Petplan - a HUGE THUMBS DOWN!

[wheelhorse]

Are there any good alternatives to PetPlan?

Start a medical savings plan for your dogs. No fuss, no paper work and the money's there when you need it.

And you won't piss off your vet, having fill out insurance claims.

[Rainmaker]

Just filed a claim for a csection and got reimbursed, no problem. More than worth the premiums to me, have had no issues with Petplan over the years and I continue to recommend my buyers get insurance.

[gdgnyc]

Just filed a claim for a csection and got reimbursed, no problem. More than worth the premiums to me, have had no issues with Petplan over the years and I continue to recommend my buyers get insurance.

What do you think is the reason that some people are having such a hard time with it? Is it like my own health insurance---If the girl behind the desk is good at writing up the claim I have no problems?

[Rainmaker]

What do you think is the reason that some people are having such a hard time with it? Is it like my own health insurance---If the girl behind the desk is good at writing up the claim I have no problems?

I don't know. I think if you put a pup on right from the beginning, obviously there are no pre-existing issues to deal with, so that might be part of it. Also following the guidelines, such as exams, etc, and understanding what the coverage actually is and how the process works, up front, might clear up some misunderstandings. Sometimes, not everyone and everything is perfect, including pet owner, vet or insurance company, stuff happens, not everyone is going to be happy all the time.

The claim form is very minimal for completion by the vet. As long as the records sent along with the form are complete, I haven't had issues. When there's something missing in the records, Petplan emails me and tells what the lack is and I let the vet know to send whatever they missed. Compared to the rigamarole with human health insurance, for even the simplest appointment, the last one I swear took 6 phone calls for one in-office visit, Petplan has not been a problem for me or my vet. I also haven't had to use it for anything out of the ordinary or had a ton of claims, so, maybe I've just been lucky, but whatever, it's been well worth it financially for me.

[gdgnyc]

Thank you for the insight.

[RookieTrainer]

I am getting the "pre-existing condition" runaround right now for a bacterial infection that unfortunately occurred twice - once before I got the policy (and was treated and cleared up) and one after (of course, also treated and cleared up).

I am an attorney, so i realize that most "insurance problems" stem from a failure to read the policy and know what is covered and what is not, along with timing things as another poster pointed out. That said, I think my problem has a little to do with what my vet sent and a lot to do with PetPlan.

Actually, my vet's documentation is outstanding. It's a large practice with FIVE veterinarians, I don't know how many assistants, two waiting areas, a full modern boarding facility, etc. My vet actually specializes in canine infectious disease. The bottom line is that Petplan had highly detailed documentation but even their agent said since the vet referenced "arthopathy" again, that it was a "pre-existing condition." I talked until I was blue in the face telling her she (or someone) needed to actually review the documentation as it was clearly evident the actual symptoms and even test results were dissimilar. The bottom line is that they were looking for any means possible to deny the claim. I've gotten with my vet and we're going to resubmit it with further explanation for what clearly shouldn't need further explanation.

[Mark AB]

What do you think is the reason that some people are having such a hard time with it? Is it like my own health insurance---If the girl behind the desk is good at writing up the claim I have no problems?

I've worked in insurance for over 30 years (P&C) so for a full disclosure I am biased. Some of the negative impressions of the insurance industry are deserved and we certainly earned some of the bad raps with sometimes poor service, poorly trained staff, and outsourcing important services - our face to the customer can sometimes be pretty ugly and its usually in the throws of a claim when passions are highly energized. To me personally, this is unacceptable and embarrassing.

But I feel the bum rap we do get is when expectations are unreasonable. Some folks think their policy covers everything and of course it doesn't. Not every policy covers the same exposure but if someone hears that a claim for someone else was covered they expect the same, but their policy may and probably is not the same. Also adjusters can only go with the information they are presented and the quality of first notice is important. Information that changes after a denial raises flags and creates skepticism. We all pay for folks trying to scam the system. At one point one of the fast growing functions within the Ins. industry was fraud investigators.

Were like the oil companies in that were an easy target and as I said I recognize we certainly earned some of the negative perceptions. As for my organization and some others, we make money by not denying claims, but paying the claims were supposed to promptly. We make money through spread of risk; selling to a broad range of customers knowing some will use the coverage and have claims while other wont. In the end we add it all up, pay our expenses and if we make 1 or 2 cents on the dollar we call it a good year. (i put on my kevlar boxers and let the flaming begin)

The best advice I can make for any insurance purchase is to do your homework first, make sure you know your policy coverages, what is required to present claims (the process), work closely with your vet and if needed guid them through the process and claims submissions. If you still have a problem where you think your wronged and have exhausted efforts with the provider; take your documentation to the state agencies overseeing consumer affairs, insurance and banking, and or state attorney generals.

Hey us insurance folks are humans too, if you prick us do we not bleed ???