juice Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) I think there was a thread about this before ? If not I'd like opinions on insurance , never had it before but it seems the bills are getting higher and specialist referrals are way out of my league , so I'm wondering if it's something I should get . Any good companies to try ? Edited January 16, 2017 by juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sje78 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 also been thinking about this so would be interested to hear what people say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Do you mean health insurance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
french fries Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 interested to hear also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) yes, sorry, doggy health insurance. I'm reading reviews and its scary, it seems they can pay out as little as they like , UPTO 80% means nothing . And having a 4 year old dog that was used for breeding means they could refuse to pay out on alot of things. Edited January 16, 2017 by juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianca.a Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I have Medibank insurance for both dogs but unfortunately I didn't think to get it when I first brought Molly home as a pup so she has quite a few exclusions. One being skin, which is considered one organ so no matter what skin complaint she were to have she is not covered because she had a bad hotspot prior to me insuring her. They will also not pay for prosthetics which is what a THR includes, so I was shit out of luck with Cooper who has had bilateral surgeries. But all in all I honestly think it is worth it. For example Molly gets a monthly cartrophen injection and daily Previcox, the tablets are just over $100 a month and I get 80% back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamuzz Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 We used to have Petplan and they were great. Paid out on all Mazda's surgeries and Veli's tummy issues with no fuss. Really easy to deal with in terms of making claims and paperwork. Then their premiums went through the roof. (And they got a new computer system and their claims department fell apart.) Nearly all the other policies are underwritten by Hollard, so basically all the same under the covers with different "skins". We are currently with the one that our people health insurance sells - Bow Wow Meow - and it is worse than useless. If you google this forum you will find plenty of threads. To help you google, 'cos I know how much you love computers: Go to google.com.au In the search box put in the following text pet insurance site:dolforums.com.au Hit enter That tells Google to look for "pet insurance" but only on this website. You'll have to scroll down past all the paid ads, but then you should get to all the DOL threads. Let me know if you get stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 i looked at Bow Wow Meow and they are underwritten by Hollard too. will check the links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I personally don't see any real benefit in pet insurance and would much rather money in a bank account accruing interest. People assume that because they've got pet insurance all their vet bill woes will be solved, which I don't think is an accurate representation at all. Insurance only kicks in *after* the fact so people can still be initially hit with bills for thousands of dollars (even the likes of $10000+). If the money for those amounts can't be sourced then surgeries can't/won't go ahead anew most specialists require an up front payment before commencing any initial treatment. Call me sceptical but I just find the whole area of pet insurance to be just another money grab for these multi billion dollar companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I cover Saffy with RACQ insurance, it is an 'extra' as I have my house and contents with them (I think I pay an extra $50-$70 annually); only up to $750 but it'll be a help (Penny and Mac, when they were alive, were covered also; they were also covered with BWM but as accident only) I had a quick look and NRMA also covers pets, so if you have your home insured with them it may be worth thinking about it https://www.mynrma.com.au/join/membership-types/renewal-add-ons/pet-plus.htm?PageSpeed=noscript If you insure with BWM just for accident rather than accident and illness it lowers the premiums enormously (obviously) and NRMA is accident and illness and though it doesn't cover you for thousands it is still worth it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamuzz Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 11 hours ago, juice said: i looked at Bow Wow Meow and they are underwritten by Hollard too. will check the links. Yup. The last time I looked, the only one not with Hollard was Petplan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 15 hours ago, RiverStar-Aura said: I personally don't see any real benefit in pet insurance and would much rather money in a bank account accruing interest. People assume that because they've got pet insurance all their vet bill woes will be solved, which I don't think is an accurate representation at all. Insurance only kicks in *after* the fact so people can still be initially hit with bills for thousands of dollars (even the likes of $10000+). If the money for those amounts can't be sourced then surgeries can't/won't go ahead anew most specialists require an up front payment before commencing any initial treatment. Call me sceptical but I just find the whole area of pet insurance to be just another money grab for these multi billion dollar companies. I have to disagree completely on this, based on putting away the premium value in a bank account earning interest. I had my girl on premium insurance from the day I got her. For most of her life, and even some years, I didn't make the annual or full claim. I don't consider that a 'waste' at all, after all, insurance is just that, insurance, and peace of mind. What was really important, was when she did get ill or there were emergencies, I didn't have to be limited by consideration of $$$money to make a decision on which path to take that was best for her. Her final couple years her treatments would have gone easily into the five figures, and payouts were somewhere between 60-85% (?) depending on the treatment. It meant I still had money to take her to alternative therapies like chiro and accupuncture and hydrotherapy. For the years I didn't need to make a claim, I feel lucky that she was without ailment, and I was without emotional distress because of it. When she really did need it, I was so grateful I had it. Having sufficient credit card space for a deposit for treatment (they don't ask for upfront payment, they ask for a deposit at vet hospitals), is sufficient. At the end of the day, it had all cost more than I had paid in premiums, and certainly more than I would have put aside month by month. We were on AFS petmed and I wouldn't recommend them. But that's probably because they're backed by Hollard too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Here's a good article by Choice published in March 2016: https://www.choice.com.au/money/insurance/pet/buying-guides/pet-insurance Quote Health insurance for pets is still a relatively new product. In Australia, there are only two providers of pet insurance – Petplan and PetSure, underwritten by Allianz Australia and Hollard respectively. Between them they administer over 60 policies for 19 brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 ooh! Quote The lifting of pre-existing condition exclusions is now available, after a waiting period. Previously most policies would refuse to consider covering any pre-existing condition, making it all but impossible for pet owners to shop around for a better policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffles Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Putting the premium away in a bank account does not achieve anything. If I had done that for my cat, I would have the amount I'd received back from the insurance company so far, in 52 years... 52. He was 2 when I needed this money, and of course would never live to 52 years old!! Yes, you need to have the money up front, but it's easier to max out a credit card, get a loan from family or friends, or a personal loan when you know that most of the money will be coming back. Working in an ECC practice, I have seen so many - countless animals being PTS for perfectly treatable things because people did not have insurance. I remember posting a couple of years ago, that I pay less than the price of a cup of coffee once a day to insure 2 cats, and 2 dogs for $15,000 P.A. each. I dont see it as a luxury, I see it as a necessity if you aren't totally flushed with cash. One of our dogs got bitten by a snake almost 12 months ago. Her Vet bill was $30,000... THIRTY THOUSAND. That's not including the multiple MRI's, tech ultrasounds, blood tests, scans and medication she has needed since. She does not have insurance, as she was too old to insure by the time I came on the scene in her life. Had I had insurance for her, I would have received $15,000 back. A 15k debt, is more manageable than a $30k one, let me tell you. And if other people were in that situation, sure they may not have spent that money in the first place, but what if your Vet bill is $15,000, and you have insurance, and all you had to pay was $3000 - plus your premiums? That for many, many people would mean the difference between life and death for their pets. One of my cats that cannot get insurance has he has congenital heart problems, developed FLUTD, had to have an emergency Perineal Urethrostomy. This cost $7000 (including the ECC fees). Two months later, his had surgery failed, and he needed to have a revision - This cost $4000 (inc ECC costs, and staff discount at a specialist surgeon). You can't think of insurance as an investment for day to day care. It would never work out. You need to think of it in terms of emergencies, chronic illness etc. A normal FLUTD cat can cost upwards of $3000 in 48 hours just for catheterisation, fluids etc. A simple stitch up from a dog fight, or backyard injury can cost around $1500-$2000 at an after hours clinic. GDV - $5000 - $8000. Pyometra surgery - $4000 - $8000. We spent $5000 in 45 minutes with our dogs snake envenomation. I pay around $1500 per year to insure two cats, and two dogs. Plus, I put $120 a fortnight into a separate account to help actually pay for these things, plus routine care. In a 9 month period between late 2014, and early 2015 I spent almost $50,000 on vet bills for uninsured animals... before this, I'd basically never had a sick animal in my life (besides my cat that has now had 3 ex-laps for foreign bodies). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 On 1/17/2017 at 7:11 AM, Boronia said: I cover Saffy with RACQ insurance, it is an 'extra' as I have my house and contents with them (I think I pay an extra $50-$70 annually); only up to $750 but it'll be a help (Penny and Mac, when they were alive, were covered also; they were also covered with BWM but as accident only) I had a quick look and NRMA also covers pets, so if you have your home insured with them it may be worth thinking about it https://www.mynrma.com.au/join/membership-types/renewal-add-ons/pet-plus.htm?PageSpeed=noscript If you insure with BWM just for accident rather than accident and illness it lowers the premiums enormously (obviously) and NRMA is accident and illness and though it doesn't cover you for thousands it is still worth it I had a look at the NRMA one, it's really too basic for it to be of any real 'use' - it looks more like an additional consideration (like having windscreen chip insurance) than a worthwhile standalone Pet Health Insurance. Ruffs - keen to hear who you're with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 I did lots of research, checked back on the old thread, and it seems PIA comes out as the best for more cover. However after reading reviews it seems if you didn't insure the dog , or aquire it till it was older they want full vet history and then baulk at paying out claims. I have asked them if they want the history on sign up so i know up front what they are going to refuse, or they wait till you make a claim and are already committed to them before they use this as an excuse not to pay, which looks like the way they do it from the reviews, which is a worry. Will see what response i get from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 20 hours ago, juice said: I did lots of research, checked back on the old thread, and it seems PIA comes out as the best for more cover. However after reading reviews it seems if you didn't insure the dog , or aquire it till it was older they want full vet history and then baulk at paying out claims. I have asked them if they want the history on sign up so i know up front what they are going to refuse, or they wait till you make a claim and are already committed to them before they use this as an excuse not to pay, which looks like the way they do it from the reviews, which is a worry. Will see what response i get from them. The claim side of things all goes back to the underwriter anyway - the sales or actual company won't be much help. If it's Hollards being asshats, it's Hollards being the asshats all the way. PIA claim forms goes back to the same PO Box that AFS Petmed and no doubt all the other Hollards underwritten claims go to and they're assessed by the same center. The smallprint in most if not all will be the same/similar enough. At the end of the day you're picking between the underwriters Allianz and Hollards, it's just how some of the extras and benefits are packaged that the products might differ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 I have a theory that pet insurance is making bills cost more . A client the other day had her dogs ears flushed and teeth cleaned ,no removals or issues. Over $1200 ,they have pet insurance and pay $75 and month,she commented when they first started $35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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