Wellness plans and pet insurance are two options to help make your pet's healthcare much more affordable. But they do so in different ways. Both options offer distinct benefits to you, so here our Santa Cruz vets explain their differences and what each can offer you.
Protecting Your Pet's Future
Pet insurance policies and wellness plans both offer you benefits when it comes to saving money on your pet's health care, but they do so in different ways. It's important that you understand what kinds of services each offer and what kinds of treatment are and aren't covered by each kind of plan.
The last thing you want is to have to unexpectedly pay out of pocket when planning for your pet's veterinary care.
What is a wellness plan?
Wellness plans make it easier for you to cover the cost of routine veterinary care and, unlike pet insurance, you only pay for the treatments and services you use throughout the year.
Wellness plans let you adopt a more proactive approach to veterinary care through small monthly payments rather than a lump sum at each visit. These plans help your vet to catch early signs of conditions or diseases that your pet may be suffering from before their symptoms become more serious and their treatment becomes more intensive and expensive.
What does a wellness plan cover?
Generally, wellness plans cover routine vet care including wellness exams, parasite preventives, annual blood testing and vaccines. Improving and maintaining the standard of your pet’s overall health during their lifetime is easier because these plans spread out the cost of routine vet care.
What is pet insurance?
Should your pet require emergency veterinary care, pet insurance helps you to take care of the cost of treatment.
The fact is that emergency treatment or intensive treatment of conditions like cancer or diabetes can become quite expensive. If you have pet insurance, it means that you will have financial help to pay the bill for any conditions or accidents that are covered under the umbrella of your pet insurance policy.
What does pet insurance cover?
Pet insurance policies differ but they generally cover treatment for illnesses or emergency treatment required after accidents. Some policies may also include prescription medications and the treatment of hereditary and congenital conditions as well as orthopedic conditions.
How do I choose which option to buy?
Making sure that you know precisely how your pet insurance plan or pet wellness plan benefits your pocketbook (and your pet's care!) can help you decide what option is the right one for you. Some pet owners choose a wellness plan or pet insurance while others subscribe to both to make sure that their pet gets the complete coverage they need.
If you aren't sure which coverage is right for you, ask your vet. They can help you decide based on your pet's particular needs and concerns.