Can You Insure a Pet With a Pre-Existing Condition

According to Forbes, the pet insurance industry has grown by over 26 percent since 2018. When you consider the cost of some veterinary services, and how frequently a pet may need them, you can understand why pet owners have embraced this type of coverage. Pet insurance can make all the difference between being able to care for your pet properly and merely wishing that you could.

Sadly, some kinds of health challenges may not receive coverage under ordinary pet insurance policies, including many pre-existing conditions. But before you give up on insuring your furry friend, you should know that you have options. Let's look at how pet insurance works, what it does and doesn't cover, and how you can insure a pet that suffers from a pre-existing condition.

How Pet Insurance Works

Insurance for pets bears many similarities to human health insurance. For instance, you can get policies that address different kinds of care. The three main categories include comprehensive (accident/illness), accident-only, and wellness plans. Comprehensive insurance covers most (but not all) medically necessary prescriptions and treatments for accidents and illnesses, while accident-only insurance only covers problems sustained in an accident. Wellness plans are limited to routine, preventative, and diagnostic care.

The Problem With Pre-Existing Conditions

You might assume that a comprehensive pet insurance policy would cover your pet's healthcare needs -- but pre-existing conditions can throw a monkey wrench into that plan. Insurers typically group pre-existing conditions into the following types:

• Congenital/Hereditary - Issues present from birth such as intervertebral disc disease, hypothyroid disease, elbow dysplasia, congenital heart disease, hernia, and epilepsy.
• Bilateral - Conditions affecting both sides of the body, such as hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament tears.
• Curable - Problems that can usually be completely resolved such as urinary tract infections, ear infections, kennel cough, diarrhea, and vomiting.
• Incurable - Conditions that cannot be resolved, only managed; examples include arthritis, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, bladder crystals, kidney failure, and heart disease.

Some pet insurance policies may include coverage of curable pre-existing conditions. They rarely, if ever, cover the other categories unless they've been diagnosed after a six-month waiting period. This deficiency can mean that some of the most expensive conditions you have to deal with aren't covered by your policy.

The Solution: Pet Insurance Options Worth Considering

As you can see, traditional pet insurance simply doesn't meet the needs of some pets, including those that stand to benefit the most from such coverage. Fortunately, some providers can and do offer insurance for pets that have been diagnosed with pre-existing conditions. If you're worried that traditional insurance won't benefit your pet (or your bank account), consider the following alternatives.

Option 1: Add-On Pet Insurance Wellness Riders

In some cases, a pet insurance company will allow you to purchase additional types of coverage above and beyond what the policy specifies. If you're lucky, you might be able to purchase a rider that covers pre-existing conditions or other tricky issues. However, you'll pay more for that added coverage.

Option 2: Pet Assure – the Pet Insurance Alternative

Pet Assure is an example of a company that was built on helping owners care for pets with pre-existing conditions. Because it’s not insurance, it helps save significant money on your pet's veterinary treatments without all the red tape. The company does this in a couple of different ways:

Veterinary Discount Plans

Pet Assure offers a Veterinary Discount Plan which could save you significant money on caring for your pet's various health challenges, from preventative care to advanced medical treatments. 

How it works:

• You get instant discounts on in-house medical services at participating veterinarians. 
• There’s no need to submit a claim for reimbursement – all savings are discounted at the time of service. 
• Pet Assure welcomes pets of all ages, types, and breeds, including those known to have pre-existing conditions. 
• With no waiting period and no paperwork hassles, you can start using your pet's coverage right away. 

Mint Wellness

Mint Wellness is Pet Assure's wellness plan option. The Basic Plan includes routine pet care such as office visits, urinalysis, blood tests, and vaccinations. The higher-level plans include grooming, dental, and other wellness procedures. 

How it works:

• Visit any licensed U.S. vet and receive care.
• Submit a claim online and receive fast reimbursement via PayPal or Venmo
• At all levels, you also receive the Veterinary Discount Plan, including 25% off on in-house medical services at participating Pet Assure vets. 
• If your pet has a pre-existing condition that requires lots of monitoring, you'll most likely get plenty of use out of this plan.

Use Your Pet Care Plan and Schedule Necessary Care

Once you've found the perfect solution to help offset the costs of your pet's pre-existing condition, there's only one more step you need to take before you can benefit: put that pet healthcare plan to good use by scheduling visits with your veterinarian.

The sooner you get that condition under control, the more easily and affordably you and your vet can manage it -- and that's good news both for your pet and for your pocketbook!