Page 16 - Leisure Living Magazine Holiday 2018

What You Need To Know About Pet Insurance
By Brennan Madison, Frederick Agency, Inc., bmadison@frederick-insurance.com
If you haven’t heard any buzz about pet insurance yet, chances are you’ll be hearing more in the near future. In recent years, pet medical insurance has been growing rapidly in the United States.
Pet insurance is designed to cover non-routine veterinary expenditures such as lab tests, surgery, prescription medications, x-rays, MRI’s, etc. Pet insurance does not typically cover wellness visits or any preventative care. It is designed to help you with unexpected and expensive treatment and not the more routine and anticipated costs of annual checkups. Some policies will allow you to select coverage for routine care for an additional premium.
Pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. You will need to purchase pet insurance prior to your pet having an accident or getting sick. Most policies will also come with
Brennan Madison
with his dogs Newton, Porter and Zeek.
a waiting period before coverage kicks in so you can’t purchase a policy as you’re driving to the vet! How do you decide what pet insurance is best for you? Do your research! Take a look at websites and call and talk to a representative from the company. What does the policy cover? What doesn’t the policy cover? Will they let you review a policy before purchasing? Is the deductible annual or per condition? Does the policy reimburse your expenses or pay you a flat amount regardless of cost? What is the limit of coverage annually and per each condition? What is the cancellation policy in case you are dissatisfied?
How is their service if you have an issue?
Lastly, what is the cost of pet insurance? It will vary widely from about $20 per month per pet to over $100 depending on your level of coverage. There are several pet insurance companies on the market to offer different options and pricing levels. Make sure you research all of the above coverage and service issues BEFORE price. As is true in many purchases, you do get what you pay for. If you want to check it out yourself, we offer coverage at the Frederick Agency through FIGO. You can get a quote online at www.frederick-
insurance.com/pet.
Brennan Madison is an agent for Frederick Agency, Inc. located in Port Clinton, OH.
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