Does Pet Insurance Cover Pre- Existing Conditions?
In the pet insurance industry, most pet insurance providers do not cover pre-existing conditions. Spot plans, like many others, may have waiting periods before coverage begins for accidents and illnesses. We highly recommend obtaining pet insurance early in a pet’s life to help ensure that the costs to treat any conditions they may encounter later in life have coverage.
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What Does Pet Insurance Consider as a Pre-Existing Condition?
A pre-existing condition is any illness or injury that shows signs of manifesting prior to getting a policy and before the end of the policy’s waiting period usually including undiagnosed issues. With Spot plans, it is important to note that vet bills for cured and curable pre-existing conditions like broken bones and foreign object ingestion may be covered in the future if the pet has gone 180 days symptom and treatment-free.
Note: This does not apply to ligament and knee conditions.
How Do Pet Insurance Providers Know About Pre-Existing Conditions?
Pet Insurance providers usually know about pre-existing conditions because they typically request the pet’s medical records when a claim is submitted to see if these conditions predate the individual’s coverage effective date.
Can You Get Pet Insurance After a Diagnosis?
Yes, you can get pet insurance after a diagnosis, but the policy will likely exclude coverage for the pre-existing condition. In other words, there is nothing preventing you from purchasing a pet insurance plan after your pet is diagnosed with a condition. Though the plan likely won’t cover costs related to the pre-existing condition, future unexpected accidents or illnesses can still be covered.
What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
Pet insurance usually covers vet bills for unexpected accidents and illnesses. Some examples of accidents include burns, lacerations, bite wounds, and other kinds of physical injuries of the same nature. An accident-only plan is a bare-bones pet insurance plan, excluding coverage for illnesses. When it comes to illnesses and accidents, many pet insurance providers offer an accident and illness plan that is designed to help protect against the costs for some conditions that may require ongoing care. With an optional wellness add-on, costs for routine care services like vaccinations and routine care check-ups can be covered. You could learn more about what pet insurance covers here.
