Pet Insurance Health Insurance Is It For You? Part II
 

Merle F. Marks, DVM
 

Timberland Animal Clinic
 

In the first article in this series, I discussed the rising costs

in veterinary medicine and the need for
 

pet owners to first accept that fact and second the need for a plan

to cover possible expenses in the future. In this article we will

look at various health coverage programs now available and their possible

application to your households.
 

HMO Programs
 

These programs are currently being termed wellness plans. Initial

membership fees are paid up front and then dues are paid monthly in

exchange for services and treatments. There are some conditions and

situations which may not be covered or only partially covered. These

are usually instituted by individual clinics.
 

Preferred Provider Programs
 

These programs require a membership fee for each pet then give, for

instance, a 25 percent discount on veterinary care and a 50 percent

discount food and products. Once again, this would be a program offered

by individual clinics.
 

Pet Insurance Programs
 

This is very similar to our own health insurance with various levels

of coverage, deductibles and limits to degree of benefits. All health

problems may not be covered. Many preexisting conditions may be excluded.
 

Your opinion
 

Whether any of these plans would work for you depends on 3 tightly

interwoven factors
 

1) The degree of veterinary care you want to provide for your pet

or pets.
 

2) The number of pets that you currently have or plan to have.
 

3) Does it make sense when you sit down and financially work out the

numbers.
 

My opinion
 

1) The degree of veterinary care has to be determined. Excellent veterinary

care is not about veterinarians. It is about the owner. It is about

the commitment of the owner to practice PREVENTATIVE careto have exams,

vaccinations, tests and parasite control performed on a regular yearly

basis. These insurance programs make more sense if excellent veterinary

care is desired. If your pet is receiving care only on an emergency

basis, you are probably not reading this article anyway.
 
 
 
 
 

2) Do you have too many pets? The trend I am seeing is an increasing

number of pets per household. Four cat/two dog household are extremely

common. The thing to remember is that there will be a limited amount

of income that can be allocated for veterinary care and that has to

be divided up between all the petsthe more pets, the less care received.

I am not suggesting you go out and reduce the number of your pets

tomorrow but think long and hard before adopting another pet. Are

you going provide more care than you did last time?
 
 
 
 
 

3) It might make sense if you have 2-3 pets or more that you want

to deliver excellent veterinary care to. I am not sure it makes much

sense in single pet households. Once again it is a matter of personal

goals and understanding that you ultimately are responsible. In my

next article, I will give my bottom line opinion on pet insurance

programs as a whole.
 

Merle Marks is co-owner of Timberland Animal Clinic