Here at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital, our clients often ask us about pet insurance.  During these uncertain economic times it's understandable that all of us are tightening our belts and looking for ways to save money. Unfortunately, our pets aren't aware that there is a recession, and they aren't going to wait until things get better before they get sick or have an accident. Pet insurance can help you manage the cost of caring for your pet through good times and bad. If this is a concern for you, here at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital we strongly encourage you to consider pet health insurance for your pet. You may not be able to plan when your pet gets sick, but you can have a financial plan for what to do if your pet gets sick.

Veterinary care these days can help your pet lead a healthier, longer life because of the advanced diagnostics in finding problems earlier, as well as advanced surgery and drugs that can save pets' lives. This care isn't without cost. Mount Laurel Animal Hospital is constantly investing in new equipment and training so that you and your pet get to spend more time together than ever before. With these advanced tools and procedures, our doctors can often offer additional options to assist pets in living longer and healthier lives. But knowing the associated costs for that level of care is the main reason we have decided to recommend pet insurance to protect you and your beloved four-legged family members. Pet insurance is about peace of mind: it can help you get the best care for your pet without worrying about the cost. Many of us have health insurance through our employers, but ask yourself: when was the last time you stopped to consider how much the surgery or medications really cost? You pay your deductible and co-pay and you’re on your way.
 
Your pet can’t ask you for help, but pet insurance can help you plan for the expensive, unexpected curveballs that life throws.  It can enable you to say “yes” to what the veterinarian recommends to make your pet better or healthier. And since you are reimbursed for your expenses, pet insurance is accepted at any hospital, including specialty and emergency hospitals.

After evaluating multiple companies and plans, we have decided PurinaCare Pet Insurance is the company that likely represents the best choice for our clients. There are several reasons we made this decision. The major reason we chose PurinaCare was that it not only offers the accident/illness insurance protection that most companies do, but you also have the opportunity to purchase a plan that will also provide financial reimbursement for services and treatments which are recommended as part of non-illness wellness care. Wellness care includes annual examinations, vaccinations, spaying/neutering, dental check-ups, and heartworm/flea control prescriptions. While some plans out there that may be cheaper, for what PurinaCare offers, their cost is certainly comparable to most other plans. As we reviewed the different companies, we noticed that PurinaCare had a very high rating among plan holders, which was important to us if we were to recommend them; additionally, they were courteous and helpful when we contacted them with questions and in many reviews other customers stated they did not have to wait long for payment of their claims. These factors played a large role in our decision to make PurinaCare our recommended choice.

As is the case with any type of insurance, the decision to purchase pet insurance should be accompanied with a careful cost/benefit analysis, and we encourage pet owners to shop around for the best policy for their personal situation. The main thing to remember about all brands of pet insurance is that it is a reimbursement program. This means that in order to get reimbursed you are responsible for making payment to the veterinary hospital, and then you submit a claim to the insurance company who then processes your claim and reimburses you directly. This is different from what most of us are used to with our own medical insurance, where the doctor files the claim and receives the payment directly from the insurance company. Because you will still have to pay for services at the time they are provided, choosing a company that provides prompt reimbursement is important for many of our clients.

We hope that Mount Laurel Animal Hospital will continue to be the medical team you choose to trust with the health of your beloved family member. We will always strive to continue to offer the best care possible. As a result we wanted to give you and other clients some general information on pet insurance and its benefits, as well as provide you with information regarding PurinaCare since that is the company that we feel offers some very good options for our clients. For clients who wish to do further research, we recommend the following websites which are loaded with information and can explain pet insurance in more detail, thereby allowing you to pick the plan perfect for you and your pet.

Pet Insurance University

VeterinaryPartner Per Insurance Fact Sheet

Pet Insurance Review 101

Healthypet.com Pet Insurance Information

In closing, we cannot predict if pet insurance will save you money over your pet's life. However, when you purchase pet insurance, you can have increased peace of mind that should there be an emergency and/or chronic illness, you will have financial assistance in managing that care.  Therefore, though purchasing pet insurance may not be for everyone, at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital, we believe exploring the possibility is a good idea for all of our clients.