The Value of Pet Insurance

We live in an age in which we increasingly value our pets. We value our pets to a degree that many of our grandparents or great-grandparents would not understand. While many of them would not allow a dog or cat in the house, we think nothing of allowing our dogs and cats to share our homes with us.

Signs of how we increasingly value our pets are everywhere. Years ago, the idea of a doggie daycare was considered a novelty or niche business only available to the upper crust of American elites who lived in the upper east side of Manhattan. Today doggie daycare businesses are everywhere and increasingly accessible to middle-income Americans. Look at the rise of mega-stores that serve pet-owner needs like Petco and PetSmart. Even pet cemeteries are becoming increasingly common.

So, it should be no surprise that we would want to ensure the health of our pets. Fifty years ago, if you asked a major insurance company to ensure the health of your cat or dog you probably would be greeted with howls of laughter. Today pet insurance is a real option and unlike human medical insurance, it is most affordable.

Unfortunately, many of these pet owners are not wealthy. They may barely live within their means. Ultimately, owners can be faced with heart-breaking choices at the veterinarian. Either cough up an exorbitant amount of money that they know they cannot afford or have their beloved pet put to sleep.

Pet insurance can change all of that. If you can avoid heart-breaking choices and have your beloved pet around for years to come, why wouldn't you choose to ensure your pet's health? Let's take a look at how affordable pet insurance can be. We'll look at the cost of insuring an imaginary female dog. Let's call her Alice. She is a full-breed English Springer Spaniel and she was born less than a year ago. There is a website called petinsurancereview.com that one can bring up to enter in all of Alice's information.

Petinsurancereview.com brings up a range of insurance options. An insurer called 'Healthypaws' is least expensive at only $36.57 a month. Like pretty much any insurer, the insurance purchaser is responsible for paying $250 of Vet bills each year the insurance is in effect. The only exception to this is Embrace insurance that requires the pet owner to pay only $200 to the vet per year before the insurance benefits kick in. The Embrace policy is one of the more expensive policies at $95.12 per month.

After the initial yearly amount is paid for, all policies benefit the owner by covering 90% of the remaining vet bills. The average of all nine policies from 'Prudent Pet Insurance' to 'Figo Insurance,' is $64.04 per month, well within the range of affordability for many Americans. Naturally, insurance varies depending on the breed and age of the pet, but if one gets one's pet insured as a puppy or kitten, insurance is extremely affordable for most people.