Should I claim my Vet bill back from my insurer?

hobby_farm_girl

Hi all, 
I was wondering if you could help me make a decision! 

My horse has had to have a minor operation and some specialist farriery. I'm not totally sure how much the final bill will come to, however, it looks like it will be less than £1000.00 which is relatively low as far as treatment for horses goes. 

My question is, do you think I should claim on my insurance? Part of me thinks I'll end up paying for it when they hike up my premium; the other part thinks that this is the reason he's insured.

Obviously, if it was a high amount, I'd have no choice. I can't afford to pay it myself (having been made redundant in March thanks to Covid, and not getting a job until October, it's left my bank balance pretty unhappy) but my husband says he's more than happy to pay (Oscar, our horse, doesn't owe us anything, he's a a total gentleman and was actually gifted to us, so only cost us his transport fee, and a donation for his accessories)

My insurance will undoubtedly go up a bit when I inform them he's had surgery, whether I make a claim or not. I am insured with the Insurance Emporium, pay £23.61 per month, covered upto £5,000.00 in vet fees per claim, and will be required to pay £160.00 excess.

I'm swaying towards claiming, as don't expect my husband to pay, even though he's happy to, but this year has been a hard year, and if it weren't married, I wouldn't be able to afford it on my own, but I just wanted to check other peoples' opinions first. 

Thanks in advance, 
Holly 🌻

DD265

I would, because that is going to be added as an exclusion to your policy. You may find the bills increase when you factor in after care - specialist farriery isn't cheap - plus it may be possible to claim for some related physiotherapy for Oscar if that would benefit his recovery.

If there are any complications, with most insurers you would have 12 months from the issue first arising to claim any associated costs - without paying an additional excess.

From memory - though this is probably 10 years ago and with the NFU - the hikes in premiums on horse insurance following a claim weren't substantial, so I think it's worth claiming. If nothing else, the ~£800 or so saved could be put towards the premium increase.