Why Get Pet Health Insurance
The team at The Honolulu Pet Clinic sincerely recommends having pet health insurance. Pet health insurance is much simpler to use than human health insurance. As pet parents ourselves, we know this is not a very exciting topic. But having pet health insurance can mean the difference between saying yes or saying no to emergency or specialty care. And this yes or no can sometimes make the difference between getting to take our beloved pet home from the hospital versus having to say good-bye because we can't afford the necessary treatment. Many of us have tried to put money aside for pet emergencies and either the emergency came up before we had saved enough, or we had already needed to spend our pet's emergency fund on something else. Having Pet Health Insurance means you have a dependable partner to help financially take care of your pet: your insurance company.
How to Choose Coverage
Ideally your pet will have coverage for hereditary issues, chronic issues (such as allergies and arthritis), and emergencies.
All pet insurance companies are not the same and there are many different types of coverage. Selecting a plan can feel overwhelming, so we suggest using one of the many insurance comparison websites online, such as the one by Forbes:
Nationwide
If you would like to look into Nationwide, who insures cats and dogs as well as exotics, please click here and click the yellow tab that says START YOUR RESEARCH in the middle of the screen.
When is the Best Time to Get Pet Health Insurance?
Purchasing pet health insurance when your pet is a healthy puppy or kitten is the most budget-friendly way to go. Healthy pets have the lowest premiums because they don't typically require extensive coverage in their youth. If you missed the boat on this, not to worry. It is rarely too late to get pet health insurance. Just try to get your pet insured as soon as possible to minimize the number of pre-existing conditions that won't be covered by insurance.
Trupanion Pet Health Insurance and Free Month of Coverage
We want to be clear that the Honolulu Pet Clinic does not work for Trupanion Health Insurance. However, we are big fans of theirs. And we are one of the few clinics on the island approved for their program called Trupanion Express. Trupanion Express means that if your pet's visit is approved, you can pay only the amount you owe for the visit, and Trupanion will pay the balance. This means you don't have to pay the full amount for the treatment and then wait to be reimbursed for the part covered by your policy.
Please note that Trupanion does not cover exotics such as rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, and turtles. However, Nationwide does.
Trupanion also offers a free month of coverage for pets that have an exam here at THPC. Once your exam is complete, reception will send you an email with the free month offer. You need to follow each step in the email and once you're finished coverage begins immediately. (If you have more than one pet that came for an exam, you'll need to follow the steps in each separate emailed offer so all pets will have coverage). When the month is over you decide if you'd like to officially enroll with Trupanion. They will send you an email with options to continue with different plans and pricing available to you. If you do not wish to continue you may disregard the email and coverage will end on its own.
Click here to visit Trupanion, or click here to view our Trupanion Information Sheet.
Thank you for reading this. Again, we know insurance is not an exciting topic, but as advocates for all creatures big and small, we had to mention it. Please let us know how we can help you get started.