Pre-Existing Condition Coverage?

Great news! There appears to finally be a pet insurance company that is insuring many pets with pre-existing conditions! That company is AKC Pet Insurance.

What is the catch you ask? Well there are many, but one could argue that it is a good step in the right direction.

Here are the stipulations:

• Pre-existing coverage is not available in all states

• Pre-existing coverage requires 365 days of continuous insurance coverage before the condition will be covered

• AKC pet insurance only covers cats and dogs at this time

  • Puppies must be 8 weeks of age and kittens must be 10 weeks of age to qualify for coverage

  • Geriatric pets over the age of 9 will only qualify for accident only plans.

    
    

    

    
    

What are some of the specific plans?

• There are accident only plans, accidents and injury plans, wellness plans, and add-on such as: ExamPlus, Defender & DefenderPlus, Hereditary Plus, Breeding Coverage, AlternativePlus, and SupportPlus

  • AccidentCare includes lacerations, broken bones, bite wounds, toxin ingestion, snake bite, bee stings, eye injuries, sprains, imaging, hospitalization, prescription medications, emergency care, laboratory tests, pet ambulance, surgery.

    • There is a deductible and annual limit

  • Illness coverage includes broken bones, cancer, and chemotherapy, cruciate ligament issue, toxin ingestion, hypothyroidism, digestive issues, allergies, UTIs, IVDD, surgery, hospitalization, hydrotherapy and physical therapy, laboratory tests, imaging, prescription medications, dental extractions due to accident, euthanasia

  • ExamPlus includes primary care, specialty, and emergency exam fees

  • Defender includes wellness exams, urinalysis or early renal detection tests, microchip, deworming, heartworm testing and preventatives, feLV screen, vaccinations/titers, blood/fecal/parasite testing, flea/tick preventatives

  • DefenderPlus includes defender coverage plus spay/neuter, teeth cleaning

  • HereditaryPlus includes heart disease, hip and elbow dysplasia, arthritis, luxating patella, spondylosis, eye disorders, diabetes mellitus

  • Breeding coverage includes emergency (not planned) C-section, mastitis, metritis, gestational diabetes, eclampsia, dystocia and retained placenta, pyometra, uterine/vaginal prolapse or stricture, pregnancy related liver failure. This coverage excludes planned C-sections, artificial insemination, and other routine, preventative, elective procedures

  • AlternativePlus include acupuncture, chiropractic, holistic therapies, and behavioral problems.

    • There may be a separate annual coverage limit on behavioral coverage

  • SupportPlus includes cremation, burial, urns, and pet memorials, necropsy

It is important to remember that like other insurance plans, there are waiting periods for coverage. For AKC Pet insurance, here are some of the waiting periods advertised:

• 0 days for accidents related to a car accident

• 2 days for most injuries

• 14 days for illness

• 30 days for orthopedic illness

• 30 days for congenital and hereditary conditions

• 30 days for alternative therapies/complementary therapies/behavioral issues

• 30 days for breeding coverage

• 180 days for cruciate ligament tear (365 days for second leg)

• 180 days for disc disease/herniation (365 days for subsequent discs).

In some areas, a veterinarian can fill out a waiver to expedite coverage for things like a cruciate tear.

One thing I found to be a bit concerning was the following:

Foreign body ingestion, Cat/Dog bites, toxin ingestions are only covered once in a pet's lifetime. Other "repetitive" issues may also be included with this. Yikes!

Exclusions for coverage include:

• Elective and experimental procedures

• Obesity treatments

• Organ transplants

• Chronic dental conditions like periodontal disease

• Advanced dental/orthodontic procedures unless medically necessary as a result of an accident

• Parasite treatments

• Prosthesis

• Grooming related incidents/accidents

• Most pet food except a prescribed diet used as a sole treatment for a disease

• Certain fees such as medical waste fees, shipping fees, administrative fees, etc.

• House calls

• Boarding, training, (think agility training) racing, security guarding, working, fighting (think bite work), +/- law enforcement (unless prior authorization), etc.

• Injury from rioting, enemy attacks, pandemics, epidemics, various weapons of mass destruction, avian or swine flu, etc.

One positive is that there are multi-pet and breeder discounts available in many states, although this is not specific to this insurance company.

Picking an insurance provider is a personal decision and many things have to be weighed. One thing I appreciate about this company, is that it allows pet owners who may have lost or terminated coverage to obtain a new insurance plan with the potential to cover pre-existing conditions. Hopefully this becomes a new more attainable trend in the future.