Have just discovered how worthless Pet Insurance can be. I've just received a letter from my French Pet Insurer regarding Juno's vet bills for the consultations, x-rays, scan and operation to be informed that all our claim is excluded from the insurance as her condition (Fragmentation of the Coronoid Process) is either congenital or hereditary! I'm tempted to ask them to prove that it is hereditary or congenital as her parents scores for elbows and hips are perfectly clear - but then again it would be bad enough to try that in English, let alone French. Seriously considering whether it was the cost to have the insurance at all.
Re: Pet Insurance I feel for you! I tried and failed to get insurance for my two here; they just don't do it here. I just need to make sure I have sufficient savings/credit cards to cover anything that may come along, which is a bit of a scary prospect but is just the way it is. Still, since insurance companies seem to get away with murder, I do wonder if it's actually a blessing in disguise. Do argue with them. A lot. If needs be, ask to speak to someone in English. The last two instances I had to deal with insurance companies, I ended up getting a good result. Eventually. Once was when we had our bikes stolen and they tried to insist that we bought new bikes then presented our receipts - we were in the middle of planning a wedding, so didn't have a spare couple of grand to throw at bikes, even if we were going to get it back, we had better uses for the money ... which we got as a cheque after about six months of shouting at them. The other time was last July when someone hit my car and admitted full responsibility but the loss adjustor disagreed with the garage that the damage had been done by the accident - even though it was all in an exact line from the bit he did say was caused by it. That was four months of shouting, printing stuff off from the internet and putting together a case. Ridiculously, the hire car I had ended up costing them a lot more than the damage they eventually repaired anyway! So, get your research together and present your case as to why it should be paid for by them. I was going to say, be like a terrier with a rat, but maybe more like a Labrador with that one last bit of kibble that's rolled under the sofa that absolutely must. not. be. lost.
Re: Pet Insurance It sure does make you think at times , we have had Sam insured with Tesco since he was 9 weeks old, he is almost four now and despite never having claimed a penny , the premium has gone up twice . Millie isn't insured due to having no history as a former stray and of unknown age , it makes her almost uninsurable so we just make sure we have a small fund to cover her if necessary, like her emergency eye surgery . The problem re Labs is that any surgery is expensive due to their size and requirements of anaesthetic which goes on the dogs weight , its a no win situation at times, I`ve often been temped to cancel Sams insurance but, sods law and all that : Hope you can get this sorted Rosemary, it seems very unfair on you indeed .
Re: Pet Insurance My experience with a company called PetPlan has been quite good. I've sent in three claims for Daisy,who is just 2 weeks shy of her first birthday, and they've all been paid without complaint. The premium was less than $200 for a year, and I've received back from them about $600 for the three claims. I'm sure the premium will go up this year, though! : I don't know if they insure outside the U.S., but it might be worth a look.
Re: Pet Insurance Never had a problem with the insurance in the UK for my cats but here in France nothing is ever simple. Unlike the UK here you don't get pre-approval from the insurance company before receiving treatment. You just pay your vet and they sign the form and you send it off with your receipts, copies of prescriptions etc and wait for the cheque to be issued for re-imbursement. I would love to take Snowbunnys suggestion and ask to speak to someone who speaks English but I can guarantee they don't have anyone - this is France where you are pretty much sunk at times unless you speak very good French. My French isn't too bad but on the phone it's very difficult. I'm not sure how I could actually prove the dysplasia isn't hereditary, just because her parents are clear..... any ideas?
Re: Pet Insurance I have Pet Plan and my Lab is just 9 years old and the insurance didn't appear to go up when he was 7. He broke his elbow at 16 weeks, had it pinned and screwed and they paid out over £3,000.
Re: Pet Insurance [quote author=MaccieD link=topic=10417.msg153434#msg153434 date=1427892492] here in France nothing is ever simple. [/quote] Heh, you should try Andorra. They're a law unto themselves [quote author=MaccieD link=topic=10417.msg153434#msg153434 date=1427892492] I'm not sure how I could actually prove the dysplasia isn't hereditary, just because her parents are clear..... any ideas? [/quote] I don't think you can prove it because, in fact, it is something that's been inherited from the parents, even though they have clear hip scores. From what I understand, it's passed down in the genes. However, I just found this on Wikipedia, : "The causes of hip dysplasia are considered heritable, but new research conclusively suggests that environment also plays a role.[5] To what degree the causality is genetic and what portion environmental is a topic of current debate. " (Veths.no. 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2013-08-18.) So, if you found that research and presented it to them with enough force, they *may* listen to you. Of course, their response could also be that, if indeed it was environmental, that is down to your negligence and so it still shouldn't be covered, but I guess that depends on your policy. I's say it's worth a try, for a little work. You have nothing to lose challenging them, after all. If you find talking on the phone too difficult, submit it by email. That way, you have a paper-trail, too.
Re: Pet Insurance You must bear in mind that all Insurance Companies exist to make a profit. That is their purpose in life. Therefore, they like to minimise their expenditure (payments) and maximise their income (premiums). For their continued existence they need to insure that their income exceeds their outgoings, plus they need to extract money for their staff administration and profits. I never insure my pets. I ensure i have sufficient funds to cover their Vetinary needs. You could simply set up a Standing order each month to a bank account for the animals needs. Provided you NEVER dip into it for anything else it will be there when you need it for them.
Re: Pet Insurance If you go down the route of "its environmental as well as genetic" you might shoot yourself in the foot and end up with the conclusion that it was obviously something YOU did if your hip scores were low. Just a thought.
Re: Pet Insurance [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=10417.msg153440#msg153440 date=1427893667] However, I just found this on Wikipedia, : "The causes of hip dysplasia are considered heritable, but new research conclusively suggests that environment also plays a role.[5] To what degree the causality is genetic and what portion environmental is a topic of current debate. " (Veths.no. 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2013-08-18.) So, if you found that research and presented it to them with enough force, they *may* listen to you. Of course, their response could also be that, if indeed it was environmental, that is down to your negligence and so it still shouldn't be covered, but I guess that depends on your policy. I's say it's worth a try, for a little work. You have nothing to lose challenging them, after all. If you find talking on the phone too difficult, submit it by email. That way, you have a paper-trail, too. [/quote] [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=10417.msg153491#msg153491 date=1427908113] If you go down the route of "its environmental as well as genetic" you might shoot yourself in the foot and end up with the conclusion that it was obviously something YOU did if your hip scores were low. Just a thought. [/quote] Interesting to have a look at the Research but I don't think that will make much difference with French Insurers, if it's not hereditary it must be my fault. Wouldn't mind but Juno has never been allowed to go up and down stairs, jump in and out of the car, jump up etc. all to try to ensure the best outcome for hips and elbow. I'm going to discuss with my vet next week for her view but she doesn't like the insurance companies herself....
Re: Pet Insurance I hope you get sorted out MaccieD, it sounds like a right nightmare but I agree to keep pushing it. At the moment I'm doing without insurance and have an emergency pot instead. I'm not sure of the wisdom of this - whether it's good or bad> What do others do / think?
Re: Pet Insurance I've always gone for the pet insurance option for my cats and my previous dog, so taking out a policy for Juno was a "no brainer" for me. I've always opted for the insurance on the basis of what it could cost if they were taken ill. I know plenty of people though who just put some money aside for vet bills. I think we'll review the insurance though when we move back to the UK.
