# Insurance



## Wunderwhy6 (Nov 29, 2020)

Instead of hijacking the other insurance post, I thought I should start my own thread.

I am looking at insurance options for Kai. Particularly a company who will cover accident/illness, including tears, dental trauma from bitework, breaks, etc. She will have OFAs done early next year so I will need to find one with a 6 month waiting period for orthopedic vs one with a 12 month (rules out healthy paws). 

Has anyone used Embrace insurance? Or do you have a recommendation for another? 

My other option would be to simply swallow any unexpected costs and not do insurance. She is such an accident prone young dog (thankfully nothing serious yet), it seems prudent to cover my bases.

Thank you in advance!


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## ldmpku (Jul 5, 2021)

I’m using Fetch pet insurance. It was called petplan. At least it’s good for me in my area. 40 a month includes examination fee and dental in addition to sickness treatment. 15% copay and 200 deductible and up to 9k per year.


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## GSD-IGP (9 mo ago)

I use healthy paws, they have been good so far


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## banzai555 (Sep 2, 2019)

I'm using Nationwide, which also happens to be my insurance company for auto/home. Look into that--you might get multi-policy discounts that includes pets. So far Nationwide has been good for us; I think we have a $500 deductible, but it seems there's good coverage and they cover annual exams/vaccinations. Currently I pay about $62/month. 

Watch out for yearly rate increases, whatever policy you choose.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

You have to pull sample policies specific to where you live. State law comes into play, so might be different things included or excluded. Nationwide, be really careful. They only have one good plan which they hide in the search. The other plans work on a schedule of benefits which is brutal. Prices are determined where you live not what other people pay. 

Embrace has good plans. They also have a policy of making the 6 month waiting period get reduced if you follow what they ask and submit it.

*Orthopedic Exam and Waiver Process for Dogs*
You may be able to reduce your dog's 6-month orthopedic waiting period if you take him to your veterinarian for a simple orthopedic exam after you purchase your policy.
Your vet will record findings on the Embrace Orthopedic Exam Report Card for the following areas:

The hips and legs for signs of hip dysplasia, luxating patellas (slipping knee caps), and cruciate ligament tears
The shoulders and forelimbs for signs of elbow dysplasia and osteochondritis dissecans


The spine for signs of intervertebral disc disease
All joints for signs of arthritis
All bones for signs of fractures and bone cancers


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## Wunderwhy6 (Nov 29, 2020)

I have a different provider for my other assets. GEICO may offer a pet option, I haven’t checked yet. I do know I can receive pet insurance through my job with Kaiser but so far I’m not impressed with what they offer. 

Having the option to potentially waive the waiting period is good to know. Thankfully, 6 months would put us in November. Kai won’t be 2 until February so we have some time. 

Do you know if Embrace will accept injuries caused by Schutzhund? I have seen some providers exclude injuries from sports like sled-racing.

I have found a small 0.6mm bump on Kai’s shoulder as well. I haven’t not yet brought it to the vets attention. If he chooses to remove it, I can pay for it out of pocket. However, if embrace would cover any expenses (like sedation, etc) I would wait until she is covered.
Policy language has never been my strong point. I’


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## ldmpku (Jul 5, 2021)

Yeah, it is quite tricky. For example, if one knee is treated for soft tissue problems then the other knee's soft tissue is not insured for the next 12 months. It is really hard to get into details until we encounter it.

As for Schutzhund, my provider asked whether it is a working dog and definition is on high levels.


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## Hopps (Dec 5, 2021)

For dog sports you need to call them and ask. Too specific and very niche. Waiver is very easy to complete if your dog is healthy. I have embrace, their customer service is pretty good and respond quickly to emails as well.
The bump will be pre existing usually.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Have you looked at our sticky thread where we have gone through lots of fine print on different policies? It also tracked the implosion of Petplan from a great company into a less good one with their massive rate hikes due to new underwriting.

The key advice on asking for insurance reviews is this: trust NO REVIEW without knowing how many thousands they've paid out in claims to the person who says "they're good." When I say Healthy Paws is "good," it's because I've had around $14,000 worth of claims paid out for one dog, since 2018. $10,000 of those were in a single claim year. 

Every company is good at taking your money. It's not hard to be nice setting up a policy. Most will pay piddly claims worth a few hundred dollars pretty easily. Big claims are where the rubber meets the road. You want to know if you have a multi-thousand dollar claim, will they pay everything that you expect them to, quickly. 

You also want to know what the rate hike experience has been. You won't get to keep your initial cost forever. It might even be a teaser rate that goes up the very next year, with some companies.


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## Wunderwhy6 (Nov 29, 2020)

I haven’t checked the sticky. I will do that, thanks. 

These are all good questions to ask. My current vet is fair and reasonable for basic diagnostics/tests, and has been for many years. It is only because of Kai’s participation in schutzhund and her propensity for acting without thinking (launching herself onto slippery surfaces, running into a wall, any number of other acrobatics) which makes me think I may want insurance with her.


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## Wunderwhy6 (Nov 29, 2020)

Until now I’ve gone by the policy of putting dog money aside each month as if it is going to insurance.


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## ArkAngel (Jan 5, 2011)

Just want to say we have Healthypaws and have had a series of expensive vet bills lately including emergency surgery for a possible bowel obstructions.

So far no issues, thanks to Magwart and the sticky, the insurance has paid for itself many times over in a matter of days


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## RedactedSource (Jan 14, 2022)

I have done extensive research on insurance as soon as we brought Brie home in February when she was 10 weeks old. With her being so young and not anticipating any serious issues, the best option for us was Bivvy. I know they are not available in every state, but they have a flat rate regardless of the pet’s age. We pay $10/month. Deductible is $100/incident and then it’s 50/50. Her lifetime maximum is $23k. I just couldn’t justify paying $50-$70/month with high deductible at this moment. We already used them a month and a half into her coverage when she ended up in the ER with blockage. The bill was a little over $1000 and they paid out $450 within a week. We will likely switch her to a different insurance with either super high or unlimited coverage once she gets a bit older.


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## ArkAngel (Jan 5, 2011)

RedactedSource said:


> I have done extensive research on insurance as soon as we brought Brie home in February when she was 10 weeks old. With her being so young and not anticipating any serious issues, the best option for us was Bivvy. I know they are not available in every state, but they have a flat rate regardless of the pet’s age. We pay $10/month. Deductible is $100/incident and then it’s 50/50. Her lifetime maximum is $23k. I just couldn’t justify paying $50-$70/month with high deductible at this moment. We already used them a month and a half into her coverage when she ended up in the ER with blockage. The bill was a little over $1000 and they paid out $450 within a week. We will likely switch her to a different insurance with either super high or unlimited coverage once she gets a bit older.


Wow $1k for a blockage? My bill in CA is over $5k!


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## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

RedactedSource said:


> I have done extensive research on insurance as soon as we brought Brie home in February when she was 10 weeks old. With her being so young and not anticipating any serious issues, the best option for us was Bivvy. I know they are not available in every state, but they have a flat rate regardless of the pet’s age. We pay $10/month. Deductible is $100/incident and then it’s 50/50. Her lifetime maximum is $23k. I just couldn’t justify paying $50-$70/month with high deductible at this moment. We already used them a month and a half into her coverage when she ended up in the ER with blockage. The bill was a little over $1000 and they paid out $450 within a week. We will likely switch her to a different insurance with either super high or unlimited coverage once she gets a bit older.


Be careful when you switch. Payments are always higher when the dog is older. I have nationwide for 4yrs only only one increase and I pay 43.00 a month for accidents illness only with 250.00 deductible


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## RedactedSource (Jan 14, 2022)

ArkAngel said:


> Wow $1k for a blockage? My bill in CA is over $5k!


Yes… however, no surgery. Basically it included 24 hour stay in the ER, fluids and 3 X-rays with radiologist’s evaluation. It would have been cheaper if we were able to go to her regular vet, but right now they are so busy that they don’t take dogs without an appointment.


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## dd71 (6 mo ago)

Can someone direct me to the sticky mentioned in this thread? I'm new to this forum and I just don't see it. Is there a link? Thank you.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

dd71 said:


> Can someone direct me to the sticky mentioned in this thread? I'm new to this forum and I just don't see it. Is there a link? Thank you.


It's at the top of the "basic care" forum and goes WAY back but has been updated often over the years: 








Health insurance opinions


My GSD is about 8 months old. I just bought the AKC health insurance, it basically covers, accidents, and sickness. My yearly deductable is 125.00 then I am only responsible for 20% after than. I am paying 36.oo a month. Personally I think I got a pretty good deal. Thoughts?




www.germanshepherds.com


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## dd71 (6 mo ago)

Thank you


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## jameels (Sep 12, 2021)

Wunderwhy6 said:


> Instead of hijacking the other insurance post, I thought I should start my own thread.
> 
> I am looking at insurance options for Kai. Particularly a company who will cover accident/illness, including tears, dental trauma from bitework, breaks, etc. She will have OFAs done early next year so I will need to find one with a 6 month waiting period for orthopedic vs one with a 12 month (rules out healthy paws).
> 
> ...


which policy you have opted for? I am also looking for coverage but price i have quoted are little higher so want to consider few policies to avoid any hassle in future. ALso how much you're paying?


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