What kind of insurance does your Boxer have?

[Clia's_Dad]

I have insurance from petshealthinsurance.com. There was a surcharge for being a boxer and a surcharge for living in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area, but it was still only about $14 per month. It covered up to $1500 for each instance, with a yearly $100 deductible.

When I submitted my first claim of just under $100, I heard right back that my deductible for the year was paid. But, I submitted a claim on June 21 for over $200.

I got a letter right back that said 6 to 8 weeks. After 9 weeks, I sent an e-mail was was informed that they had changed software and they were just coming out of the chaos, and one more week and I would get my claim settled.

It is been two weeks and nary a word. I am going to give them until Wednesday and if I haven't heard anything, I am going to call.

I also found pet insurance at the Reader's Digest website. It is at http://www.rdpetinsurance.com

It seems very reasonable and with a company like Reader's Digest endorsing it, I can't see a down side.

 

[AntJan]

How fast are claims processed?

Nikki is officially covered under VPI. Just wondering, for those of you who have VPI & have used it, how fast do they process claims?

 

[boxer4]

Usually with in a month or less depending on how much is submitted. With having four dogs I usually save the bills and submit them all at once, some will come back sooner(vacination, heart worm meds and test and routine exams) others that are diagnosis' of medical problems, they take longer to revue. I haven't had to wait longer than a month so far unless I've just been lucky.:cool: I was told by the he one representative that if I itemize the bills and only fill out what is covered it will go faster, some times I'm not sure like micro-chipping so I didn't itemize, well a small part of it is covered although I wouldn't have thought so.:p

 

[AntJan]

Our only concern is, what happens when we go to the vet and find out we don't have enough to cover the fees for that particular appointment? We know VPI is a reimbursment program, so we'd have to pay our vet up front first. Has anything like that ever happened to you guys? I guess we'll deal with that if it ever happens.

 

[cynthia rolfes]

That is a very important question. I think most vets would work something out. I know someone that discussed this with their vet up front. I would think most vets would work something out with you- as long as you establish a good pattern with them (kept your regular appts. and paid on time).

It isn't a bad idea to discuss this before a major emergency! Great thread!!

 

[boxer4]

On the bottom of the claim form there are three sections to sign one for the vet.. one if payment is to be made to you... and one if payment is to be made directly to the vet clinic. If you vet O.K.'s this they will wait for their reimbursement before billing you your part. Not all vets will do it this way but if you have been going there for a while it is worth a try to ask. Also you can go on line at http://ph.petinsurance.com and ask questions if you don't want to call, they usually get back right away.
I take it you haven't recieved all the paperwork from V.P.I. yet, there is a lot and it can be confusing so don't be afraid to ask questions they are use to it:p

 

[robsgirl]

Pet Insurance

I too have Veterinary Pet Insurance.

 

[AntJan]

Rec'd Veterinary Pet Insurance forms...

We received all the VPI policy forms... so confusing! What concerns me is this, which is quoted on their policy: "During the first 12 calendar months of policy effectiveness, no coverage will be extended for the diagnosis, medical management or surgical correction of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage or rupture".

What the?!? What if Nikki tears the ligament in her other knee within the next year? They won't cover it? I'll have to make a phone call to them. I have so many questions about all the stuff they sent me.

For those who have VPI, have you used it the Vaccination & Routine Coverage portion of it? Seems like they don't cover that much for the routine visits. I'll have to look everything over again.

 

[robsgirl]

AntJan-

I just received a check yesterday for $77 out of a $143 medical bill. For every incident there's a $50 deductible to be paid. I thought that was pretty steep... I didn't get the optional vaccination and routine coverage ($99 extra to the $195 for VPI). I figure I'll just pay the remaining shot fees for Taz for he'll be a year soon and then he'll only need yearly physicals. This insurance is a bit expensive for what they DO and DON'T cover...:(

 

[AntJan]

robsgirl -

That $143 medical bill... what was that for (if I can ask)?
Also, who do you pay the $50 deductible to -- VPI, right?
It's just a little confusing to me when I look over all the stuff they sent. I think we just got so used to Nikki being enrolled in Banfield Pet Hospital, because all their office visits, vaccines & routine care were free so we didn't really have to worry about submitting claims. And if we did have to pay for anything, they printed us up a statement right there that reflected our 10% discount. Like when Nikki had her knee surgery, we paid $865 of the $989 medical bill, but we were able to spread out the payments according to what we could pay.

If I call VPI, I'm going to have a ton of questions and I don't want to sound like a complete idiot. I think I'll go look at their site. They must have some FAQ's there that I can read up on before I call.