Finding the Best Rates on Pet Health Insurance
Over the centuries, pets have been our constant companions and our furry friends.
For so many of us, the animals we care for transcend the pet/owner relationship and become members of our family. It is for this reason that we want to protect them and keep them healthy. One way to do this is through pet insurance.
The Value of Pet Health Insurance
Americans spent an estimated $50 billion on their pets in 2011, with more than a quarter of this amount devoted to veterinarian care. This represents a 10 percent increase from 2008.
This increase can be attributed to the technological advancements of veterinarian medicine: as technology improves, cost goes up. Treatments for pets today have begun to mirror those for humans. They include radiation and chemotherapy, kidney and cornea transplants, MRIs and complex surgeries. Diseases and injuries that were once fatal in pets are now treatable, but they come with a price. This is where pet insurance becomes incredibly valuable.
How to Find the Best Rates
Health insurance for pets is similar to health insurance for people: different companies offer different rates. This allows those looking for pet insurance to shop around and find the prices that best fits their budgets and needs.
One way to do this, and perhaps the easiest way, is to search online for pet insurance. You should be able to find a variety of packages. Some packages may be more expensive and more inclusive, while others may be cheaper and only cover a set number of procedures.
Your veterinarian should be able to help you in your decision. He or she might suggest that you pay a higher premium for purebred dogs and a lower one for mutts (since purebreds are much more likely to have health problems than their mixed counterparts).
Is Pet Insurance Worthwhile?
Some people balk at the concept of pet insurance, as well as the concept of paying any exuberant price for an animal. However, many pet owners often don’t think twice about shelling out money to help a being they truly love. For this group, the value of a pet can’t be understated: data, it turns out, backs up this notion.
According to the Discovery Channel, a study at the Minnesota Stroke Institute found that owning a cat can dramatically reduce the chance of dying from heart disease. Other studies have found that pet owners require shorter recovery times when suffering an illness or injury and that owning a dog can lead to lower levels of blood pressure and cholesterol.
Some studies even suggest that owning a pet can lead to a longer life, perhaps as much as seven extra years! There are probably several reasons for this, including the fact that people with pets are more likely to be active, less likely to be lonely, better able to deal with stress and more likely to find happiness and contentment.
Dogs, as it has been widely reported, are also practical when it comes to health: they can help the blind, predict seizures and, as some studies have suggested, may be able to smell certain types of cancer.
When you consider all the above, buying pet insurance is an easy choice: it seems only fair to do this for the pet that does so much for you!
About the Author: James Peters is a freelance financial blog author who loves to research new topics and answer a variety of top questions from consumers – he suggests checking out PetPremium for more information on pet health insurance today.
Category: Insurance
