Pet Insurance

The veterinary care is an 18 billion dollar (per year) industry catering to more than 71 million U.S. households who have a cat or dog. As more and more prescriptions for pets are being written, the related business of pet health insurance is growing fast.

Pet policies are similar to our own health insurance with all familiar terms and phrases like annual premiums, deductibles prevalent in the trade. Depending on the company, you can get plans for different species of varying ages and lifestyles i.e., animals kept indoors vs. outdoors. Some also allow for pre-existing conditions. Policies can cover annual checkups, vaccinations, routine office visits, preventive medications (such as for heartworm), spay/neuter surgeries, treatments for accidents or illness, diagnostic tests, lab fees and flea control.

Most policies cost $7 to $10 a month per animal. Some offer discounted rates if you insure multiple animals. The American Veterinary Medical Association endorses the idea of pet health insurance and recommends looking for a company that allows you to choose your veterinarian, can offer referrals and is supported by professional organizations, individual veterinarians and other groups and individuals concerned with animal welfare.

For more information, speak with your veterinarian. He or she should be able to tell you what options are available in your state, and offer information on discount programs. You may visit the following websites to get price quotes for policies: PetInsurance, PetsHealthPlan, PetCareInsurance.

Disclaimer: LiveInUSA does not have any connection whatsoever with the website(s) mentioned above. The information is provided only because we think this could be helpful to our readers.