Is there such a thing as pet health insurance and if so, how does it work?

Yes, there is such a thing as pet health insurance. There are several different companies that provide this service. Most policies have deductibles and they pay a benefit amount based on the specific condition/service/treatment.

Basically, you pay an annual/monthly premium to the insurer. Then, you choose what veterinarian you want to see and submit the invoice to the insurance company. You still pay the veterinarian in full on the day that services are rendered. The insurance company reimburses you directly based on their predefined reimbursement rates for various services. We, as a provider of services, stay completely out of the loop and you deal directly with the insurance company.

As in any service field, there are new companies joining this particular industry all of the time. We have not really dealt with any of them personally and have no recommendation as to which company is best. However, probably the most well-known company is Veterinary Pet Insurance.

For a list of companies who provide this service, we suggest typing in “Veterinary pet insurance” into your favorite search engine or you can go to the results from a Google search .