Is Pet Insurance the Right Choice For Your Furry Friend?

Whether you have a new, younger pet or an older furry friend at home, you may wonder if pet insurance is worth the financial commitment. We asked Alyssa DeVito, Licensed Sales Professional/Customer Service Representative at Allstate Cirigliano Agency in Patchogue, to "shed" some light on how pet insurance works and which animals it best benefits.

To get started, think about your pets and the type of coverage you may be interested in. For example, Allstate offers two types of coverage with very little difference; one covers more services than the other and includes rewards for grooming and yearly checkups.

"Basic coverage typically covers any sudden and life-threatening expenses. For example, it covers the cost of cancer treatments, and any emergency surgery in the event an injury occurs. Any pet owners looking to gain incentives from annual checkups and grooming should consider a more complete package; however, the basic package is what we like to recommend to our customers," says DeVito.

Let's talk about costs. You may be surprised to learn that a dog's breed and age will not cause coverage to be denied, but it will affect the price of the premium. As an example, DeVito notes that the average monthly cost for a young healthy puppy is about $30-$60 per month, but each breed is rated differently so it may vary. And while age is not considered a factor per se, keep in mind is that if the pet already has a preexisting condition, coverage may not be approved. "Whenever a policy is taken out, the company will request a copy of a physical dated within 30 days of initial sign-on to better rate the policy based on the health of the pet," says DeVito. Additionally, some companies such as Allstate will offer a 10% multiple pet discount.

Many pet owners have nightmare stories about their insurance company's reimbursement process, but typically once the pet is treated, the company requests any and all paperwork provided by the veterinarian as proof of treatment and cost. Once the paperwork is filed and inspected by the claims department, reimbursement should follow shortly after.

DeVito suggests doing your homework before you choose a policy that's right for your pet. "There should be no fine print. These policies are very cut and dried; they should list everything they do and do not cover in clear, bold text. At Allstate we try to make this clear to the owner prior to purchasing the policy, to make sure they are getting everything they are looking for because at the end of the day, our main focus is making sure that the pets we love so dearly are protected the way we protect ourselves."

For more information about Allstate pet insurance, contact the Cirigliano Agency at 631-758-7225.