Vet costs inflated?

spookylukey

madkitty wrote: »

Im a little concerned that my vets inflate their costs if they know it will be going through the insurance company - I wouldnt mind so much but I now have to pay a 35% excess + £49 on my old cat and recently was hit with a £600 bill for treatment. How would you go about finding out whether the costs have been inflated? If it was all going through the insurance company I wouldnt mind but I refuse to be paying out myself for their profits!

Probably of no use now as I would imagine you have pre-existing conditions but for the future, Axa pet insurance has a flat excess of £50. There's no extra percentage to be paid for animals over a certain age.

I don't think vets inflate their prices, rather that if you are insured they will explore every avenue possible and use the 'best' treatments. A bit like private healthcare which is usually covered under some sort of insurance scheme - the NHS is OK but I know I'd rather be treated by BUPA!

Pete268

The vet in my village is still a 'one man band' practice who has been there for many years.

As opposed to charging more for Insurance claims he charges them the standard prices but if he knows a pet owner is elderly or disabled or even very poor he generally knocks a bit of the bill. Anyone with a job etc he charges full rates.

Pete

madkitty

yep and 2 of the worst pre-existing conditions....gum disease and anorexia typical! I took out the policy at a kitten and didnt think to consider the excess over 9 years and now I have no choice - typical LOL mind you I cant moan really as Im one of those that has cost the insurance companies over 6k in the last 8 years!

wuno

Each vet practice will have a price list. Therefore they can price up any procedure/test/drugs etc. in advance. Even if you are insured it is always worth asking for an estimate of cost, and by law the vet has to provide one.

Clearly, since most charge operations as a per minute cost, it can be difficult to give an accurate estimate, but they should be able to give you a rough guide.

Because we have a set price list (hard wired into our computer systems, we physically cannot charge more for the same procedure to an insured client rather than an uninsured client. What we might do, however, is (a) do far more in the way of diagnostic tests where insurance is paying, (b) perhaps use more expensive or experimental drugs and treatments and (c) not give discounts when insurance is paying.

Of course (a) and (b) should always be done in consultation with the client. It is up to your vet to justify to you (and the insurance company if asked, but certainly to you) what tests are run and what procedures/drugs are given. Never mind about the cost, and who bears that cost, this is your pet that is being subjected to treatment. You need to know why.

The point about (c) is that for a non-insured client who is clearly struggling to fund treatment, all but the most heard hearted vets would make a deduction in the bill, particularly for long standing clients, and those whose pets have ongoing conditions. Their accountants might shout at them, but it's just human nature.

It is a specifically written rule for vets, backed up by the law, that charging a higher price than the standard price list states (i.e. irrespective of how that price might be discounted in some cases) to an insurance company is a serious matter. Not only would a vet found guilty of this be struck off under the powers of the Veterinary Surgeons act, they would also, no doubt, be subject to criminal proceedings for fraud.

I would be silly to think that some people do not break these rules. Indeed, I know of at least one case of a vet being struck off for doing so. There are always bad apples in every batch. But I don't think this is a widespread problem.

madkitty

Thanks Wuno its good to hear the other side of the story - I think at the end of the day what matters is that if we love our pets then we simply must insure them as the costs do mount up very quickly