Why I got Pet insurance for Allegra and Ruby
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I’ve been on the fence about getting pet insurance for a long time, mostly because I’d rather put my money in a savings account than pay it to an insurance company. I’m pretty disciplined about putting money aside for Allegra and Ruby’s regular veterinary care. At five and four years of age, they’re both young, healthy cats. They get regular check ups twice a year.
Of course, this is also the best time to get pet insurance: while cats are young and healthy. and while I can easily cover their regular veterinary expenses, if, God forbid, I were faced with an emergency, the hit on my budget would be much more significant.
I learned the hard way
I learned this the hard way when Amber came down with a sudden disease five years ago. After comprehensive diagnostics and three days in intensive care, I had to say good-bye to my stunning girl. and with the devastating sorrow that came with such an unexpected and sudden loss, I was also faced with having to dip into my savings to pay off her vet bill, which was close to $10,000.
Responsible cat guardianship includes ensuring regular health care for your cat throughout her life. costs for routine care varies; depending on what part of the country you’re in, they will range anywhere from $45 to $150 (exam only). and that’s only for well cat care. Illnesses and accidents can rapidly increase these costs. The average cost for a check out to an emergency vet can run between $1000 and $2000, depending on the severity of the problem.
I was fortunate that I had the resources to deal with this expense when Amber was ill. I never once took money into consideration when I made decisions about her care. The only deciding element was what was best for her, and I realize how fortunate I am for being able to do that. The sad reality is that when cost becomes a factor, euthanasia typically becomes a part of the decision process. This is known as “economic euthanasia” in the veterinary profession, and it’s a sensitive topic that is handled with terrific care by veterinarians and staff. “We can never really know what a pet implies to an owner, “says Kris Boucher, the CEO at the hope Center, a multi-specialty practice in Vienna, VA. “We make recommendations that fit into the client’s budget, and we offer payment options, but we never judge a client’s decision.”
When a friend’s dachshund recently had to undergo a $6,000 emergency surgery for a ruptured disk, I took it as a sign that it was time for me to reconsider pet insurance. There are a lot of different companies and a lot of different plans out there, and choosing the best one can be overwhelming.
The following questions can help you choose a pet insurance provider:
Is the company licensed in your state?
Does the company have a good reputation?
How long have they been around?
Is the policy information easy to understand?
Does the company offer customer service during company hours?
Can you see any veterinarian you want?
How much have premiums enhanced over the last few years?
Will premiums increase as your pet gets older?
What is covered and what is excluded from coverage?
What is the company’s policy on pre-existing conditions?
Does the company cover benefits for wellness check outs and preventive care?
Does the company cover holistic care?
Is there a waiting period before coverage becomes active?
Is there a maximum age for enrolling your cat?
Are there reimbursement limits per case, per year, per lifetime?
Is a physical exam required prior to enrollment?
Why I chose embrace Pet Insurance
After taking a look at a number of different plans, I chose embrace Pet Insurance. They’ve been around for twelve years. They have a solid credibility in the veterinary community. and many importantly, I personally know Laura Bennett, Embrace’s co-founder and former CEO. I have chatted with Laura at several conferences, and have been amazed with both her company knowledge and her energy (something that, while elusive, is critically essential to me when it concerns making decisions about anything.)
I chose a plan that covers disease and accidents only with a $8,000 annual maximum, $500 deductible and 70% reimbursement. I chose not to get a wellness plan. The premium to cover both girls is only about $25 a month. I’d say that’s well worth the price of peace of mind.
Pet insurance is one of these things you hope you never need to use. I’m glad I finally made the leap for Allegra and Ruby, and I’ll be even gladder if I end up paying all that money to embrace “for nothing.”
If you decide to get pet insurance for your cats, do your research. look at a lot of different plans, then choose the plan that is best for you and your cats.
If you would like much more information about embrace Pet Insurance, click on the image below to get a totally free quote for your cats. (Please note that I am an affiliate partner for Embrace, so if you dopurchase insurance after clicking through on the banner below, I get a small commission.)
Do you have pet insurance for your cats?
Ingrid King
Table of Contents
I learned the hard way
The following questions can help you choose a pet insurance provider:
Why I chose embrace Pet Insurance
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Is Pet insurance worth It? Absolutely!
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27 comments on Why I got Pet insurance for Allegra and Ruby
Cheri Collins says:
March 1, 2016 at 4:58 am
Ingrid, you got a policy for only $25 / month for both cats? I asked embrace about my Rosie, who is only soon to be 5, and the cost would be $33 / month. I’d save a little by paying by the year, but I was left wondering why / how you got such a low rate for cats the same age as mine?
I think I have to shop around.
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Ingrid says:
March 1, 2016 at 5:56 am
I only got the disease and accident coverage, not the wellness coverage, Cheri. The girls have no pre-existing conditions. The monthly premium has gone up to $28 a month because I wrote the article.
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JaneA Kelley says:
October 15, 2015 at 10:28 am
I too learned about pet insurance the hard way. When my beloved Dahlia got sick, I spent much more than $3,000 over a week and a half. I would have remortgaged my house to care for her if I had to, but sadly her disease was very severe and had a poor prognosis, so I had to have her humanely released from her suffering.
After that, I started looking into pet insurance, but I was really confused by my options and what covers what, so I kind of gave up.
A couple of years ago I started working for Trupanion, and in the course of my training I learned a lot about the policy — enough so that I was comfortable insuring one of my cats at my own expense (one other was paid for as an employee benefit, and one was too old for any insurance). When my Thomas had a dental and ended up having eight teeth extracted, Trupanion covered about $835 of my $1,200 bill — they didn’t cover the cleaning, but the cost of a cleaning is chump change compared to the cost of having eight teeth extracted!
No pet insurance company covers pre-existing conditions, so my Bella Donna’s diabetes will never be covered under her Trupanion policy even though she’s been in remission for much more than two years, but I know enough about cats to know that a lot of other unrelated things can happen to them.
If you want to learn about pet insurance through an unbiased source, I highly recommend a site called Pet insurance university (). It’s run by a veterinarian who has looked at every pet insurance policy and has compiled a list of benefits and “gotchas” for every policy (including Trupanion’s), in plain English. This site will really help you find the best coverage for your cats.
(Disclaimer: Although I work for Trupanion, my opinions are my own and ought to not be taken in any way as official communication from Trupanion or official representations of Trupanion’s stance on anything.)
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Ingrid says:
October 15, 2015 at 4:32 pm
Thank you for sharing your experience, and this terrific resource, JaneA!
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Susan says:
May 1, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Sadly, after taking a look at embrace and pet first, it just does not make sense to insure Topaz. At 14, with already being diagnosed with kidney disease, I am scared anything else that happens to her would be lumped into that diagnosis and I would be denied payment.
I cannot afford to throw money away, despite having spent $1700 for Zesty in the last 6 weeks of her life, and wanting to spend $300+ today for Topaz for wellness exam and bloodwork (senior panel) and upwards of $1000 for dental cleaning if she is deemed healthy enough to undergo anesthetizing, apparently health insurance is a no opt for us. (Spent $1100+ on her for hyperthyroidism treatment less than a year ago too, I-131).
I want, in time, to get another cat, and possibly then it will make sense to get insurance.
I am scared for Topaz prognosis if she is deemed not healthy enough to undergo anesthesia too.
What a mess trying to do the best thing and not go broke.
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Ingrid says:
May 1, 2015 at 1:17 pm
Unfortunately, insuring older cats is an expensive proposition, Susan. It’s why I got it for Allegra and Ruby now, while they’re both still young (I ought to have gotten it when they were even younger!). All my best to Topaz!
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Esme says:
February 5, 2015 at 1:36 am
Cost was never the issue and thankfully we could afford the bills for her but peace of mind helps. between the check outs and the meds it adds up.
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Maxwell, Faraday & Allie (Lisa Richman) says:
February 4, 2015 at 7:57 pm
Allie & Faraday are with Embrace, too. I love their “flex” option, because dental really isn’t covered all that well by *any* of the pet insurance companies. This allows me a“discount” of over 30% on my dental bills – and because I have cats with historically bad teeth, that makes my pocketbook happy!
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Ingrid says:
February 5, 2015 at 7:41 am
I did look at that flex option, and it sounds like a terrific option for cats with dental issues. Thankfully, at four and five years old, the girls haven’t even needed a routine cleaning, and I hope to keep it that way!
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Leigh Ann says:
February 4, 2015 at 6:52 pm
It seems that whether or not it’s a good idea to purchase pet insurance depends upon who you ask. consumer reports and Checkbook.org say it doesn’t make sense, while others promise by it. My parents had pet insurance on their canine a few years back and had a challenging time getting the insurance company to pay for claims. They now just put money aside each month for their canine in case he gets ill.
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Ingrid says:
February 5, 2015 at 7:41 am
It’s a very individual decision, Leigh Ann.
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Karen F says:
February 4, 2015 at 5:00 pm
We have Trupanion insurance for our cats and bless the day we chose to insure them.
Those with Trupanion coverage ought to be aware that the company has a special department called claims Express, that will help set up direct payment to vets. The vet has to be prepared (most small vet offices are not). When the bill is going to be large, this can make a enormous difference in what you have to pay up front.
As a uncomfortable example, we lost a cat to disease over the summer. We were devastated emotionally, but would have been hit hard financially as well, had we been required to pay up front what shown to be a $5,000 bill. Fortunately, our cat was being cared for at a large veterinary medical facility and they had experience working with Trupanion. As our cat was being admitted, we worked by phone with the medical facility intake person, and Trupanion, to have her case set up through claims Express.
Not only can you try to use claims express dealing with in emergencies that encompass expensive end-of-life care — you can also try to use it for much more routine situations, such as extractions, where the surgery is scheduled ahead of time and the costs are known to a sensible extent. We did this successfully with an extraction a couple of years ago — in that case, the vet, although a small office, was prepared to work with Trupanion.
Claims express likes to have a day or so to set things up when possible, but they will work swiftly in case of emergencies, as we discovered. On the downside, as discussed above, many vets still will not go along with direct payment from an insurance company, at least in our experience. It’s just too new and they choose not to wait a few days for payment. My hope is that the tide will turn at some point and this will become much more the norm.
For unknown reasons, the claims express feature is not findable on Trupanion’s website. but it certainly exists and it’s essential to know about. It’s discussed on Trupanion’s claim form, which you can find here:
In other ways, too, our experience with the company has been excellent: clear communication, prompt customer service, and sensible prices. We wish we’d gotten insurance sooner and we will never be without it again.
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Ingrid says:
February 4, 2015 at 5:01 pm
Thanks for sharing your experience, Karen.
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Esme says:
February 5, 2015 at 1:35 am
We also went with Trupanion. Thankfully we have not used it but got it because of our experience with one cat. She was diagnosed with heart failure-between the diagnosis, the cardiologist and two emergency check outs we ended up with a staggering bill. We then chose to get it for her brother. I hope we never have to use it. but gives us some peace of mind ought to we need to.
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Connie Ventimiglia says:
February 4, 2015 at 4:41 pm
Great short article Ingrid. I have certainly learned my lesson for future kitties. thank God money is not that much of an issue treating Maddies small cell lymphoma best now but down the road who knows.