What Is Preventative Care Pet Insurance, and Do You Need It?
Preventative pet insurance covers routine care, such as annual exams and vaccines.
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Preventive pet insurance policies, also known as wellness plans, reimburse you for routine veterinary care, like your pet’s annual physical exam and preventative medication. Some pet parents prefer monthly insurance premiums to a huge vet bill every year, and pet wellness policies can save you money. Pet insurance companies typically offer them as an add-on to another policy.
Here’s what you should know about the costs and coverage included with a pet wellness plan, benefits and disadvantages, and how preventative plans differ from accident and illness policies. Find out if a preventive pet insurance plan is right for your furry friend.
What is preventive care?
Preventive veterinary care is the routine care your pet receives during your annual vet visit. Like humans, who get annual physicals and flu vaccines, pets need preventative care to keep them healthy.
Wellness pet insurance plans reimburse you for certain preventive care services up to a limit, including:
Annual vet exam
Blood work
Diagnostic tests
Flea and heartworm medication
Vaccinations
Annual exams help your vet detect health issues early on, when treatments will be most affordable and effective. Some pet insurance companies require your pet to get an annual checkup to be eligible for accident and illness coverage.
What preventive pet insurance covers
Preventative pet insurance doesn’t cover everything, and policies typically include annual maximums for covered services. While coverage varies from one plan to the next, some common covered services include:
What preventive pet insurance doesn’t cover
Like any insurance product, wellness plans contain exclusions. Pet insurers also typically cap the number of times you can use each service or the dollar amount they’ll reimburse for each service.
Most preventive plans don’t cover:
Behavior training
Cat litter, toys, leashes
Cosmetic procedures, such as ear cropping or tail docking
Prescription foods
Routine grooming, such as anal gland expression or nail trims
Specialist visits and consultations
Treatment for unexpected injuries or illnesses, emergency room care, and end-of-life remembrance
Cost of preventive pet insurance coverage
Pet wellness plans typically range from $10 to $35 per month, depending on the covered services and the annual spending caps. Some pet insurance companies charge the same prices for every pet, while others adjust the cost according to your pet’s age, its species, and the reimbursement level you choose.
The best value will depend on the services your pet regularly uses. Since you can only purchase most preventive care packages as an add-on to a standard pet insurance policy, the cost of the base plan matters as well. To get the best pet insurance, it’s a great idea to get a few pet insurance quotes and compare your options.
Insurify collected sample quotes from five pet insurance providers offering preventive care plans as add-ons to an accident and illness policy with 80% reimbursement. Quotes are for a medium-sized 2-year-old mixed-breed male dog and a 2-year-old American shorthair female cat living in Hartford, Connecticut. Prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.
Note that plans are subject to limits for each eligible service. The annual coverage limit is the maximum the plan will pay for all covered services.
How a pet wellness plan works
When purchasing a pet insurance plan with some insurers, you can add a wellness plan to your accident and illness policy. You typically pay for both as part of the same monthly premium, but the coverage included in your wellness plan isn’t subject to the deductible, reimbursement rate, or annual limit of the primary policy. Chewy also offers a stand-alone wellness plan.
Most pet insurers provide a list of covered services for dogs and cats and an annual maximum payout for each service. After you visit any licensed veterinarian for your pet’s annual wellness exam, you’ll submit a claim with the pet insurance company. If approved, you’ll receive reimbursement up to the limits of the plan. Some pet insurers also offer to pay your vet directly.
Do pet wellness plans have waiting periods?
Most pet wellness plans don’t come with a waiting period, so you can typically begin submitting claims as soon as your policy is active. Some pet insurers may require you to wait until the day after you buy the policy to start using your wellness benefits.
Accident and illness policies, on the other hand, typically include waiting periods. For example, treatment costs for covered illnesses may be ineligible for reimbursement for the first 14 days after the policy effective date. Some conditions, such as orthopedic conditions, have longer waiting periods. This is to prevent people from buying a policy to cover a planned visit to the vet’s office or emergency clinic.
Pros and cons of preventative pet insurance
Ultimately, your pet’s needs will dictate whether a wellness plan will be valuable. Consider the following benefits and drawbacks of preventive plans before purchasing coverage for routine care.
Pet wellness plans vs. pet insurance
Pet wellness plans provide savings for routine care, paying a limited dollar amount for each service, while pet health insurance policies help with unexpected veterinary costs, paying a share of the total expense for covered conditions after an annual deductible and up to an annual limit.
While preventative pet plans help with budgeting, pet insurance policies provide more financial protection against unaffordable procedures and treatments. Wellness coverage may save you a few hundred dollars, but a pet insurance policy could save you thousands of dollars if your pet needs emergency treatment or develops a chronic condition, such as cancer.
Few pet insurance companies offer stand-alone wellness plans. For most pet owners, it makes sense to pair a wellness plan with a base plan — either an accident and illness policy or an accident-only policy. You can also forgo a wellness plan since annual exams and vaccines are easier to budget for. The chart below shows the coverages each plan type includes.
Preventative pet insurance FAQs
It can be tough to decide whether a wellness plan is the right choice for your pet and your budget. Below are some common questions pet parents ask about preventive care coverage.
What are the types of pet insurance?
Pet owners can buy three different pet insurance products to help pay for their pet’s care. Accident and illness policies provide extensive coverage for most health conditions, from infections to hip dysplasia. Accident-only coverage excludes illnesses but covers emergency vet visits for accidents like toxic ingestion. A preventive care add-on, or wellness plan, covers routine medical care.
Is preventative pet insurance worth it?
It depends. Preventive pet insurance only provides limited savings, and you’ll only receive the maximum available discount if your pet uses all the covered services, like annual checkups, annual blood tests, and preventative medication. But a wellness plan is typically a reimbursement-based program, and some pet owners may decide it’s not worth filing a claim for the limited savings.
Does pet insurance cover flea treatment?
It depends on the policy. Wellness plans typically cover flea and tick prevention up to an annual limit. If your pet needs treatment for fleas, your accident and illness policy may cover it. Some pet insurance policies cover treatment for parasites, while others specifically exclude preventable conditions like fleas.
Do wellness plans cover spaying and neutering?
Kitten and puppy wellness plans typically cover spaying and neutering up to an annual dollar amount limit. Preventative care packages that include spaying and neutering typically have higher average monthly premiums than basic wellness plans.
Can you go to any vet with preventative pet insurance?
Yes. Most pet insurance companies allow you to see any licensed veterinarian for your pet’s annual exam and vaccines, and they’ll reimburse you for the expense after you file a claim. If your insurer offers direct vet payment, some vets may not accept it. But you can always file a claim for reimbursement as you would with a traditional pet insurance policy.
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