Purchase a Policy
Pet insurance works slightly differently than human health insurance. Pet insurance policies are paid with monthly insurance premiums based on the health of your pet. You can choose a variety of policies based on the health and age of your pet. Some policies cover regular preventative health care such as immunizations and well checkups. Other policies exist for catastrophic care for illnesses. Insurance companies sometimes omit health care for hereditary or pre-existing conditions. When you purchase your preferred policy, insurance companies require a physical for the animal. If the animal is accepted into the plan, there is a required waiting period of 8 to 10 days before coverage goes into effect. The best way for a pet owner to decide if pet insurance is a good choice involves documenting a year's worth of vet bills. If insurance would offset these costs after co-payments, then pet insurance would be a great choice for you. Remember that you'll be paying a monthly premium just as you do for your own health insurance. Premiums usually range from $300 to 400 per year. Many policies have a maximum coverage, so examine the policy carefully. In general, the younger your animal, the easier it will be in terms of purchasing a policy. Since these policies vary in their coverage of either routine treatment such as examinations and vaccinations or accidents and illnesses, check your coverage for any required changes on a regular basis. There are coverage limits, so make sure you understand the limitations of your policy and any co-payment obligations.

Submit a Claim
Unlike your health insurance, you don't just present your animal's insurance card, pay a co-payment, and receive adequate care for your animal. You'll be paying for your animal's treatment up front with later reimbursement by the insurance company. Many vet offices will gladly fill out your forms or assist you in providing the pet insurance company with appropriate documentation. Some veterinarians participate as members of a pet insurance plan, so in these cases, you may only be out of pocket the amount of your co-payment. The nice thing about most pet insurance plans is that you can still keep your regular vet and your animal will still receive the same care. You'll still have the same sense of assurance regarding your animal's welfare. Submitting a claim simply involves some paperwork and again, you are out of pocket the amount of the visit until you receive reimbursement.

 
Receive Your Claim
A check in the mail is always a good thing. This check won't automatically reflect the exact same amount as your vet visit. The pet insurance company will subtract any deductibles and co-payments. Based on your level of insurance coverage, the company might omit reimbursement for any health care that doesn't fall under the guidelines of the pet insurance policy.

Again, it's important to tailor the insurance policy to the type and health of animal. By doing this, you'll make sure the maximum amount of coverage exists for your animal. This will be reflected in your reimbursements from your insurance company.

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