Pet Health Insurance

Earlier this week, my friend and favorite dog trainer, Trish Wamsat, posted a piece on Facebook about pet health insurance. It seems that some of the pet insurance companies are FINALLY willing to recognize behavior problems and their treatment as something they will cover in their health plans.  This is something new and, frankly, quite amazing!

Back in the early 90's when pet health insurance first became a thing, the primary company out there made a presentation at the veterinary hospital where I was working as a practice manager. As a behaviorist, one of my first questions was, "do you cover the treatment of behavior problems?"  The company rep looked at me with what I can only describe as derision. "Of course not," he said. "Our health plans cover real medical and health concerns."  That did it for me. He was basically devaluing what I do AND telling me that my clients whose pets had behavior problems that they were on their own.  Consequently, I've never been a big fan of pet health insurance plans.

Now, I see that the marketplace has changed quite a bit. First of all, there are several different companies out there offering pet health care plans with a wide variety of coverage, some even including the diagnosis and treatment of behavior problems.  Unlike the catastrophic health care that previous pet health plans offered, these new plans seem to offer assistance with preventative care, much like health plans for humans do.  This seems like a really good thing and a step in the right direction for pet owners.

I have had a couple of clients over the years ask me to complete paperwork and sign forms to submit to their pet health insurance carriers for reimbursement, and I am always happy to do so.  Still was a little frustrated, however, when one carrier told my client that they couldn't be reimbursed for my services because I wasn't a "real behavior specialist."  The implication being, of course, that one needs to be a veterinarian to be a behavior specialist. Needless to say, I contacted the health insurance company and read them the riot act, even faxing them a copy of my diploma for good measure. I was the behavior specialist that my client's veterinarian had sent them to, therefore insurance should recognize the service.  They did.  And they apologized for their ignorance.

The bottom line is that while none of us wants to think our pets will have any major medical issues, and no one anticipates having behavior problems, they do still occur.  Pet health insurance most likely won't cover your rounds of training classes, but some will cover at least a portion of your cost if you need to enlist the services of a behavior specialist like myself for something bigger like separation anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, ADHD, aggression, etc.  You will definitely want to do your homework, however, when choosing a pet insurance company.  Some have breed restrictions. Some don't cover preventative care.  Some cover dental expenses while many do not.  As with any health plan, including the one for the humans in your family, you need to do your homework before you decide.

And if you do have pet health insurance and your pet does have a behavior problem, don't hesitate to reach out to the company for details on what they might cover in terms of treatment.  I am happy to work with your veterinarian to devise a plan that will help your pet and help you soften the blow to your pocketbook if your pet's health plan takes behavior problems seriously.

These three amigos are happy to report that 

they don't have any issues, behavioral or otherwise!