Which Drugs Does Pet Insurance Cover?
Pet insurance usually covers a laundry list of possible pet medical expenses, including preventative care, behavioral and rehab therapies, hospital stays, spaying and neutering, and more. But one of the most important coverage areas that it’s all too easy to overlook is that of pet prescription drugs.
“But which drugs are covered?” you might ask. First of all, it normally needs to be an FDA-approved drug. The drug can be for use at the veterinarian’s office, in the hospital or ER, or at home – it doesn’t really matter.
You could be talking about simple allergy medicines, basic antibiotics, insulin or other medications for a chronic/ongoing condition, eye/ear drops, or emergency drugs used in the immediate aftermath of an accident.
Usually, drugs for heartworms, flea or tick prevention medicines, and specially prescribed dog/cat diet food are excluded. But this will vary with your insurer and your policy.
How Much Could Pet Medicine Cost Anyway?
Some pet owners may be tempted to think that medications for dogs and cats could hardly be that expensive. Think again! Medication bills can run as high as $1,000 in some cases. Specialized allergy medications might cost you $800. Vomiting/pneumonia medicine for your pet can easily top $500.
Modern pet medicine can do amazing things, but it comes at a cost. Far better to protect yourself against that potential cost than to get hit with an enormous medical bill for Fido or Fifi that empties the bank.
You will likely have to meet your deductible first and then take care of a copay or coinsurance. Every policy is built a little differently, but hundreds of dollars in savings per year on meds is not “pie in the sky.” It is rather common.
How To Evaluate A Pet Insurance Policy
One of the best reasons to get your pet insured is to ensure you are prepared for a pet emergency. But what about less dramatic incidents? And what about ongoing care that follows emergency care? Those expenses can add up fast too, and a major part of them is caused by prescription drugs.
You can’t judge your pet insurance policy based solely or even mostly on how it handles pet drug coverage, that’s true enough. Other coverage areas may be more critical overall – but drugs are easily a second (if not first) tier expense with pet medical care. And any policy that doesn’t give you good coverage of both first and second (and third) tier expenses is probably not a policy much worth having.
Do the research and do the math. Figure out, based on a specific scenario, how much you would save and how much you would pay out of pocket with competing pet policies. We think you will find that inclusion of prescription drug coverage is essential to any good policy.
To learn more about how pet insurance works, feel free to contact Flagler County (FL) Insurance Agency today!