinary Newsletter

PETS BEST INSURANCE & PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS:
A paw’s on reference to understanding our policy

At Pets Best Insurance we strive to fully educate Veterinary Associate Providers on our policies. Part of this commitment involves explaining what Pets Best considers as pre-existing. One of the questions we hear most often is: What about pre-existing conditions?

A pre-existing condition is one that was present prior to the original policy effective date or within the waiting period, whether diagnosed or not.

Unfortunately, many pet owners wait until an illness or accident occurs to purchase their policies, which means that those injuries and illnesses cannot be covered. This is why we encourage purchasing insurance as soon as possible, ideally when pets are puppies and kittens.

The following are a few examples to show how our policies work:

• If pet has an accident, such as a broken leg, prior to the effective policy start date, that particular broken leg would not be covered. If the pet breaks any leg again three months later it will be considered a separate incident and will be covered at 80% of the bill, after the deductible has been met.
• Potentially fatal or debilitating chronic conditions restrict a pet’s eligibility to enroll in a full medical plan. For example, if an uninsured six-year-old boxer develops lymphoma or diabetes before enrolling in a plan, those conditions would not be covered and that pet would not be eligible for full illness coverage. However, we would be able to provide accident-only coverage as this plan is available to any pet, regardless of past medical history.

We understand that there may be negative connotations towards the term “pre-existing condition.” Let us reassure you that no matter the pre-existing illness we are always happy to offer our full accident coverage.

If you have additional questions or need further explanation on this or other items, please feel free to contact our Veterinary Services Department at 877-738-7237 x4 or email us at vetservices@petsbest.com. We appreciate your continued support and thank you for choosing Pets Best!