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One of the saddest things that veterinarians confront is the case of the sick or injured pet with a treatable condition that has to be euthanized or allowed to suffer because the owner cannot afford the treatment. In many other cases, owners are forced to choose less than ideal treatments for their pets because of cost constraints. Owners often comment that they might be able to afford treatment, "if only my pet had health insurance."
In reality, pet health insurance does exist, and has been available for several years. We have been dispensing brochures for a company called Veterinary Pet Insurance, or VPI, for over ten years, and many of our clients have taken advantage of it. Other pet insurance companies have come and gone, but VPI, with over 750,000 policies sold, is the nation's number one pet insurance provider.
Until recently, VPI only offered two basic medical plans that covered accidents and diseases at different levels. These coverage plans are often a godsend when a covered pet is hit by a car or has a serious illness. Routine care, such as spays, neuters, parasite treatments, and annual vaccinations, were not covered. Now, VPI has added Vaccination and Routine Care coverage to help pay for regular preventative veterinary care, and this can be added to either of the other two medical plans. Under this plan, the purchaser pays $99 a year for over $200 worth of goods and services for their pet. These goods and services include vaccines, fecal checks, worming, and heartworm testing, but can also include spay/neuter surgeries, dental cleaning, and comprehensive health screening, as well as certain heartworm preventative and flea control products. The purchaser must have one of the two base plans before enrolling in the Vaccination and Routine Care plan.
We at Coral Veterinary Clinic endorse Veterinary Pet Insurance for several reasons. The first is obvious: owners will be able to afford expensive veterinary care in times of need. This will allow us to treat more pets with treatable problems. Secondly, owners with Vaccination and Routine Care coverage are much more likely to get wellness preventative care for their pets, since they have already paid for it. This will result in more pets being protected from preventable diseases. Finally, VPI handles all the paperwork. Policies are purchased directly from the company. After the pet is taken care of and the bill paid to the veterinarian, the owner sends copies of the receipts along with a brief insurance claim form to the insurance company, and the owner is directly reimbursed by VPI. The veterinarian does not have to handle the insurance paperwork. Another good feature is that VPI does not restrict what vet you go to; even specialists are covered.
If you wish to get more information about VPI and their pet medical plans, drop by our office for a free brochure. You can also call the company directly at 1-800-USA-PETS or reach their web site at www.petinsurance.com.
This could be the nicest thing you have ever done for your pet!
OFFICE LOCATIONS
FORT MYERS:
9540 Cypress Lake Drive . Fort Myers, FL 33919 | Telephone: 239.481.4746
SANIBEL: 1530 Periwinkle Way . Sanibel, FL 33957 | Telelphone: 239.472.VETS (8387)
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