When choosing an insurance policy there are several things to take into account...
Annual cover
All policies will have a maximum amount that you are covered for- the amount will vary from one company to another. The higher the level of cover the more expensive the policy.
Excess
All policies will have an excess- i.e. the amount which you have to pay. Some policies have a fixed excess- eg $100 per condition, some policies have a percentage excess eg. you pay 20% of every bill.
Which you choose is up to you. With the fixed excess you will never have a big bill- if your pet was hit by a car & the total bill came to $4,000 you would pay $100, whereas if you were paying 20% you would have to pay $800.
With smaller bills the % option works better- a bill for a sore ear of $120 would cost you $100 with the fixed excess but only $24 with 20% excess.
Accident or illness
Some policies will just cover accidents, eg. bite wounds, snake bites and others cover illness as well like diabetes or arthritis. Accident only policies tend to be cheaper as they cover less.
Lifetime
Some policies will only cover a condition for 12 months so if your pet was diagnosed with a thyroid condition this would be excluded after 12 months & you would not be able to claim ongoing treatment. Other policies will cover your pet for life with one excess per year.
Sub-limits
Some companies will limit the amount of funds available for particular conditions & although the policy may cover you for $6,500 of treatment only $1,100 of this is available for the treatment of say skin problems. Other policies will give you a total limit but no sublimits.
Pre-existing conditions
All policies exclude pre-existing conditions so if your pet is insured after he has started showing signs of any disease this condition will be excluded & you will not be able to claim for this.
Additional benefits
Some policies will offer additional benefits such as holiday cancellation if your pet is ill or advertising costs if your pet is lost. Some policies will pay something towards preventative health treatment such as flea treatment, desexing or vaccinations. These policies often cost more than the policies which don’t offer these extras.
There are many different companies which provide pet insurance. It is important to choose the best policy to suit your needs. Head on over to our article on "Pet Insurance Claims Re-invented with GapOnly" to find out more.
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For illnesses, injuries, chronic, re-occurring or lifelong illness, ‘Covered for Life’ policies will take care of expensive treatment and medication. Click here to check out their website.
