Pet Insurance Facts

Pet health care insurance isn't a new idea -- it has been around for 15 - 20 years, but many people haven't been aware of it. The availability has been limited and the policy restrictions have been prohibitive in many cases.

• Pet insurance is much less expensive than human health insurance. Employers typically pay 80% - 90% of an employee's health insurance. A recent government survey* showed that small companies paid an average premium of $3,003.31 per employee for health insurance coverage. However, the average contribution by an employee was only $396.12. A VPI policy can cost less than $1 a day.

*Source: 2000 Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Survey

• Most companies start policies at age 6-8 weeks, some have no age limit, and of the others I researched, one had a limit of 27 years, others had a limit of 8 years of age (if the animal was insured when less than 8 years, coverage would continue beyond 8 years).

• Pet health policies are similar to human insurance policies; annual premiums, deductibles, and different coverage plans based on what the owner chooses. Plans are based on species, age, pre-existing conditions and in some cases, lifestyle of the pet (i.e. indoor vs. outdoor cat).
  
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