While pet insurance may not be something that you consider an important thing to carry, anyone who has ever had to get emergency services for a beloved animal will tell you that having pet insurance would have greatly relieved the burden of treatment. ASPCA pet insurance reviews give varying opinions, and much like any other insurance plan, there are pros and cons.
Pet Insurance For Animals
ASPCA, also known as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is one of the larger providers of pet insurance. While this company provides insurance, they are also advocates against animal cruelty. When shopping for an insurance plan, this site offers five separate plans with varying levels of protection.
All of the plans are set up to reimburse 80% of allowed expenses after a simple $100 deductible. Understanding your allowed expenses will make it much easier to select an appropriate plan to avoid frustration later.
Expensive Bills Without Pet Insurance
Much like going to the dentist or doctor without insurance, many people choose to wait until the problem has become exacerbated because the cost for treatment is so inflated. How many times have you thought to yourself that your pet needed a checkup or vaccinations, or even treatment for something more serious? Wouldn’t it have been nice to have the option for at least minimum coverage?
While premium plans may be overpriced and unnecessary, it may be prudent to get a minimal accidental plan. These usually fall in the price range of less than ten dollars a month, and should your pet get into some kind of accident, it is good to have that peace of mind.
I wasn’t always a proponent of pet insurance until my little Cocker Spaniel, Sadie, had crawled under my deck on night. I couldn’t find her anywhere. Finally, I heard her crying. She was obviously very sick, and as a single mom, I just could not afford to take her to the vet. I cried with the pain of my decision. She had been bitten by a spider, and I could not treat her.
Fortunately, she recovered. But it was a tenuous several days. I vowed that I would never have a pet again that I couldn’t get medical treatment for. The cost of treatment and medications would have been several hundred dollars, whereas I could have had preventative maintenance for a few dollars each month.
Some of the stories of pets that have benefited from the insurance will make you a believer. ASPCA pet insurance reviews give reports of assistance with animals from shelters with a sketchy medical past, pets struck with a debilitating illness, and assistance for accidents.
Of course, there’s always the other side of the story.
Some pet owners complain that the company denies claims because either the vets charge too much for care. With the 80% company payment, they have denied payment. Much like insurance for people, the carrier determines the “allowable” amount to be paid for treatment. The only problem with this plan is that veterinarians don’t write off the difference. If your vet, for example, charges $300 for a procedure, and the company deems it allows $180, you will only be reimbursed 80% of the allowable amount, which is $144. You are still out the $166.
For some, this is more like a discount program. You get reimbursed, but you have to be careful how much you are depending on. There is no book that gives a statement of allowable expenses.
While most reviews are positive, some users complain that getting a payment from the company is a hassle. For those who don’t keep good records, you may want to in case you ever have a claim.
The biggest recurring complaint in ASPCA pet insurance reviews
is the issue of pre-existing conditions. Evidently, if your pet is being treated for a condition at the end of the policy and then the treatment carries over to the renewal period, the new period considers it a pre-existing condition. Several people have had complaints about treatments not being paid once the policy renewed.
One animal was treated the day before the policy renewed, and when follow up treatment was necessary because it was an unclear illness, no more payments were made. The company considers each renewal a completely NEW policy.
Therefore, if your claim is for a treatment on an overlapping policy period you are out of luck.
Whether or not you decide to insure your pet is a decision you must make based on several factors. How much treatment are you willing to put your pet through, how often will you use it, and what kind of risk factors do you deal with? Use these parameters to determine how much insurance you need, or if you would do better to self insure.
Even after my experience with my cocker spaniel, I’m not one hundred percent sold on owning pet insurance. I do believe that it can be an extremely useful thing to own, but be careful to read the fine print. I think my final decision would be to know I could afford the vet bills with a strong emergency fund. I would possibly own pet insurance and consider it a discount program.
In order to get the most value out of the insurance, make sure your vet is offering services at a reasonable rate. Prices can vary greatly. The range for spay/neuter and shots varies in my area from about $100 up to $300. That price difference makes it worth a little bit of a drive!
When owning a pet, there are always unexpected expenses. Just make sure you read the fine print before you agree to a policy. If considering ASPCA, there are an abundance of ASPCA pet insurance reviews available.
I had VPI for almost three years before switching to ASPCA Pet Insurance because I’m a member of ASPCA and so thought if this company is being endorsed by the ASPCA they must be good–WRONG! This company has put my dog through a great deal of unnecessary pain and surgeries.
They are NOT the ASPCA, but rather an insurance company owned by the Hartville group. However the ASPCA has chosen to endorse them, which is unfortunate.
In May of 2008 I called the company because I did not understand the online policy (most insurance policies read like Greek). I figured that by calling and speaking to an agent i’d get the correct facts…also WRONG! She told me that my dog would be covered for accident and injury almost immediately, but EVERYTHING else would be covered after 30days. In August my dog tore her CCL/ACL. My local vet recommended that I take her to an orthopedic surgeon an hour away for a TPLO, but when i called ASPCA Pet Health Insurance i was advised that they would not cover it–there was a 12 month exclusion on ACL injuries! I could not afford the TPLO without the help of my insurance ($3,800 with arthescopy) and so had to have the type of procedure my own vet knew how to perform, which was substandard, only because he was willing to take $200 monthly payments and didn’t charge interest. After the surgery I fought with the insurance company (who had an audio tape of my initial conversation with them) and they finally agreed to pay for the procedure. The only problem was that the sub-standard procedure–the one i only went with because ASPCA refused to cover ANY procedure– didn’t work. My dog had to return to the vet to remove the monofilament line, which had broken, and then, just today, I had to take her in for the TPLO that was first recommended by my vet.
Is ASPCA saying they will pay for all of the procedures my dog’s had to go through just because they refused to pay for the correct one in the first place? Heck no. There is a $3,500 incident limit and this is considered the same incident. In addition to that is the fact (which you mention on this site) that now, because she didn’t get the best procedure in the first place, rather only the one i could afford, the recovery from this incident is lapsing into that “within 180 of renewal” bs, which means they’ll consider this “pre-existing” if she should need the other knee done in a couple of years.
IN ADDITION to all of this, although the agent told me that, with the Advantage Plan ($420.96 annually), even if an incident falls within that period of time and is considered pre-existing, they will still cover all other things (excluding those deemed pre-existing) when you renew your policy. She said i would still be covered. WRONG AGAIN! I received a letter from ASPCA Pet Health Insurance telling me, basically, that they’ll not allow me to renew my policy because my dog is now considered “high risk.” She’s had only ONE injury!
This is a really good way to make money, don’t you think? Collect premiums until you need to pay out on a policy–then drop them cuz they’re costing you.
money.
I’ve had my dog covered since i brought her home at 8weeks, for the very reason that i never wanted to be in a position where i had to make a decision on what was best for her health based on what i could afford. And thanks to ASPCA i was placed in that very position.
This insurance company is a joke. I’ve written to the president of the ASPCA begging him to reconsider their endorsement. I think their backing of this company is sending people–like me–the message that this is a very good company. It’s not. I even called the ASPCA to report them for cruelty to animals.
Victoria,
I am very sorry to hear about your case with ASPCA as I am in a VERY similar situation. What steps did you take to contest their decision in order for them to pay on the first surgery??
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
Mark
Your story is heartbreaking. I’ve been with ASPCA since 2007 and have had on edissappointment after another. One of my Vizsals was diagnosed with Doabetes 2 months before our policy was to renew so now it’s considered preexisting and they cover nothing. They have also managed to tie any other treatments or diagnosis back to teh diabetes and will not cover as they are a secondary manifestation of the Diabetes. I’m so disgusted with them. Not to mention out thousands. I like you am in the exact situation I was trying to prevent by going with what I thought was a reputable company with a legacy of advocacy for all animals. I hate to place blame on the ASPCA because they don’t run the company but in a disjointed way I see them as cause for a lot of heartache for so many animal lovers trying to care for their companions.
For those of you who have experienced egregious acts of ,”bad faith” re. ASPCA Pet Health Ins., please phone the CEO of ASPCA (the org. in NY, not the ins. co., complain to him, (Edwin Sayres) about your problems and follow up with appropriate complaints in writing. Sayres’ info is; 212-876-7700, Edwin Sayres, CEO,ASPCA, 424 E. 92nd St., NY, NY
I’m shopping around for pet insurance and on the ASPCA site I noticed that you have the option of “continuing care”–for an extra $5-6/mo you can get diabetes and other long-term illnesses covered, and it also negates the 180-day waiting period. To the Letter-writers above: did you have this and would they still not honor the claims? Or is this a new thing that they wouldn’t let you buy yet? Would the ASPCA insurance be worthwhile if the continuing care works as it’s described in the brochure, in your opinion? I’ve been looking at VPI and Banfield, too, and I’d appreciate other thoughts or other options.
Any of you feel frustrated and want an attorney to write ASPCA a letter on your behalf, please check out my website, for less than $1.2 a day, you can sign up w/ a monthly service, no commitment.
I was recently dropped by VPI after one of my 4 dogs and cat fallen ill, they decided not to allow me to renew, and now the rest of my dogs are too old to get covered under their policy.
I think if more of us take a stance, the insurance co will have to change the policy to accommodate us. Unfortunately, you have no rights in this country if you don’t have legal representation.
I’ve had only good experience with ASPCA insurance. My dog ate a bunch of Chunky Bars, and wound up at the emergency vet to avoid raisin toxicity.
I was reimbursed 80% of “reasonable” costs (like any health insurance company). Their customer service people were great.
However, if somebody knows of a better plan, I’m all ears.
Karen,
Your expenses must not have been more than a few hundred dollars, right? They were good about paying their portion of my dog’s annual physicals and shots, too. These are amounts that most of us, when pressed, can afford. These are not the unforeseen expenses we paid several hundreds of dollars to insure ourselves against. When my dog needed a procedure that required $3,500., up front, ASPCA Pet Health refused to pay any portion of it (even though my policy incident limit was $3,500). THOSE are the sorts of expenses for which one buys insurance.
So it doesn’t impress me that they were willing to pay for…what?…having your dog’s stomach pumped or given charcoal, or whatever. Let’s hope your dog never has any serious problem that will then be considered pre-existing once ASPCA Pet Health drops you because you’re costing them too much (as they did my dog). Heck, unless you took out their ADDITIONAL long term care policy, it will be considered pre-existing to ASPCA your very next policy period!
Try Trupanion or PetPlan USA. I’ve heard the best reviews on both of these. I cannot tell you from personal experience, though, as my dog’s only problem is still the same leg that is now considered pre-existing by her new insurance company (though had we been able to stay with ASPCA it would ALSO have been considered pre-existing with them, even though the problem first arose while covered by them).
I’m sorry if it sounds as though I’m minimizing your pet’s incident, I’m not. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to induce vomiting because my dog ate things she wasn’t supposed to eat (she’s very tall and can grab thing off my counter without standing on her hind legs). Either I’ve learned to be much more careful this past year, or we’ve just been very lucky.
Diane,
I’m sorry, I just now noticed your letter. ASPCA does now have options for continued care (they only offered this on the most expensive plan when I had joined them and never explained that it was not just for long-term/chronic care, but rather for anything that occurred while covered by them), but look at what is being offered very carefully. Please compare other insurance company’s policies. Most do not consider an illness or accident that occurred while covered by them to be pre-existing the following policy period. Your annual incident limit for that continued care with ASPCA is very minimal unless you pay for their most expansive plan. So take how much you’ll be paying for ASPCA’s plan + their continued care and compare it to what other companies charge for their plan alone, which usually includes continued care (make sure to ask about it). Then compare the annual total incident limits for each. If I’m not mistaken, both Trupanion and PetPlan USA have a reasonably large LIFETIME incident limit, which is nice if your pet just has one bad injury-prone year, but otherwise is in good health.
Dear Victoria,
Actually, my bill was close to $2,000, so after my deductible, ASPCA paid about half.
Recently, my cat developed thyroid disease,so we’ll see how they reimburse for ongoing blood work and meds. I’ll let you know.
I also have a new pup now, and after hearing all the stories about ASPCA, will be looking into Trupanion or PetPlan USA for her.
In reply to:
Victoria,
I am very sorry to hear about your case with ASPCA as I am in a VERY similar situation. What steps did you take to contest their decision in order for them to pay on the first surgery??
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
Mark
Mark,
The first thing I did was to appeal ASPCA’s denial–of course, this got me nowhere. The next thing that I did was to file a complaint with my state’s Office of Commissioner of Insurance (OCI). They were the ones to finally get them to pay as per what was promised in my original phone conversation. (It was they who asked me to request a copy of the tape of my original conversation. I hadn’t thought they’d actually give it to me.) The problem was that the entire thing took six months and my dog needed surgery within that time. I had to get an inferior procedure because it was all that I could afford. Unfortunately this procedure (although it is standard for most breeds) did not hold for my jumbo breed dog and so the more expensive procedure was also necessary (the one originally recommended). That’s when I had to take them to court, because the two procedures exceeded my incident limit and my point was that I wouldn’t have needed both procedures if ASPCA had agreed to pay from the beginning as promised.
So my advice is to first file a complaint with your state’s OCI before taking legal action, cuz they might fix everything for you.
Good luck!
Victoria
Guys,
Well, I don’t know what I did, but I wiped out the last comment I BEGAN to write here—disappeared mid-typing—so it may show up ending mid-sentence.
This is what I was starting to say:
How many of you get angry at the hypocrisy in ASPCA’s heart-wrenching ads for donations?
I know that each time I see one I make a few calls to the number complaining about how their insurance actually ADDS to the cruelty of animals. Needless to say, those at the other end of the line will eventually hang up on me…but in the mean time, I’ve kept some people from donating to such a scam. Perhaps if enough people affect their donations they will re-think their choice of company endorsement.
888-444-1806
Hi.
I have been with ASPCA Petshealth Care Plan for over 10 Years. The 180 Day Preexisting Condition Rule upon Renewal is a Disgrace. This has just been made clear on the Declarations Page of your Policy, and on the website. In the past, this has not been made clear.It used to be Hidden on Page 8 in your Policy. Someone must have lit a fire under the Underwriting Departments Arses.
In addition, the ASPCA will nickel and dime your claim, and make you jump thru Hoops, in order to weasel out of paying your claim. Their Policy has more than 30 (THIRTY) Exclusions. The 180 Day Pre-Existing Rule should be enough to STOP Everyone from ever purchasing this Disgraceful Insurance for your Loved Ones in the first place.
While you are trying to take care of your Beloved during very stressful times, the ASPCA Insurance Company will just Compound that Stress.
Certain procedures are done by the Vet for reasons other than what the ASPCA excludes them for. But PetsHealth will make sure that they do not pay you because they will listen to their own reason for the procedure, and not the intended reason by the Vet, which would have not be excluded under the policy.
After making you wait for your pennies on the dollar for close to 2 months, The ASPCA will then ask you to file an Appeal, which could take more than another month.
Stay Away from ASPCA Petshealth Care Insurance. Look into Trupanion, and the other Pet Insurance Companies, as neither of the other Insurance Companies RIP you off with a 180 Day Preexisting Condition Rule upon Renewal, like the ASPCA does.
Imagine your Dog breaks his Leg on March 15, and your policy renews on March 16…………You are NOT Covered. This is a Disgrace, and this Company should be ASHAMED OF themselves.
It Behooves me how Anyone could ever purchase this Coverage for their Beloved. I made a Huge mistake when I did, because I did not know that the 180 day Exclusion applied for Existing Customers, because the ASPCA did not make this clear. I called and it was made Very Clear to me, and since then, I have been letting Everyone I know NOT to Buy this Insurance for their Beloved. I have also made it clear to them, what this Disgraceful 180 Day Pre-Existing Condition Rule Upon Renewal Really means.
And this Disgraceful Company tells you how much they Care for your Pet, and want to take care of them. That’s a bunch of Baloney!!!!
Again, this Company will make sure they figure a way not to pay the Claim in Full. And when you make ‘some noise,’ they may decide to pay, BUT initially, when it comes to your Claim, their Mantra is Deny, Deny!!!!!! Until you Jump through the Hoops they have set up for you………..and then, and only then, do they Sometimes give you a few more Pennies…………………..