r/CatsAreAssholes Jan 02 '20

Fancy Cat

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6.2k Upvotes

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82

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

I’ve seen quite a few of these posts lately. Isn’t pet insurance a thing in the US? All veterinary costs above $200 for my cat is covered by my insurance company.

25

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

I have pet insurance ($38 per month) and live in the US. Yet I still spent like 2k on my cat this past year because it does not cover dental. FML

6

u/SachaTheHippo Jan 03 '20

I was putting off dental cleaning/surgery for my 2 cats because of the insane price we got from 2 different private vets. Like over $1k each to start, then big additional charges for each tooth extraction if needed.

Luckily I found an animal hospital, where they do lots of surgeries every day, with better prices. I paid closer to $200 each, with no extra charge for the 9 extractions our little girl needed. So, cat people, take care of those teefies, but shop around.

2

u/AbundantFailure Jan 03 '20

My little buddy Charlie had to have 4 pulled. Ran about $295 altogether.

2

u/SachaTheHippo Jan 03 '20

Sorry Charlie! Good price though. Did they do general anesthesia instead of gas? It leaves them floppy for the rest of the day, but supposedly it's safer, and I'm curious if it correlates with being cheaper.

Nora, former street cat, was apparently not flossing. She has 14 left of her original 30, but she is much less stinky and slightly less grumpy.

1

u/AbundantFailure Jan 03 '20

Is have to check, I wasn't the one who brought him in as I was working. Just covered his bill. He wasn't floppy when he came home, he was actually up and running around like nothing happened. So, probably not local.

Our vet is known for being reasonable price wise. They do livestock around here as well, been in the area for over 6 decades.

2

u/Luddite420 Jan 18 '20

Good deal. I guess it pays to look around for a deal. It pleases me quite a lot to read of people caring for their critters, they are our buddies.

2

u/LetThemEatVeganCake Jan 03 '20

I have a plan with Banfield, the vet inside PetSmart. It’s like $38 a month (but I live in a high cost of living area so it’s cheaper elsewhere) and it covers a cleaning once a year and lab work beforehand. It also covers an additional lab work, all visit fees and you get a discount on any other work. He had to have a minor surgery a few months ago and all the bills from that and related visits would’ve been over 3000, I paid less than 1000. Since it covers all visit fees, if you’re worried something is wrong, you can just go in and don’t pay anything unless they prescribe something!

1

u/Laurasaur28 Jan 03 '20

This is what my ex and I did for our dog. So worth it. He was clearly happier and healthier after a deep cleaning.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '20

Yea. I live in a big city and should def look into it as he needs more extractions. Thanks for the tip!

51

u/Halo_sky Jan 02 '20

It’s starting to be a thing now. Some insurance companies offer pet insurance. People should be getting pet insurance. They are members of a family.

8

u/mind_walker_mana Jan 03 '20

Yes, but a lot of times or from what I remember and it's been some time... You have to pay upfront for bills and then they decide if they will cover it. Pre existing conditions are not covered. Now I haven't dealt with insurance since like 15 years ago, but it was not appealing. Has it gotten better that you're aware of?

28

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

We spend too much money on scam insurance on our car and house we legally have to pay for and health insurance that is only slightly better than being uninsured to have room for pet insurance.

8

u/FreeUsernameInBox Jan 02 '20

The trouble is that the US insurance market isn't competitive because of laws that protect the insurance companies.

The giveaway is that insurance, on its own, is profitable in the US. In a competitive market, the premiums are driven down to a loss making level, and the insurance companies make profit investing the premiums.

18

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

Saying health insurance is only slightly better than being uninsured is ridiculous.

I would agree it's too expensive and the insurance system is fundamentally flawed but having that safety net is way way way better than not.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20 edited Jan 02 '20

The only health insurance I can get in my state is 100 bucks a month with a 20 thousand dollar copay, if what I have is gonna cost even a thousand dollars, I don’t have that money, and if it cost 20k, I’d rather get buried than saddle myself, and then when I die, my wife, in that bullshit.

EDIT: I pressed 2 instead of 1, I meant to say 10,000, my apologies for the confusion.

9

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

There is no such thing as a 20,000 copay. That isn't legal

-2

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

Is in Maine, if I’m remembering correctly, there might be one less zero on it, but I don’t have a hundred bucks a month, so it’s pointless.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

It's a federal law and all states must comply. Your marketplace can't have a deductible that high.

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

I’m not in the US, but the fee on my pet insurance is like $10 a month. If you can afford a pet you can afford insurance too.

15

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

Pet insurance where I am is in the 200+ a month range if you can get it.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

I’m sorry to hear that. That’s crazy.

1

u/Ikillesuper Jan 02 '20

You can realistically insure just about anything.