Any Worthy Alternatives To Shonky Petplan Insurance?

[UltimatePup]

We are a health insurer's dream. We never make claims and we take obsessively good care of our dog, so really we just donate money to our insurer (PetPlan) each year for nothing more than peace of mind!

Unfortunately we are now among the thousands who have received notification of a massive insurance fee increase from PetPlan, despite years of no claims. We found them to be grossly incompetent right at the start of the policy which always left a bad taste in our mouths, so this is the last straw. More than likely we will just drop them entirely and save our money in our own bank account instead of theirs.

FYI, they are asking $800/yr for a young, sparklingly healthy no-claims dog. Really stupid of them to turn off the tap from their most profitable customer category. This move also makes me think they may be closing down, or are so stupid that they will put themselves into administration, which won't serve us in the long run either.

I've never considered going without insurance before. I don't like it. But I won't pay $800, with gawd knows what further increase to greet us next year and thereafter, if they are still in business. So are there any viable pet insurers left in Australia? Any competition at all? Or still just identical Hollard-backed policies everywhere? Are any other firms jumping in to sweep up PetPlan's mess and grab all their departing customers?

Any policies around with worthwhile tick bite cover?

Thanks :)

Edited December 27, 2014 by UltimatePup

[alpha bet]

It doesn't surprise me that the fees are jumping up... when you hear how some people are claiming many thousands of dollars for operations, sooner or later the insurance companies have to realise they are not going to make money unless everyone covers their dogs OR the people who choose cover pay a great deal OR they start to restrict what you can claim..... OR all of the above.

I have four dogs... @ $500 each it would cost perhaps $2,000....

Each year I put this money in a savings account.... it becomes my emergency fund.... I pay the normal vet fees as they come along but this is for something out of the ordinary.

If you put the $800 in the bank each year and continue the way you are you could achieve a good emergency within 3 years....

[Erny]

I'm not having the best time with them either. Insurance premium is now over $1,100.00. I remember 6 years ago I was impressed as it was only around $200.00 (approx). My dog has never been formally diagnosed for the digestive symptoms he suffers and as each can be something different (e.g. hives; boils; inflammation of gums; etc) each one has been considered as a separate. Which means that every time I go to the Vet for any individual one, I'm usually caught under the excess each time rather than looking at it as having paid the excess but it being an on-going condition. Which means most of my claims are denied.

It doesn't help that their claim forms are darned hard to complete (especially when it is not a clear formal diagnosed condition) and you have to try to back-track to words and terminologies that you used the last time and try to show them that the dots do join, even if it is just to try to show them these are all interconnected.

The only diagnosed condition is thyroid, but as I have these tests run via Dr Jean Dodds in the USA, the on-going vet bills for this condition isn't covered and/or because I only need my local Vet to draw the bloods, that component of the fee comes in under excess as well, so I pay it every year.

Problem is that once your dog is unwell, they've got you by the short and curlies as no other insurance company would accept the condition or symptom as an inclusion in its cover.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Erny

[Red Fox]

http://www.petinsuranceaustralia.com.au/

[cavNrott]

http://www.petinsuranceaustralia.com.au/

This one is also underwritten by Hollards.

[sheena]

I don't have pet insurance...I think it is just a big rip-off. Instead, I try to choose healthy pups from healthy parents. It's not always a guarantee, but I am sure it helps. I would just draw on my savings if my dogs needed medical treatment. If I didn't have those savings, then for starters I would factor this in BEFORE I committed to another animal.

[Tintin Jac]

I recently cancelled our three Petplan policies. One policy had a HUGE rate increase. I was unsuccesful in trying to contact them to discuss the rise. I figured that the rise was bad enough but not being able to get in contact with them was almost worse. It made me question what would happen if I ever needed to make a claim or contact them for anything else. In my experience, they have been appalling.

I opened up a bank account and transfer money to it each month.

[Red Fox]

http://www.petinsuranceaustralia.com.au/

This one is also underwritten by Hollards.

Yes it is. But they are still reasonably priced, easy to deal with and pay out promptly.

Premiums went up this year but not excessively. Unfortunately they only cover 80%

[Tempus Fugit]

I'm not having the best time with them either. Insurance premium is now over $1,100.00. I remember 6 years ago I was impressed as it was only around $200.00 (approx). My dog has never been formally diagnosed for the digestive symptoms he suffers and as each can be something different (e.g. hives; boils; inflammation of gums; etc) each one has been considered as a separate. Which means that every time I go to the Vet for any individual one, I'm usually caught under the excess each time rather than looking at it as having paid the excess but it being an on-going condition. Which means most of my claims are denied.

It doesn't help that their claim forms are darned hard to complete (especially when it is not a clear formal diagnosed condition) and you have to try to back-track to words and terminologies that you used the last time and try to show them that the dots do join, even if it is just to try to show them these are all interconnected.

The only diagnosed condition is thyroid, but as I have these tests run via Dr Jean Dodds in the USA, the on-going vet bills for this condition isn't covered and/or because I only need my local Vet to draw the bloods, that component of the fee comes in under excess as well, so I pay it every year.

Problem is that once your dog is unwell, they've got you by the short and curlies as no other insurance company would accept the condition or symptom as an inclusion in its cover.

I am in total agreement.

I am presently with Guide Dogs Pet Insurance - which is PetPlan (Allianz) by another name. My present dog is the first one I have ever insured. (Previously while I was working, I had taken the risk of major expenses out of my own pocket). Last month my premiums jumped from $600 to $900 per year. Coincidentally I found the letter they had sent me advising of the new premiums last week while I was cleaning up for Christmas. (I had put it in my to-do bin because I wanted to read the new policy document and forgot about it).

Having now read the new 'Covered 4 Life' policy booklet I find it no easier to understand. The policy booklet has gone from 30 pages of fine print under the previous policy to 35 pages of even smaller print, with all sorts of breed-specific and other exclusions. It almost seems like anything you claim they can try wriggle out of it. e.g. they won't pay for any dental treatment unless you have specifically paid your vet for 'your pet to have a yearly dental examination'. In the past my vet has simply checked the teeth at annual vaccination time.

The trouble with cancelling a policy is that you lose the premiums you have paid.

[Bullmastiffmum]

My experience would be separate saving account.

Currently insured with pro sure, $875 year.

Insured for 6 years for my 7yr old bullmastiff, he had hip issues before insurance, so all issues re. Hips not covered. Fine with that, but I didn't claim anything for first 5 yrs,but within the last year, lumps, skin specialists etc, I have been putting in claims.

Shock horror, they delay delay delay,need more info extra copies of history etc etc last straw for me was still ongoing claims from at least 4 monthes ago, they now think my renewal wasn't paid for this year from back in June!!! I had to prove I had!!! Then they said it had been an error on their side, sorry.

I am at this stage, over it completely.

So next dog, will be separate emergency saving fund!!

[megan_]

I'm not having the best time with them either. Insurance premium is now over $1,100.00. I remember 6 years ago I was impressed as it was only around $200.00 (approx). My dog has never been formally diagnosed for the digestive symptoms he suffers and as each can be something different (e.g. hives; boils; inflammation of gums; etc) each one has been considered as a separate. Which means that every time I go to the Vet for any individual one, I'm usually caught under the excess each time rather than looking at it as having paid the excess but it being an on-going condition. Which means most of my claims are denied.

It doesn't help that their claim forms are darned hard to complete (especially when it is not a clear formal diagnosed condition) and you have to try to back-track to words and terminologies that you used the last time and try to show them that the dots do join, even if it is just to try to show them these are all interconnected.

The only diagnosed condition is thyroid, but as I have these tests run via Dr Jean Dodds in the USA, the on-going vet bills for this condition isn't covered and/or because I only need my local Vet to draw the bloods, that component of the fee comes in under excess as well, so I pay it every year.

Problem is that once your dog is unwell, they've got you by the short and curlies as no other insurance company would accept the condition or symptom as an inclusion in its cover.

Erny I had Lucy's blood tested in the US and they covered all of it, bar the excess. I did it through monash vets and they sent the blood to the US and filled out all the forms.

I think part of the problem has been that pet insurance was too cheap to start off with - it was unsustainable. The others are cheaper but don't cover as much. I've got over $6000 back so I'm keeping it up. One night in emergency with a simple blood test cost $1000 a night here, so I'll keep it.

Edited December 27, 2014 by megan_

[Dame Aussie]

It doesn't surprise me that the fees are jumping up... when you hear how some people are claiming many thousands of dollars for operations, sooner or later the insurance companies have to realise they are not going to make money unless everyone covers their dogs OR the people who choose cover pay a great deal OR they start to restrict what you can claim..... OR all of the above.

I have four dogs... @ $500 each it would cost perhaps $2,000....

Each year I put this money in a savings account.... it becomes my emergency fund.... I pay the normal vet fees as they come along but this is for something out of the ordinary.

If you put the $800 in the bank each year and continue the way you are you could achieve a good emergency within 3 years....

Yep that's what we do :)

[Danois]

I don't have pet insurance...I think it is just a big rip-off. Instead, I try to choose healthy pups from healthy parents. It's not always a guarantee, but I am sure it helps. I would just draw on my savings if my dogs needed medical treatment. If I didn't have those savings, then for starters I would factor this in BEFORE I committed to another animal.

Healthy pups from healthy parents is a good foundation but is only a start.

I've known dogs from great breeders to bloat - guarantee it will happen after hours and you're looking at several thousand easily - even more outside of the cities.

My last dog - breeding had no say in an auto immune disease - $6000 in vet bills in 21 months

Current dog - broke toe just running around .

[OSoSwift]

None of my dogs have needed to be seen for issues that have arisen due to having "unhealthy" genes.

So far they have all been crash issues bar one testosterone fuelled issue.

[cavNrott]

If I were to rely on an emergency fund I would have $10,000 in that fund before buying a dog or cancelling an existing pet insurance policy. With the cost of surgery now $10,000 is not a lot of money to have in reserve.

Then if you do need to draw say, $7000-8000 from the emergency fund what would happen if your dog dog had another illness or accident before you managed to rebuild the emergency fund?

My pet insurance was $360 per year when I first took it out 5 1/2 years ago. It is now $1,400 per year. I expect another massive increase when the policy next falls due.

[sheena]

Problem is...if your pet needs $10,000 for surgery, there is no guarantee that the insurance company will pay it & there-in lies the problem. There is too much fine print. Insurance companies are there to make a profit. I have been paying Health Insurance Extras for years & years...finally go to the dentist thinking I can get $500 worth of treatment & get the $500 back, but oh no.....I had to pay out $1000 to get $400 back.

[Steve]

Over the years [now 8 years] As part of the Dog Owners Choice Awards I have had to try and contact most of the insurance companies to let them know of their nominations when their clients say wonderful things about them but collectively they are horrible to deal with just to get past the person on the phone who speaks with poor English. This year I rang one and when I said why I was ringing the operator said she was working for a competitor company to the one I was calling! Turns out all of the numbers for most of them go through one off shore company - what a bloody joke! The only one I would deal with if I was looking at pet insurance is Bow Wow Meow because even though they are all restricted in what they can do due to who they are underwritten by at least Bow Wow Meow respond and a heaps better to access and communicate with. I reckon if they are so hard to deal with when I want to tell them nice things which they can use in their promotions and marketing there is little chance of getting much joy of you had a problem or issue that may be not such a nice experience for them.

It was such a pain that this year Best Pet Insurance Company of the Year category has been removed because I don't need the grief of trying to be nice to them.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Steve

[Danois]

Problem is...if your pet needs $10,000 for surgery, there is no guarantee that the insurance company will pay it & there-in lies the problem. There is too much fine print. Insurance companies are there to make a profit. I have been paying Health Insurance Extras for years & years...finally go to the dentist thinking I can get $500 worth of treatment & get the $500 back, but oh no.....I had to pay out $1000 to get $400 back.

It can't be compared to health insurance given the Medicare Schedule of Benefits that applies to health costs - even under insurance. They're upfront about this.

If your dog needs $10,000 surgery provided you have not eroded your cover, it's not an excluded condition (as stated in the PDS) and it's not for an excluded pre existing condition from before the policy was taken out and it's not prophalytic surgery then there is coverage (generally speaking) either less the excess stated on your certificate of currency (pet plan) or less the co payment (eg the others who cover a fixed percentage like 80%).

[cavNrott]

Problem is...if your pet needs $10,000 for surgery, there is no guarantee that the insurance company will pay it & there-in lies the problem. There is too much fine print. Insurance companies are there to make a profit. I have been paying Health Insurance Extras for years & years...finally go to the dentist thinking I can get $500 worth of treatment & get the $500 back, but oh no.....I had to pay out $1000 to get $400 back.

Yes, you can get caught unawares by pet and health insurance companies but it's all written in their PDS. You really must read the boring, wordy, fine print in their Product Disclosure Statement thoroughly and carefully. If there's something you don't understand then put it out there and ask. Someone on here will probably be able to answer your question.

It would be reasonable to suggest calling the pet insurance company for an explanation but chances are with most of them if you call three times with the same question you'll get three different answers. Private health insurance customer service staff are better educated about what is covered under their policies. If they don't know they will find out while you are on the phone with them.

You got caught by your private health extras policy Sheena because you didn't first read what is covered and under what circumstances. I'm with BUPA and their extras policies are clearly described so you know what to expect. Of course a pre existing condition will probably not be covered. In the case of private health insurance there will be a waiting period before their is cover. Also if your dentist charges way in excess of the standard fees, as mine does, insurance will only cover what they consider to be the standard fee. For pet insurance a pre existing problem probably won't be covered at all. Their PDS will explain this. It also contains a list of exclusions.

I agree with Steve that Bow Wow Meow, after a rocky start, are now quite pleasant and easy to deal with. I've been with them for a number of years and they were dreadful at the start with staff who had no clue and would tell you anything just to get you off the phone. They now have knowledgeable staff and claims are usually settled promptly. I put in a claim for my dog recently and they reimbursed my bank account within 5 days of receipt of my claim.

Of course Bow Wow Meow pet Insurance premiums are increasing significantly each year as are all the other pet insurance companies. Private health insurance is the same with annual increases in their premiums.

[Stressmagnet]

I'm with Bow Wow Meow merely for the reasons already mentioned. Pretty sure they are no different but the customer service is excellent.

I'd skip the whole thing but I have a labrador - and he's not the first one in my lifetime.