How to Get Pet Life Insurance
Assess your finances., Talk to your vet., Evaluate available pet life insurance policies., Check existing insurance policies.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Assess your finances.
Before going after a pet life insurance policy, think critically about why you would need this coverage and how much you would want to take out.
Also, you need to consider how this would impact your overall budget and income.
Can you really afford to plan for your young pet’s untimely demise?Evaluate the kinds of costs that would generally be caused by your pet's death.
If you are able to easily pay these on your own, then pet life insurance coverage may be an unnecessary expense.
On the other hand, if you want to plan for this kind of emergency on a fixed income, it might make sense to pay a few dollars per month or annually in order to make sure that a pet's accident, illness, or death won't wreck your budget. -
Step 2: Talk to your vet.
Another first step in considering buying pet life insurance is to talk to the veterinarian that you usually go to with your cat or dog, and get more specific information about the animal's current medical condition.
You want to identify any underlying illnesses or likely causes of death given your pet’s current medical state.Identify pet health conditions that may affect longevity for your animals.
Vets can come up with some pretty good diagnoses of issues that might have a huge impact on whether you buy a pet life insurance policy.
Whether it's viral conditions, common feline or canine diseases or other disorders, the veterinarian can provide a likely timeline and help you really assess how much time you may have left with your pet.
Your pet's breed may also predispose it to certain types of diseases or illnesses that can rack up recurring expenses. , There are about eleven companies in the U.S. that offer these kinds of policies, along with regular health insurance policies for pets.
Be specific about evaluating every aspect of a pet life insurance policy (particularly the exclusions and fine print) in order to figure out whether it's right for your pet's coverage needs.Consider deductibles or other coverage tools to change the premiums on your pet life insurance.
If the insurance policy seems unaffordable, playing around with deductibles or other aspects of the policy can change the price somewhat.
Assess specific coverage.
Make sure that the events or illnesses that you are worried about are included in your pet life insurance policy.
Likewise, be sure that the specific costs that you would have had problems with are covered, whether it's burial or cremation, or the vet expenses related to the animal's eventual death.Be sure that you are not paying twice for the same coverage.
If your concern is that you won’t be able to pay for life-saving dialysis for your pet, but you aren’t particularly concerned with how you will pay to dispose of their remains, then life insurance probably won’t be as ideal as health insurance for your pet.
Since there are multiple policies that deal with pet health care, which often cover a wider range of illnesses and injuries, these may be the better option for you., You might be surprised to find that your auto or home owner’s insurance covers certain pet related injuries.
If you are particularly concerned about a pet injuring himself on the stairs of your home, this may well already be covered by your home owner’s insurance.
If you drive with your pet in the car often, it may be more prudent to extend your existing auto insurance policy to cover your pet’s injuries in the case of a car accident. -
Step 3: Evaluate available pet life insurance policies.
-
Step 4: Check existing insurance policies.
Detailed Guide
Before going after a pet life insurance policy, think critically about why you would need this coverage and how much you would want to take out.
Also, you need to consider how this would impact your overall budget and income.
Can you really afford to plan for your young pet’s untimely demise?Evaluate the kinds of costs that would generally be caused by your pet's death.
If you are able to easily pay these on your own, then pet life insurance coverage may be an unnecessary expense.
On the other hand, if you want to plan for this kind of emergency on a fixed income, it might make sense to pay a few dollars per month or annually in order to make sure that a pet's accident, illness, or death won't wreck your budget.
Another first step in considering buying pet life insurance is to talk to the veterinarian that you usually go to with your cat or dog, and get more specific information about the animal's current medical condition.
You want to identify any underlying illnesses or likely causes of death given your pet’s current medical state.Identify pet health conditions that may affect longevity for your animals.
Vets can come up with some pretty good diagnoses of issues that might have a huge impact on whether you buy a pet life insurance policy.
Whether it's viral conditions, common feline or canine diseases or other disorders, the veterinarian can provide a likely timeline and help you really assess how much time you may have left with your pet.
Your pet's breed may also predispose it to certain types of diseases or illnesses that can rack up recurring expenses. , There are about eleven companies in the U.S. that offer these kinds of policies, along with regular health insurance policies for pets.
Be specific about evaluating every aspect of a pet life insurance policy (particularly the exclusions and fine print) in order to figure out whether it's right for your pet's coverage needs.Consider deductibles or other coverage tools to change the premiums on your pet life insurance.
If the insurance policy seems unaffordable, playing around with deductibles or other aspects of the policy can change the price somewhat.
Assess specific coverage.
Make sure that the events or illnesses that you are worried about are included in your pet life insurance policy.
Likewise, be sure that the specific costs that you would have had problems with are covered, whether it's burial or cremation, or the vet expenses related to the animal's eventual death.Be sure that you are not paying twice for the same coverage.
If your concern is that you won’t be able to pay for life-saving dialysis for your pet, but you aren’t particularly concerned with how you will pay to dispose of their remains, then life insurance probably won’t be as ideal as health insurance for your pet.
Since there are multiple policies that deal with pet health care, which often cover a wider range of illnesses and injuries, these may be the better option for you., You might be surprised to find that your auto or home owner’s insurance covers certain pet related injuries.
If you are particularly concerned about a pet injuring himself on the stairs of your home, this may well already be covered by your home owner’s insurance.
If you drive with your pet in the car often, it may be more prudent to extend your existing auto insurance policy to cover your pet’s injuries in the case of a car accident.
About the Author
Barbara Hill
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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