DifferenceMore5431 t1_j4vlilb wrote on January 18, 2023 at 3:57 PM

Pet insurance isn't worth it or necessary the same way that health insurance is for people. You are better off just saving up that $300-500 per year that you would spend. There really aren't catastrophic medical expenses for pets that would cause you to spend $20k or something stupid like that.

Away-Screen2573 t1_j4vn6s6 wrote on January 18, 2023 at 4:07 PM

Wrong… Any emergency and many diagnostic tests can easily run into the thousands.

DifferenceMore5431 t1_j4w01ui wrote on January 18, 2023 at 5:27 PM

Sure but buying pet insurance for the lifetime of a cat (15 years) is $5-10k, plus if you ever need it there are generally copays and coinsurance which could add $thousands more. Exceptionally unlikely that even with several emergencies your out of pocket costs would ever exceed that.

Pet care can be expensive but having insurance doesn't magically make it go away... it just means you pay whether or not you use it. And if you have multiple pets, it's even more certain that pet insurance is a bad bet.

pennieblack t1_j4vnjzt wrote on January 18, 2023 at 4:10 PM

The insurance offered through my mothers work (about $25/month) covers prescription food. So if her cat went in with an emergency urinary blockage (~$1.5k - $3k) it'd cover the bill, then pay the ~$1k a year or so in prescription food costs going forward. Minus a $250 deductible.