Does Dog Insurance Cover Biting Incidents

Pet Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions [USA]

As a parent to furry babies, it is one of our problems and the greatest nightmare to have our furry babies fall into illness and not to mention the cost that it comes with it. And as much as we would want to help our pets recover from their illness, medical care can come in very expensive and if we are not financially ready it may just drain us financially. This is why pet insurance is very in demand nowadays, the only problem is there are no pet insurance companies that accept pets with pre-existing conditions. So what are your other options to help your furry friend? Find out below.

What is Pre-Existing Condition?

This is one of the common problems many pet owners encounter. It is where the pet already has developed or may have developed any health condition or some clinical signs prior to the end of the policy waiting period. The waiting period usually depends on the pets’ condition, but for most, it ranges from 14 to 30 days and can even go up to 12 months for more complicated conditions.

Curable Pre-Existing Condition vs Non-curable Pre Existing Condition

There are 2 types of pre-existing condition that pet insurance companies distinguish-(1) the curable and (2) non-curable.

Curable Pre-Existing Condition

These are the condition that can be completely resolved and can be included in the pet’s insurance coverage after being completely resolved under a period of time.

Examples of Curable Pre-Existing Condition:

  • Respiratory infections
  • UTI
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Other curable conditions

Non-Curable Pre-Existing Condition

These are the type of conditions that cannot be resolved completely or may require lifelong care. In most cases those with non-curable pre-existing conditions wouldn’t be covered by any pet insurance company.

Examples of Non-Curable Pre-Existing Condition:

  • Allergies
  • Cancer
  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Skin Lumps
  • Bilateral condition
  • Other Chronic conditions

Reason Why Pre-Existing Conditions Can’t Be Covered by Pet Insurance Company

Pet insurance companies are not high-risk takers, and unfortunately, they distinguish any non-curable pre-existing conditions as a high-risk investment and can be expensive to cover. A lot of chronic conditions or diseases require constant vet care to manage your pet’s condition; these conditions could even lead to another illness which means another risk for the insurance company to take care. Imagine trying to apply for a car insurance after you had an accident, normally no car insurance company would cover the said accident that would be unfair and would not make any sense to their business. It’s the same way with a pet insurance company they don’t want to pay for conditions that have already appeared long before you applied for insurance.

Generally there are pet insurance companies that wouldn’t cover any pre-existing conditions and has an “accident only” policy. In other cases there are insurance companies that would insure your pet but under the condition that any of the pre-existing conditions would be excluded from the policy. However, although not all, there are still some pet insurance companies that would provide coverage for conditions that are related to your pet’s pre-existing condition given that they are curable and has been illness free for a period of time, this could also mean that not all pre-existing conditions would be permanently excluded on your pets’ insurance policy.

What can you do if your pet has a pre-existing condition?

There are various options you choose from that would still help you cover some medical cost for your pets. Although many of the pre-existing conditions can’t be covered, it will at least lessen your expenses on other developing conditions after insuring your pet.

Get an Insurance That Doesn’t Cover Pre-Existing Condition

This is a smart financial move for owners of a pet that has a pre-existing condition. Your pets’ body is not immune to any condition or illness so he or she may develop other conditions that are expensive to treat.  Carefully choose and read through the policy to know if it meets your needs.

Get an Insurance That Covers Curable Pre-Existing Condition

As already mentioned, there is still pet insurance company that covers pre-existing conditions given that they can be cured or is cured under a period of time. This can be your best option if you have a pet that has a curable pre-existing condition.

Get an Accident-Only Policy

There a lot of cheaper accident only policies that can prove financially useful at times of accidents. It also covers minor incidents like burns and fractured bones.

Get a Discount Plan

You can choose discount plans as an alternative of pet insurance, these discount plans will help cover your pet’s vet care through discounted medical services. On discount plans, any of the pre-existing conditions doesn’t matter.

Plans Available For Your Pet Who Have Pre-Existing Condition

Here are our top picks of insurance companies you can get for your pet who has pre-existing condition.

Embrace Pet Insurance

Does Dog Insurance Cover Biting Incidents

Unlike other pet insurance company that doesn’t cover any sort of pre-existing condition, Embrace Pet Insurance distinguishes between curable and non-curable pre-existing condition. So if your pet has a curable pre-existing condition and it has already been dormant for 12 months, Embrace will include this in the policy and will cover part of the cost at the time where the conditions will reappear months after the plan has been issued. They offer up to 90% coverage of your pet’s medical bills.

The coverage includes a nose to tail insurance. Here are the following coverage that is included in the policy:

Accidents

You don’t have to worry if your pet gets injured accidentally; Embrace pet insurance company offers a full coverage for the cost from consultation to exam fess given that they are taken in a licensed vet clinic.

Illness

Any illness that would arise after enrolling your pet to the plan will be covered by Embrace Pet Insurance Company.

Dental Illness

The insurance company give up to $1,000 allowance to your pet’s dental illnesses including gingivitis, root canals, crowns, extractions and more

Genetic conditions

The great thing about embrace is they don’t discriminate pets for their hereditary conditions. Any genetic conditions like hip dysplasia, allergies and IVDD are included in the coverage.

Chronic conditions

These are conditions that will affect your pet for a long period of time. Embrace also gives unlimited coverage to your furry friend for their chronic conditions given that they are not pre-existing conditions.

Cancer

The insurance company will cover all related costs of treatment for your pet with no additional charges, given that they are not a pre-existing condition.

Pets Covered: Cats and dogs

Waiting Period: 14 days

Pet Assure

pet

Unlike embrace, which is an insurance company, pet assure doesn’t cover part of the cost on your pet’s medical care. Instead, they prepare a plan for your pet that includes discount for your pet’s care. The good thing about Pet Assure is they would still offer the plan to you even if your furry friend has either a curable or some serious non-curable pre-existing condition.

Pet Assure offers a very simple, easy and efficient all-in plan for any of your pet regardless of their age, health conditions, and breed. There is no exclusion at all so you don’t have to go through all the trouble to have your pet medically checked up first.

They offer a 25% in house treatment discount including:

  • Office visits
  • Dental check-ups
  • Vaccines
  • Sick visits
  • Surgical procedures
  • Allergy treatments
  • Cancer care
  • Emergency and hospitalization
  • And more

Pets Covered: Any house pet namely dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbit and more.

Pet Assure has partnered up with thousands of veterinarians nationwide, make sure that there are vet clinics who have partnered up with pet assure around your area.

Trupanion Medical Insurance

Photo Credits: trupanion

The same with embrace pet insurance, trupanion offers an insurance policy to pets with curable pre-existing conditions. If your pet has a medical condition that has not shown up for more than 18 months, the insurance company will not consider this as a pre-existing condition. Even if there is a medical disconnect, trupanion will not consider this as a pre-existing condition. For example, if your dog sprained his knee 18 months prior to his enrollment, and then developed hip dysplasia after his enrollment, trupanion would not consider this as a pre-existing condition and thus will include this in the coverage.

Trupanion gives an unlimited 90% coverage to any of the eligible claims. This will surely give you peace of mind.

Here are the following illnesses that trupanion policy will cover:

Injuries and Accidents

This includes accidents such as bite wounds, foreign body ingestion, bone fracture and more.

Illnesses

Any illnesses that are developed after your pet’s enrollment will be covered in your pet’s insurance. This includes illnesses such as kidney disease, respiratory infections, UTI, allergies, and more.

Hereditary Conditions

You don’t have to worry if your pet has inherited medical conditions; trupanion has included any genetic conditions on their policy coverage. This includes conditions such as hip dysplasia, heart disease, thyroid disease or even cancer.

Miscellaneous Coverage

The coverage also includes diagnostic tests, surgeries, hospitalization, medication, herbal therapy, and more.

With all the coverage inclusion mentioned above, this pet insurance will surely be worth your investment.

Pets Covered: Cats and dogs

Conclusion:

Pre-existing conditions can be a problem for a lot of pet parents. But you need not worry now, as a lot of pet insurance company has become more and more competitive and has already included quite a few of hereditary conditions that were even considered as a pre-existing condition before. Just carefully read through each policy before enrolling your pet to an insurance, you have wide options available from cheap to an expensive insurance policy.

Frequently Asked Question

How can I avoid dealing with pet’s pre-existing condition?

It is best to insure your pet while they are still young, this would help you avoid running into a financial problem when a pet develops a chronic condition later on.

What if my pet has a condition that hasn’t been diagnose yet, would an insurance company cover insure my pet?

No, even if your pet’s condition isn’t diagnosed yet by the vet it is still considered as a pre-existing condition. As long as any symptoms have already shown prior to your pet’s enrollment to a plan, the insurance company would not include it in the policy.

Should I still get insurance for a pet with pre-existing conditions?

Most likely, Yes. Although the insurance will not cover any conditions or symptoms related to a pre-existing condition, it can still come in handy with other developing conditions or future injuries. And besides, there are already a lot of pet insurance companies that have included hereditary pet conditions to their list of coverage.

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