Expert Advice on Pet Health and Accident Insurance: What You Need to Know Before Insuring Your Beloved Furry Friend

Health and accident insurance is not only available for people, but also for pets. However, anyone who is thinking about insuring a cat or dog should pay attention to a few things and take a look at the small print, as consumer advocate Guido Zeilinger reveals in an interview with MeinBezirk.at.

STYRIA. If we as humans fall ill or have an accident, our health insurance or the accident insurance we have taken out takes effect – that’s nothing new. It is far less known that there are insurance policies for our beloved four-legged friends that will step in if Bello swallows a ball or Luna is hit by a car and needs surgery. However, according to consumer advocate Guido Zeilinger from the Leoben Chamber of Labor (AK), anyone who decides to take out accident and health insurance for their pet should take a few things into account.

“It is important to clarify what is actually covered and – as with normal accident and health insurance – this depends on the package you choose,” informs Zeilinger. The range of offers ranges from basic packages, which cover necessary medications, surgical procedures as well as pre- and post-treatment, to “luxury packages”. If you pay more, your insurance will also cover, for example, vaccinations, special diet food or nutritional supplements, protection against parasites and accommodation for the animal if its owner has to go to the hospital.

Pay attention to the small print

As is generally advisable with contracts, it is also worth taking a look at the small print. Because, according to the consumer advocate, “the smaller the font size, the more extensive the exceptions usually are.” For example, even if you take out pet insurance, you still have to pay a deductible. In addition, depending on the insurance package and provider, there are different coverage limits per year and case. According to Guido Zeilinger, you should also look at what waiting times and deadlines have to be adhered to before the insurance takes effect.

“Having insurance only when you actually need it may seem cost-effective, but it doesn’t work.”
Guido Zeilinger, AK consumer protection expert

It could also be that insurance companies require certain preliminary examinations and, in specific cases, remove specific services from the insurance package.

Termination of contract – what now?

But even if you have taken out insurance, you have no guarantee that it will remain in effect until the end of the animal’s life. According to Zeilinger, insurance companies can also terminate the contract unilaterally if, for example, damage occurs. The specific treatment would then still be covered, but after that it would be over.

“My advice: Customers definitely try to convert the cancellation into a voluntary cancellation, because a new insurance provider asks who canceled the previous insurance,” explains the AK consumer advocate, who advises telling the truth in such a case. The premium will most likely be higher if the insurance company terminates the contract. However, if you answer untruthfully, the new insurance could remain free of benefits in the event of damage and the premium would be lost.

Savings account as an alternative

Zeilinger is convinced that animal and health insurance for dogs or cats should definitely be carefully considered. “Perhaps you should also consider alternatives and, for example, put the annual premium, which ranges between 130 and 700 euros for dogs and cats depending on the animal, breed, age and gender, into a savings account that is only touched in an emergency.” But one thing is clear: the scope of the service package chosen depends on how far the owner is willing to open their wallet. In any case, there is no guarantee that the insurance will stay by the pet’s side for life.

“When illnesses occur that require lengthy treatments, dog and cat owners seek protection, but insurance companies quickly run away.”
Guido Zeilinger, consumer advocate at AK Leoben

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2024-01-21 08:26:21
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