Do you feel overwhelmed by all the pet insurance questions you need answers to before taking out a policy? Well, instead of typing out each of your insurance questions into Google, we compiled every question and answer in this nifty little pet insurance guide – just for you. You’re welcome.
Here are the top 9 pet insurance questions (in our opinion) and their answers
Q1: What is pet insurance exactly?
A: Pet insurance is a specialised, short-term medical cover for your pet (usually your cat or dog). This policy protects you, the pet owner, from unexpected costs that are associated with the health and wellbeing of your pet. There is a full range of pet plans that range from basic cover to more comprehensive cover.
Q2: How much is pet insurance?
A: Well, it is tough to say how much pet insurance is based on the fact that every pet insurance company has their own payment structures. These are usually based on the animal that you are insuring and the level of coverage that you are looking for. However, on average, pet insurance plans fall between the bracket of about R100 – R1200 a month.
Check out Oneplan Pet Insurance’s plans here – they structure their plans to not only suit your needs and your budget, but the health and history of your pet? Talk about tail-o-made pet insurance.
Pssst… Also keep in mind that generally, dogs are a little more expensive to insure than cats.
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Q3: Do pet insurers cover pre-existing conditions?
A: The truth is that this is actually a trick question as most pet insurance providers will NOT cover pre-existing conditions. This is to safeguard the insurer from having pet owners take out a pet policy straight after their pet is diagnosed with a serious illness.
That being said, Oneplan Pet Insurance isn’t your average pet insurer. In fact, they will cover your pet’s pre-existing condition after a period of twelve (12) months from the date of inception under their comprehensive policies!
Q4: What are common pet insurance exclusions?
Exclusions are the things that your pet insurer will not be covering. This means that they will not be liable for expenses, hospitalisation, injury, sickness or disease directly or indirectly caused by or related to an illness or disease. You are therefore expected to cover those costs out-of-pocket. Keep in mind that every pet insurer is different, meaning you will need to find the specific t’s and c’s from your specific insurer.
This includes, and is not limited to:
- Foreseeable or predicted medical events
- Cosmetic, elective or non-justifiable events
- Obesity and behavioural conditions
- Any event outside of the borders of South Africa
- Infertility, breeding, mating and pregnancy costs
- Services rendered by persons not registered with the SA Veterinarian Council
- Costs incurred due to negligence of your pet’s medical needs or health
- Conditions that arise due to non-vaccination as recommended by your vet
- Non-disclosure (intentional or unintentional), misrepresentation, fraud or misinformation
- Costs relating to abuse to your pet by yourself, your family members or staff
- Costs relating to any new pandemic (the worldwide spread of a new disease)
- Costs related to the treatment of a condition where the cause and/or diagnosis is inconclusive
- Any event not specifically covered in your schedule
Q5: What is a waiting period?
A: Waiting periods are standard practice with all insurance companies and it is a time period that has to pass before you can claim from your insurer.
A waiting period will start as soon as you take out your policy and will only apply to certain conditions and claims. You can find that information in your pet policy document.
Q6: How do I claim for my pet?
A: Logging a claim for your pet pretty much looks similar to how you would file a claim for yourself with your own insurance. You will generally have to complete and submit a form. You will then need to attach all of the necessary documentation. They will then process the claim and get back to you about whether or not your claim was approved.
Q7: What is a policy add-on?
A: Let’s say that you take out a pet policy but the one you chose doesn’t exactly have benefits that you are looking for. What you would do is go and look at the add-on benefits that your pet insurer is offering. You can choose certain perks and benefits to add to your existing policy for an additional cost!
Q8: Are all pet breeds covered?
A: This is a tough one, as many pet insurers will have their different rules regarding the types of pets they are willing to cover. That being said, keep in mind that certain breeds will cost more money than others as they may have hereditary diseases that are more expensive to cover (all the more reason to insure them!)
Q9: Can re-homes, rescued or adopted pets be insured?
A: Absolutely! Pet insurers actively support many pet rescue organisations and shelters, so all pets are welcomed, regardless of their background. Just make sure to take them to the vet to begin establishing a vet history track record, which will be helpful for when you take out a policy for them.
Read this next: How Social Media Has Made it Easier to Adopt a Pet
If you didn’t see your pet insurance questions posted here, fear not, we know that the knowledgeable team at Oneplan is always on standby to answer any general or insurance questions you may have or to elaborate on any of the answers we’ve given! All you have to do is contact them.
