Greg says:
| 9/3/2010 |
| If you would have added the Continuing Care Endorsement which is only a few dollars more, you would still be covered for the hyperthyroidism.You also would have additional funds to treat your cat's issue. ANY insurance plan would see a new policy with your issue as a pre-existing condition. Pet health insurance is not like our own. It renews every 12 months. So an ongoing problem NOT cured and treatment free for 180 days, would be pre-existing come renewal time. | |
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Greg says:
| 8/12/2010 |
| Customary and usual charges are dependent on location of the vet. Example; A vet in Iowa will charge less than a vet in Beverly Hills. Still 80% reimbursement is given provided the treatment is covered. If a cat gets UTI and is treated and considered well for 180 days, there is no issue when it's time to renew. ALL insurance policies have a renewal review. UNlike human insurance, pet insurance will not cover pre-existing conditions. | |
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Gwendolyn says:
| 6/10/2010 |
| ASPCA is rather shady! My two dogs are still insured with them, but I am doing many more reviews and opinions prior to changing. I had another dog that was insured with Health Care Plus for 13 years. When he turned 14 years old his insurance was cancelled and he never had another more than routine treatments. He lived until he was 16 years and the last two years was the most expensive, but he was my best friend! | |
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Jennifer says:
| 5/19/2010 |
| I have had the same problem with ASPCA. My story is too long, but they definitely seem "Shady". I can't believe that my vets office suggested them to us. I am definitely going to turn them into the State Bureau Of Insurance and inform my vets office about them. I wish that I read something like this before we put all of our money into ASPCA. | |
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Nicole says:
| 2/25/2010 |
| I was completely unhappy with what I paid for. I had three pets insured by the ASPCA insurance. Of course, similar to the first story, my cat had a check up and then less the 180 days later, had an emergency and needed to go to the er. ASPCA did not cover one penny of the bill. I called the company and they provided very vague answers. In addition, I asked to speak with a manager or someone higher than an operator and they refused to cooperate.
In addition, the ASPCA explains that they cover reasonable costs for vet bills. Well, there form of a reasonable cost is about a quarter of what you really pay at the vet | |
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Sashma says:
| 12/22/2009 |
| Anonymous, I have read all of the comments on here. You seem to be the only ignorant one of the lot. These seem to be legitimate complaints about a company providing coverage for pets that people love, I don't care if they are considered "property." This company does not seem to keeping up its end of the bargain, and if I am reading correctly, slipped in the 180 day treatment rule after people had begun getting treatment for their pets. You, Anonymous, are either working for ASPCA or are a troll. | |
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Cecil says:
| 12/2/2009 |
| I should have read these comments before signing up. I just placed my two cats on a level 3 policy. The litmus test will be when I submit my claim for an existing condition that occurred over 180 days ago (chronic upper respiratory tract infection).
If it gets denied, I plan to cancel both policies. | |
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Paz says:
| 10/20/2009 |
| It seems that the ASPCA Pet Health Isurance Plan has an option called "Continuing Care Endorsement" at an additional charge which would cover the on going care. You can read about it here: www.aspcapetinsurance.com/pet-insurance-plans/plans/continuing-care-pet-insurance.aspx
Would this solve the major problem described by this and other reviews?
-Paz | |
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Kris says:
| 9/18/2009 |
| i won't tell you my long drama, but my story is very similar to the first post. As my dog aged, they denied more and more claims. I have 5 pets insured with them x 11 years - all have the highest coverage. You do the math on how much money they have received from me over the years. I am also contemplating a suit as they were very deceptive with my recent claim.
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chekesha says:
| 8/22/2009 |
| Mr. anonymous...
Check your grammer. It is interesting that you can make all those smart remarks but don't have the GUTS to identify yourself. HMMMMMM.... | |
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anonymous says:
| 5/18/2009 |
| Yeah well I think people just mostly do not read the fine print. Also you have to know how to work and set up your plan, so its not the ins agencies fault. Most people health insurance is guilty of the same gripes people have here. But lets face it folks pets are classified as property and well you pay for them and own them so, they are. You don't pay for and own humans =/. Therefore Pets must be insured as property so like I said you just have to know how to work and set up your plan. Oh and a lot of you can't spell, and seem sort of ignorant I think thats why you got confused and lost money...=/ | |
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Shannon says:
| 5/8/2009 |
| Wow! I just posted a raving review of PetsHealthCarePlan of which Hartville is the parent company. I am quite surprised by what I'm reading! Mary Ann, I need more details of why you say this is a scam. I'd appreciate whatever you could share.
As for me, I can only speak to my own experiences with Hartville since early 2002 with 4 pets (Wow! can't believe it's been 7 years!).
First of all, I just buy the injury or illness coverage. My early research back when there were like only TWO pet-insurers, I found buying into any of the higher coverages was cost-prohibitive for me, especially when I found a vet/hospital/clinic that doesn't charge over-the-top prices for exams, etc. I've been fortunate in finding great vets, but I did go to one that was outrageous in their charges at one point. Didn't go back.
And yes, I have spent a lot of time on the phone with Hartville customer service making sure I understood the policy exclusions. I have to rate their customer service an A+. I can only recall one time getting a guy on the phone who seemed to be a "script-reader" and really didn't listen to my issue. Pissed me off at first. So I just hung up and got someone else who was wonderful. I made it a point to remember her name and requested her on any future calls. It was no problem to be transferred to her and when she wasn't available she always called me back within 24 hrs. She gave me her direct email and I copy her in on all my claim submissions. Even though I don't expect it, she calls me to let me know she received the email and ensures the claims department is working on it.
I think the maximum time it took for me to get a reimbursement was 3 weeks. One time I got it in ONE week! Average is probably 2 weeks. I even appealed a claim as they had lumped a totally separate injury together with a previous injury and shorted me because I hit the $1500 cap. The appeal took one week to resolve and I got everything corrected and the proper reimbursment sent to me.
I, too, have been disappointed at the "reasonable cost" tables, but I don't know who's really at fault...is the vet over-charging or are the insurance coverage tables outdated or non-reflective of the region??? But I get over this disappointment when I look at what I've paid in premiums over the years and what the plan has paid out.
In my latest experience, my kitty (Jonah) was covered since 2003. To keep things simple, let's put the monthly premium at $13/mo (I believe it started off around $6 or $7/mo and he ended at $13.13/mo). 6 years x 12 months = 72 months. 72 months x $13 = $936.00 total paid in premiums, which is considerably overstated. In the last 6 months alone, the insurance reimbursed me $1731.74 with one more claim still in process.
The way I look at it, this is money I either 1. would have paid anyway with no reimbursement or 2. would not have paid (and therefore not treated my pet) because I knew I couldn't afford it if I wasn't getting any kind of reimbursement. That second option is what scares me to death when it comes to my babies and is the sole reason why I have insurance.
Yes, I did learn the hard way on the whole renewal coverage thing as I got rejected on a $350-$400 claim when my other kitty Boaz had to go to the cardiologist for an ultrasound. My appeal got rejected, too, and I don't think my claim & appeal were properly communicated on my end (I forget what was going on at the time, but it was crazy). But Boaz has had 4 urinary blocks in 4 years (3 times to the emergency vet) and he had corrective surgery which ended the problem forever...all 5 instances were separate covered claims and got me a BOAT load of money back. Again, that's how I get over the disappointments that I have experienced with the coverage.
Having said all that, if there's better coverage out there, I want to know! And I'll switch, too! It's all about the babies first, but my wallet and budget are next in line! I just haven't had the time to research all the carriers and really haven't had a reason to leave Hartville. Thanks to all for your posts. They are all helpful and I hope you find my post helpful, too. | |
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Evan says:
| 4/5/2009 |
| Go Mary Ann! You GO girl! You Rock! | |
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PK says:
| 3/9/2009 |
| I had the same negative experience and wish I had found this website before I wasted money on ASPCA. Do not go with them! | |
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Royce says:
| 2/8/2009 |
| Thank you for taking time to fill out reviews. I am moving on to another company because of your review. ~ Thank you | |
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Royce's Mom says:
| 2/8/2009 |
| Thank you for taking time to fill out reviews. I am moving on to another company becaus eof youtr review. ~ Thank you | |
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M. Romero says:
| 12/19/2008 |
| Even though my first year of association with ASPCA was not good at all since most of the claims submitted were denied for a variety of reasons, I went ahead and renew it and once again the claim was rejected. If there is a way to be protected by insurance companies like these, our lives and our pets health will be better protected. I have to be extremely carefully now when I choose the next insurance company. dont use this one. | |
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Pat says:
| 10/9/2008 |
| We took out ASPCA for our new pup and have found it to be a real rip-off. We went with the Premier Plan and after paying $650.00 for the premium, we've only recovered $62.00. We've found that their usually and customary charges are WAY below our vet charges. Our vet charges are not out of line when compared with other vets in our area. They find every little way to get out of paying for services. I would NEVER recommend ASPCA to anyone and I did a lot of homework before deciding to go with them. What a mistake.....live and learn. Once our policy expires, we DEFINITELY will NOT renew. | |
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Mary Ann says:
| 7/7/2008 |
| This review and your responses to my comments show serious concerns about this company. On two occasions, they have promised to pay claims after being badgered, even giving a dollar amount. Then, they reneged on that promise. Google them and you will see that this is SOP for them. Please keep your comments coming to my email and this site. I intend to seek justice at personal expense. No pet should be denied health care because their owner tried to do the right thing and was treated like this. | |
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Mary Ann says:
| 6/29/2008 |
| Go to your state Bureau of Insurance, Dept of Insurance, or whatever they are called and make a complaint. I did and I am suing. PLEASE go and at least file and ask them for their free help. Also contact the Attorney General. | |
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Mary Ann says:
| 6/29/2008 |
| YES it is very deceptive policy renewals--as an attorney who specializes in insurance law I can assure you that I have fully investigated this company. They are a scam. Please email me at southberwick@aol.com with your complaints and I guarantee I won't charge a penny and will have ANOTHER lawyer litigate this. | |
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