ASPCA | Pet Insurance Review

When my eight year old Vizsla mix was diagnosed with multiple mast cell tumors, we were overwhelmed with worry about our beloved pet, but also worry about the cost of his care. Our plan with ASPCA covers 80% of "reasonable" costs. Since we live in a very expensive metro area,we were certain that 80% of "reasonable" would equate to about 15% of the actual cost. I was so pleased (and quite frankly surprised) to find that in total, about 65-70% of our costs were covered--certainly more than we have paid in premiums over the years. Also, the ability to submit the claim forms online and have them processed within a week or two was great. The customer service reps were very helpful whenever I called.

I have had pets all my life and never owned pet insurance. We have a 10 year old lab mix. Best dog ever! We are so attached to her like many pet owners. Last month she became so ill we didn't think she was going to make it. We would have done anything to save her. After wonderful care from the emergency room she is back to normal. With the economic downturn and all the costs it was hard enough but with the ASPCA Pet insurance, made things much more bearable. Wouldn't be without it.

I purchased ASPCA pet insurance for my 2 cats when they were 11 years of age for a very reasonable amount per month for both of them. About 3-4 months after recieving the coverage one of my cats got very sick the ASPCA reimbursement was very welcome! They have come through for me and the cats time and again. An added note, all of the people I have talked to at the ASPCA have been so very nice, caring and really helpful! And it is nice to know that some of the money goes to help the ASPCA.

My strong recommendation is that you DO NOT purchase ASPCA Pet Insurance (actually operated by Hartville Pet Insurance). They will happlily accept your premiums and then just as happily deny your claims based on "pre-existing condions" using every trick in the book to do so. When they're unable to claim pre-existing conditions, they will minimize the payment based on some ludicrous schedule of payments "in your area" that has no basis in reality. Here are some of my experiences, summarized: 1. Purchased annual policy effective June 2004. This made my annual renewal date June 1st of each year. 2. Paid premiums monthly. Almost all of my claims were nullified by the deductible. When I actually had a service performed by a vet that exceeded the deductible, the insurance adjuster came up with the most ridiculous "reasonable & average" cost for the procedure (which was LESS THAN ONE HALF of what my vet charged (and I checked 4 different vets in my area - all were about the same), and then subtracted my deductable from that. ON A $275 CLAIM, I RECEIVED A CHECK FOR $34. 3. The most outrageous element of their scam occurred when my dog was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2008. The vet scheduled the removal of a malignant tumor for the first week of June. The cost was over $2,400 for the surgery. MY CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE THEY CLAIMED THAT BY JUNE OF 2008 (one week after the policy renewed), THE CANCER WAS A " PRE-EXISTING CONDITION" (i.e. it existed in the prior policy year, which was actually 2 weeks prior). Only the actual filing of a lawsuit by my attorney got this scam shop to pay my claim (and again, only half the actual cost). I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU CONSIDER THESE ISSUES BEFORE PURCHASING A POLICY FROM THIS COMPANY!

When you look at ASPCA (Hartville) as a potential provider of insurance for that special member of your family take into consideration the reviews you read on this site. Some are very good and some are very bad resulting in a rating in the 5 - 6 range. As a person that has learned by experience, after 1.5 years with ASPCA I am now looking for a better alternative. Based on my first year experience, I would rate the ASPCA policy with a 7. The claims process was easy, they were very conservative in their reimbursement of my claims (allowable amounts for my region are much lower than the amounts charged by veternarians) and the premium costs seemed reasonable. When I did the compare of my premium costs to my out of pocket costs less reimbursements the result was self insurance would have been less expensive. This is typical of any insurance policy because the insurance is there for the big events. As we moved to year two my rating goes to 2 and I caution people to consider other providers. My dog exibited symptoms that indicated potential liver problems. I made the decision to have tests done to know what was causing the syptoms and if treatment was needed. I submitted my claims to ASPCA with confidence that they would be there for me (as they promise in their web marketing). To shorten this story, ASPCA did not delviver on the brand promise of protecting our little friends nor the marketing promise presented by Hartville on their web site. They said that since blood tests were done outside of the plan period (this is their way of avoiding payments) that should have indicated the syptoms or should have allowed my Vet to diagnose the problem I had a pre-existing condition (#18 is their code). Four claims have been denied, customer service has been polite but very slow to respond and I feel there is limited recourse. I now realize that I made the ill fated choice to buy insurance from a company that co-branded with someone I trusted but that did not mean it was good insurance. Hartville invests their money into web marketing and limits the funds going to robust customers service. The business model depends on very limited payouts so the policy is written to accomplish that. When you do the math in terms a policy that is replaced on a yearly basis so that anything in the previous year could be pre-existing unless you can demonstrate the 180 day rule you cannot win with this company. Rates go up every year and the odds are the things they will cover go down. It is not a scam, it is just a business model that is based on greed and a brand message that does not ring true.