Unexpected injuries and illnesses are covered by pet insurance. In most cases, when you purchase a policy, you won’t be immediately covered for specific concerns, such as pet diseases or cruciate ligament problems. Before your insurance begins to pay, you must go through a “waiting period”.
All pet insurance providers have Pet Health Insurance Waiting Periods, but the better insurance providers will have shorter waiting periods. What you should know about pet insurance waiting periods and how to choose a plan that fits your needs is provided below.
What are The Pet Health Insurance Waiting Periods?
The period between the time your policy is purchased and the start of your coverage is called the pet insurance waiting period.
For example, suppose the waiting period for your pet insurance plan is 14 days and your dog develops an ear infection two days after you purchase the policy. In that case, you will not be reimbursed for the associated vet costs. related to ear infections.
How Long is The Waiting Period for Pet Insurance?
Pet insurance waiting periods can generally be divided into three categories.
Waiting Time Before an Accident
This is the amount of time before an accident, such as breaking a bone or swallowing something, is covered by insurance. The waiting time for an accident is usually 48 hours.
Time Between Illnesses
This is the length of time until a condition such as cancer or a urinary tract infection is covered by insurance. There is usually a 14-day waiting period for illnesses with pet insurance providers.
Waiting Times for Different Types of Problems
This is the length of time until a condition such as cancer or a urinary tract infection is covered by insurance. There is usually a 14-day waiting period for illnesses with pet insurance providers.
Waiting Times for Different Types Of Problems
This is the period until certain illnesses, such as disc disease and cruciate ligament injuries, or dental coverage are covered under your policy. Normally, this waiting period lasts 180 days.
Some illnesses have no waiting periods for all pet insurance providers. For instance, there is no additional waiting period for cruciate ligament or disc disorders with Pets Plus Us and Trupanion.
Are There Any Pet Insurance Plans That Don’t Require A Waiting Period?
Pet insurance plans with no waiting period will not be offered. There are Pet Health Insurance Waiting Periods before any pet insurance carrier can pay for your pet’s care.
The explanation is simple: pet insurance providers want to make sure consumers are covered before their pets get sick.
Pre-existing conditions are usually not covered by insurance, intended for protection in the event something unexpected happens. To be able to pay the cost of caring for sick animals, insurance companies depend on receiving premium payments from the owners of healthy pets—sometimes for years.
Without Pet Health Insurance Waiting Periods, anyone could wait to sign up until their pet was sick or injured, and the insurance company would have to start spending a lot of cash on care right away. before receiving payment under the new policy.
Because insurance companies don’t want and can’t afford to do that, they impose waiting periods, requiring pet owners who want to make sure their pets will be taken care of to purchase insurance before an accident. accident or illness occurs.
Since there’s no pet insurance policy without a waiting period, it’s important to think about getting pet insurance as soon as you’re responsible for an animal just in case something goes wrong. , your pet will be covered for various vet services.
Companies Offering Pet Insurance with Various Waiting Periods
Among the 12 Canadian pet insurance providers we looked at, the average waiting period for accidents is two days, the average waiting period for illnesses is fourteen days, and the average waiting period for conditions like intervertebral disc disease and cruciate ligament difficulties is six months (or 180 days).
There are some variations, though:
For accidents, Spot Pet Insurance has a next-day waiting time, and for death claims, it has a 14-day waiting period.
Animal Plus There is no waiting time for intervertebral disc disease or cruciate ligament injuries under US pet insurance.
The waiting period for cruciate ligament injuries with PHI Direct is 60 days.
There is a 15-day waiting time for sickness and accidents with Fetch By The Dodo.
For accidents, Trupanion has a 5-day waiting time, and for sickness, it has a 30-day waiting period.
If you get your pet inspected by a licensed veterinarian within a specific date, one pet insurer will shorten or eliminate the waiting period:
A vet examination can remove the six-month waiting period for hip and knee injuries at Fetch By The Dodo.
When Looking for Pet Insurance, Don’t Just Focus on Waiting Times
Waiting times and effective dates are just two policy factors you should consider when looking for pet insurance.
Additionally, you should research the deductible and coverage limits of any policy as well as any coverage exclusions—especially if your pet has any illnesses from before.
The best coverage with the widest coverage is ultimately what you want for your pet. Avoiding unexpected thousands of dollars in bills, which can completely destroy you, is a reason to buy pet insurance.
Not only do you want your coverage right away, but you also want one that will do an excellent job of cutting costs in the future. While waiting times vary, they are typically less than 15 days for all leading companies. Therefore, the waiting time is not an important difference.
