When people talk about pet health insurance, they only talk about what is included in the cover and other perks and benefits. But, there are several situations in which a claim gets rejected. As a policyholder, one should know the perks and benefits and be mindful of the things excluded from the policy. It is always recommended to go through the product disclosure statement properly to have a fair idea of what is covered and not covered in the policy. This article will inform you about all the things that are not covered in some policies – every one is different.
Exclusion is not rare in insurance coverage; sometimes exclusions outnumber the number of covered things. Therefore, the best thing is to review everything excluded from the contract before checking what is covered and signing up for the deal. Below are some common grounds under which pet insurance claims are excluded or rejected.
Waiting period – Every pet insurance policy has waiting periods across certain medical conditions and situations. The minimum waiting period might be two days, and the maximum is 90 days for most insurance companies. But the waiting period differs from one insurance company to another. During this waiting period, the insurance company doesn’t provide any coverage for that particular item.
Pre-existing medical condition – This is one of the most common grounds for exclusion. If your pet has any pre-existing medical condition, that will very likely be subject to exclusion before the policy begins
Pregnancy – If your pet becomes pregnant, with many insurance providers you’ll have to take care of all the expenses as a pet parent. Birth-related things are usually excluded from most insurance policies.
Theft of pet or death – Like pregnancy, most pet health insurance companies do not cover any theft or death. Theft policies are available for zoo animals, but you usually won’t find them in cheap pet insurance.
Preventable disease – If you have a pet and haven’t vaccinated it against avoidable diseases like parvovirus, kennel cough, influenza, and giardia, if your pet contracts any of these diseases. it won’t be covered under the insurance policy.
Breeds – Insurance companies exclude certain breeds of cats and dogs because they are either illegally bred, not allowed to be pets in the insurance provider’s jurisdiction, far too expensive to cover (some pets cost tens of thousands of dollars) or are more susceptible to some diseases than others.
Age exclusion – Often, the insurance company does not agree to provide very senior pet coverage. For example, most insurance companies will refuse to insure a 14-year-old pet, while there is also a minimum age to insure a pet for some insurance companies. And, some follow the minimum eight weeks of age rule before they will insure a pet.
So these are some conditions under which a claim can be rejected/excluded. This article briefly indicates things that the insurance company covers. But, to learn everything about cheap pet insurance, it is always recommended to have a detailed conversation with the insurance company. You can meet the insurance provider in person or talk over the phone so that as a policyholder, you have a clear idea of what you are signing up for.