Why Knowing Pre-Existing Conditions in Pet Insurance is Important

Author: Wills Smith

Knowing pre-existing conditions is important when buying a pet insurance policy for your cat or dog.

Despite the fact that most pets have health-related problems to different levels, pre existing conditions can stop pet owners from buying insurance. Similar to human health insurance, the cost and level of pet health insurance is decided by the health of the pet before buying a policy.

What is a Pre Existing Condition?

Many pet owners don’t precisely understand what these conditions are and how they influence their pet insurance policy.

A pre-existing health problem is one that was present before the original policy's effective date or within the waiting period whether identified or not.

One norm in the industry is that no pet insurance company would cover for health problems that ocurred before the purchase of a policy.

Nevertheless, the meaning of what represents a pre-existing condition might vary from one insurance company to another. A pre-existing health problem is basically any condition that was already present before the policy was bought.

To some companies this might suggest any kind of chronic, hereditary or congenital disorder and to others it is just a condition that happened before the policy is purchased.

There are essentially two types of health conditions and diseases - curable and incurable.

A) Curable health problems:

Given below are health conditions and diseases that are considered curable and are usually covered by pet insurers:

• Urinary tract infections
• Diarrhea and/or vomiting
• Bladder infections
• Respiratory infections
• Other curable conditions

 

B) Incurable health conditions:

The following health problems and illnesses are considered incurable and are not covered by most pet insurers:

• Injury on the opposite side of an earlier injury or orthopedic illness
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Skin lumps or lipomas
• Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism
• Urinary or bladder crystals or obstructions
• Allergies
• Hip dysplasia
• Other chronic illnesses

It is always the duty of the pet parent to explore and know what disorders are "breed specific" to their pets and make queries as to what would and wouldn’t be covered if the need for medical intervention comes up.

You should remember that it is important for you to know how pre-existing conditions affect the eligibility of your pet for pet insurance. You should be diligent and need to shop around for getting the best insurance coverage for your pet.