Pets Best is a pet insurance company for cats and dogs. Their plan options have a simple structure and allow for easy reimbursements, utilizing online technology to help you get your money back fast. Pets Best is one of the earliest pet insurance companies and, to this day, comes highly rated by its customers.
Pros
cons
Pet insurance is similar to regular healthcare insurance for people. While many health insurances for people pay the doctors or hospital directly, pet insurance typically serves as a reimbursement program for your veterinary bills.
The sentiment towards pets has grown into considering them members of the family. Because of this, the desire to care for them with as much attention has also increased. Cats and dogs get sick or injured, and people desperately want to help them. However, veterinary bills are expensive.
As the ability to treat animals increases, the prices surrounding treatment options have also gone up. Pet insurance allows you to give your pets any treatment they may need without going bankrupt because of it.
At a glance, Pets Best has a straight-forward setup. First, you enroll with the company. Then, if your pet gets hurt or becomes sick, you take them to the vet and receive treatment for them. Afterward, you file a claim with Pets Best and receive a reimbursement of your veterinary expenses.
Pets Best covers emergencies, surgeries, and illnesses. However, they also have two tiers of routine care that cover everyday scenarios like regular check-ups, blood work, or getting your pet a vaccine.
The company provides two base plans: EssentialWellness and BestWellness™, with the latter being more expensive and providing more coverage. The plan’s details are flexible, as the company understands that not every pet’s needs are equal.
The company advises that you enroll in pet insurance before issues with your pet occur. Pets Best takes some time to process new members, and they do not cover pre-existing conditions.
At the most basic level, Pets Best covers accidents, sickness, congenital or hereditary conditions. They also provide an option for routine care that includes check-ups and vaccinations.
Accidents include incidents such as surface wounds, broken limbs, object ingestion, and poisoning. Curable illnesses, like cancer and diabetes, are also included. Hereditary conditions touch on issues such as epilepsy and Wobbler Syndrome.
They also cover emergencies, surgeries, and hospital stays. These items may fall under the aforementioned primary services because a situation like swallowing a foreign object may require surgery.
Certain plans allow for dental care, behavioral consultation, prescription medication, exam fees, and physical rehabilitation. However, Pets Best allows you to remove a few select items from your plan if you feel they are unnecessary.
Although Pets Best covers many things, it does not cover every situation. They exclude from their coverage elective procedures such as declawing cats and tail docking. While they cover a degree of parasite testing under their most inclusive plan, Pets Best mostly leaves parasite treatment out.
If you want to treat your pet holistically, they will not cover this treatment. Nor do they cover vitamins, supplements, or special diets you may choose to give your pet.
Lastly, they do not cover pre-existing conditions. If your pet becomes ill or gets hurt before the policy activates, then they are pre-existing conditions, and Pets Best will not cover it. This is why they advise signing up for insurance as early as possible, to get a jump on any potential issues down the road.
Insurance policies for pets vary depending on how much you want to be included in your plan. Pricing also varies depending on if you have a cat or a dog. Policies for cats are, on average, cheaper than policies for dogs.
The cheapest Pets Best plan is their accident-only plan. For dogs, it’s only $9 a month. It’s even cheaper for cats at only $6 a month. However, for more comprehensive plans, it’s at least three times as expensive.
Comprehensive plans for dogs generally cost between $35 and $58 a month, while cats cost between $22 and $46 monthly. The plan’s cost depends on your pet’s needs and what you can afford.
Pets Best considers four points for their premiums. The three straight-forward ones are your pet’s age, breed, and where you live. Premiums also depend on your plan’s yearly limit and deductible, and your reimbursement level.
Submitting a claim does not affect your premium. However, as your pet ages, they become more of a risk, so the premium subsequently increases.
Pets Best allows you to file claims online via a desktop computer or your mobile phone. Conveniently, you can connect banking information to your Pets Best account for direct deposits and easy payments.
Though, some people are not as tech-savvy and may prefer a more traditional method. Pets Best allows you to submit claims through standard mail, e-mail, or even fax. Of course, their online system is the quickest way to submit a claim.
Pets Best provides a 24/7 hotline that you can access by phone, e-mail, or live chat on their website. The hotline is a free and unlimited service that helps you through a large array of scenarios.
Pets aren’t just animals you have around the house. They are family members. Caring for them and ensuring their lives are long and healthy is a priority for pet owners, but it can get expensive. Because pet care can get more expensive than many people can afford, pet insurance helps keep health problems treatable and affordable.
Pets Best has a long-standing history and we hope this Pets Best review has proven this. Their rates are inexpensive and their plans are simple and flexible. They exclude some items that many pet owners may want, but overall they are a solid and comprehensive pet insurance option.
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