Pet Insurance - Pre-existing conditions query

DebtMagnet

Hi all

hopefully someone will be able to answer my query as I think I may have foolishly been staying with the same pet insurer for years for no reason?

I have a few pet insurance policy's for cats and in the case of 2 of them I have stayed with the same insurer for several years due to the whole 'pre-existing condition' rules. I always feared that if I changed to a different insurer and anything happened then I wouldn't be covered. However, having suddenly questioned what I am doing I am now confused as to why I have stayed so loyal in the face of rising premiums.

So having researched a bit on here and the web at large, does anyone know the definitive rules on this as I'm beginning to wonder if I really should be staying put or not?! :undecided

I know that if a condition has been directly diagnosed then it wouldn't be covered, but what about unrelated but similar conditions? For example if my cat had a skin allergy that was treated and cleared, and then years later they have a flea allergy.......would it be classed as pre-existing as it's similar, even though it's unrelated as the original problem cleared up completely?

I've been confused by what I have read and I'm starting to confuse myself with my question now!! Seems a minefield and I don't want to make a mistake so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
DM

marshallka

Really and truely this sort of thing crops up in all sorts of policies all the time. It would have to proved that a condition that starts up years later is actually something to do with a condition that was treated years before is my understanding.

Hope someone with Pet Insurance knowledge comes along to answer your question. Maybe you could ask on the Pets forum also.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=143

benjaminM

DebtMagnet wrote: »

Hi all

hopefully someone will be able to answer my query as I think I may have foolishly been staying with the same pet insurer for years for no reason?

I have a few pet insurance policy's for cats and in the case of 2 of them I have stayed with the same insurer for several years due to the whole 'pre-existing condition' rules. I always feared that if I changed to a different insurer and anything happened then I wouldn't be covered. However, having suddenly questioned what I am doing I am now confused as to why I have stayed so loyal in the face of rising premiums.

So having researched a bit on here and the web at large, does anyone know the definitive rules on this as I'm beginning to wonder if I really should be staying put or not?! :undecided

I know that if a condition has been directly diagnosed then it wouldn't be covered, but what about unrelated but similar conditions? For example if my cat had a skin allergy that was treated and cleared, and then years later they have a flea allergy.......would it be classed as pre-existing as it's similar, even though it's unrelated as the original problem cleared up completely?

I've been confused by what I have read and I'm starting to confuse myself with my question now!! Seems a minefield and I don't want to make a mistake so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
DM

Hi, its difficult to offer you any advice without knowing who you are currently insured with and what cover they are offering. From my own experience in being both an insurance broker and a dog owner, the majority of policies, once they have paid out on a particular condition will exclude that condition from the following years renewal. The only company that I know of, that will cover an animal continuously after they have had a condition is Pet Plan. Pet Plan always used to be the market leader for pet insurance and subsequently were always the most expensive. There are quite a few other providers for pet insurance such as Tesco, E & L, Churchill etc etc but as far as I know none of them have as comprehensive cover as Pet Plan. With regards to a new insurer taking on pre-existing conditions I'm not sure that any would, obviously it would depend on the condition, but I would imagine most would exclude it from inception.

I am not an expert on pet insurance and it is possible there are other good policies available from different insurers other than Pet Plan. I am talking purely on my own experience and I would recommend you thoroughly research your decision before changing your current insurer. I would however endorse Pet Plan as a very good company and one that you should consider contacting.

I hope this helps.

devildog

You may find that an allergy is looked upon as being a pre-existing condition, regardless of whether it is a 'skin' or flea allergy.Afterall they can both have quite an impact on the skin.
I know vets bill aren't cheap but as a caring owner you would notice when anything was not right and get prompt treatments which would end up cheaper than if you left anything to fester.
I would honestly shop around for a better deal and if you save significantly put that aside 'just in case'
I was with Pet Plan for 9 years, never had to claim and over that time premiums went from approx £8 pm up to just under £50 pm!! Enough was enough, I shopped around and ended up more or less 'like for like' with either Safeways or Sainsburys for around £16 pm(I believe) If offered continuing coverage and also money towards cremation costs etc(which my Pet Plan didn't do at the time) I also thought the price was reasonable for an 'older' dog. Another year has now passed and still no claims so I took the decision to stop the insurance as I feel that I could cope financially with most vets bills and although veterinary medicine has advanced and I know it she were to get the big C, chemo would be a possibility there is no way that she would cope with it(too much of a one person dog)
If I ever start off with a new dog again I will not be taking out insurance-I will simply set aside some money each month 'just in case'
As a final thought some home insurers also cover pets veterinary bills, a man down the road from me had a dog that had cancer and his house insurance paid out for the treatments!!

stator

I think they rely on the vets opinion as to whether it is related to the pre-existing condition or not.

DebtMagnet

Thanks for all the replies everyone :beer:

it certainly isn't straight forward and that is the reason I have stayed put.

I guess I need to work out if any of the things I have claimed for over the years are things that could come back, and then make a decision from there. For example when one of them was shot by a pellet (sounds like I live in the Bronx), he was treated and recovered fully. That is not something that could re-occur unless he was shot (god forbid) again so I guess that can be ignored.

I need to check a bit more then before I bother getting quotes.

Thanks again all for your comments
DM

lairylisa

hi guys, i have a similar problem too and need some advice.
I have 2 indoor cats, they have been microchipped ( just incase they escape!), have their booster jabs every year and have been insured for the last 2 years. However, my eldest cat who is just 4 years old has been diagnosed with Gingivitis ( a medical condition that affects the teeth). I am insured with Tesco's but they said i could not make a claim for dental work and disputed it was a medical condition. I now have to renew my insurance but all of the companies ive looked at so far say they won't cover pre-existing problems. I think this is harsh as he may eventially need to have his teeth removed because of this condition and its going to cost a fortune! and i have not claimed before with this problem.
Has anyone got any advice?

JS101

Aerosol of flea spray should cover it.

are they mostly around the neck and bottom of tail? This is a hotbed for fleas.

No need for vet or a claim.

bouncydog1

lairylisa wrote: »

hi guys, i have a similar problem too and need some advice.
I have 2 indoor cats, they have been microchipped ( just incase they escape!), have their booster jabs every year and have been insured for the last 2 years. However, my eldest cat who is just 4 years old has been diagnosed with Gingivitis ( a medical condition that affects the teeth). I am insured with Tesco's but they said i could not make a claim for dental work and disputed it was a medical condition. I now have to renew my insurance but all of the companies ive looked at so far say they won't cover pre-existing problems. I think this is harsh as he may eventially need to have his teeth removed because of this condition and its going to cost a fortune! and i have not claimed before with this problem.
Has anyone got any advice?

Firstly I would speak to your vet to establish the cause of the gingivitis and ask what the underlying cause of the condition was. If it was dental neglect (and I am not suggesting it was) then Tesco's are probably within their right to deny the claim as the condition would have arisen because of a failure to maintain the teeth in good condition.

However if your vet believes that the gingivitis was caused by an underlying medical problem not related to the teeth (e.g. blood disorder) then it may be covered and you may be able to claim from Tesco policy.

However downside is that if Tesco's pay the claim, they will probably exclude any treatment related to gingivitis/gum disease (or may go further and use the term "oral condition") together with the underlying cause in the future.

Insurance is also to cover the unknown and is not a maintenance contract, so it is quite reasonable for insurers to exclude pre-existing conditions from future claims. As you now know that your cat might need future dental treatment you may wish to set up a fund (similar to an insurance) to meet future claims.

The alternative is to fully self-insure and save your premiums every month to fund 100% of any future claims yourself. However you might be better just accepting that your cat has unfortunately had treatment that is not insurable going forwards.

sindersoot

lairylisa wrote: »

hi guys, i have a similar problem too and need some advice.
I have 2 indoor cats, they have been microchipped ( just incase they escape!), have their booster jabs every year and have been insured for the last 2 years. However, my eldest cat who is just 4 years old has been diagnosed with Gingivitis ( a medical condition that affects the teeth). I am insured with Tesco's but they said i could not make a claim for dental work and disputed it was a medical condition. I now have to renew my insurance but all of the companies ive looked at so far say they won't cover pre-existing problems. I think this is harsh as he may eventially need to have his teeth removed because of this condition and its going to cost a fortune! and i have not claimed before with this problem.
Has anyone got any advice?

Have you tried talking to your vet about this to get their opinion as they are dealing with insurance claims all the time. I always do that as sometimes what one person tells you in any company whether insurance or not may not be the correct answer. At least if you have your vet's opinion you can phone your insurance company again and speak to a different person. I have often phoned back a company only to be told by another member of staff that the information I had been given the first time was incorrect. Always worth a go but your vet should have a good idea as to whether it is medical or dental.

It's also important to check with any insurance that the condition is covered no matter how many years the animal has it as a lot of insurance companies will only provide 1 year of cover for a particular illness which is no use if it is a life long condition. This is where sometimes you will find a vast difference in animal insurance premiums.

At the moment our dogs are insured with Pet Protect but unfortunately the older dog 17 yrs has an excess of £150 + 25% of each claim to be paid by us which is a total pain as so far we don't have any bills that reach the £150 for one particular condition. Also that is for every illness and at the current time he has three so although we may be well over £150 it can't all be claimed under one illness. Another thing is every new year we have to commence all over again should we ever reach the £150 excess. I often think is it worth having the dog insured but then I think sure as fate we would cancel it and that's when we would need it.

Sunnylooloo

Hi

I was in similar situation with Sainsburys - one year it shot up (and they were offering new customers 3 months free I think). My dog had a cancer scare and that could re-occur so I have stayed with them also one of my cats is over 10 and that meant his shot up, but I really wasn't sure about changing it over as I would hate the dog to have a scare and then find out she wasn't covered. You seemed to get the best deals on the internet and there seemed to be no where to ask about pre-existing conditions.

I called them and whilst they couldn't reduce my premiums they gave me something like £80 worth of sainsbury's vouchers - which came in handy for Christmas, so I will see what happens this year when my renewals come in.

I have also seriously been thinking as now the excess is £70 of cancelling it and just putting the money I pay out each month away for emergencies.. not sure if this would work (woudl have to give to my mum or sister to make sure I wouldn't touch it!!)