3
out of 5
POSTED: | BY: Dale Brown
Buyer beware on "pre-existing" pet health issues
We have had three cats covered by the ASPCA Pet Insurance plan since 2008. In general the plan has provided the type of insurance support advertised. Most years we had no claims or claims less than the cost of purchasing the insurance. However in 2013 we have had a major challenge with the insurance plan. We submitted an insurance claim for a $2,500 procedure and it was denied because we had crossed 11 days into a new coverage year and because the pet’s illness had begun earlier it was now considered a “pre-existing condition”. After discussing on the phone with the ASPCA Pet Insurance claims individual and the supervisor, who were professional in their interactions, their answer was still to deny the claim. Even though we have been continuously covered for 5 years for all three cats and had not submitted any claims for the earlier veterinary assessments and felt that there was a change in diagnosis prompting the major assessment, it was considered “pre-existing”. In fact, no matter what the diagnosis or how slow the progression of a disease if the ASPCA can prove that at any time (even a day) earlier in the previous covered year there was any indication of illness then its “pre-existing” and not covered. Anyone signing up for ASPCA Pet Insurance should be fully aware that if their pet becomes ill at any point in a covered year and they do not fully resolve the illness in that year they will not be covered when the new policy year begins, no matter the reasoning. We obvious