In case you didn’t already know, depending on what plan you have, pet insurance also includes pawsome cover for routine care and vet visits. But as with any form of health cover, there are specified waiting periods in place…
If you have recently signed up to a pet insurance plan or are looking for the right one for you and your furry member of the family, then you may have come across the term “waiting period”.
Now, don’t let this word get your tail between your legs, waiting periods are easy to understand and make sense once you do a little research on them. To save you some time and to give you more time to spend with your precious pet, we have got all the information you need right here.
I didn’t know pet insurance covered vet visits?
Not all pet insurance plans include routine care and vet visit benefits. It all depends on your insurer and the plan you choose.
If you take a look at Oneplan Pet Insurance (our go-to for pet insurers), they include routine care and vet visit cover in their Primary, Classic, and Super Plans.
They also let you go to any vet of your choice, just as an FYI. In any case, the great news is that pet medical insurance does indeed include cover for vet visits.
Related: How to Find a Good Vet for Your Dog: 5 Steps
Vet visits and waiting periods
What is a waiting period?
Great question! Simply put – a waiting period is a certain amount of time that HAS to pass before you can claim for any events. This means you cannot claim during this period of time. Events like accidents do not have any waiting periods, but other events like pre-existing conditions and vet visits do.
What is the reason for waiting periods?
Every single pet insurer has waiting periods. The purpose of waiting periods is to make sure you are not just getting pet insurance because your pet is already sick. For example, you may have noticed that Whiskers is not herself lately, and when taking her to the vet, you found out she has cancer.
Because of this, you decide to get pet insurance to help cover the costs of treatment. If this were the case, then all pet insurers would be bankrupt! The reason for pet insurance is to have it as a way to plan for unpredictable medical expenses, not just to purchase as and when you need it. It’s a backup plan. And a great one at that.
How long do I have to wait before I can claim for vet visits?
It all depends on the pet insurance you choose and the policies in place for the pet insurance company. With Oneplan, the waiting period for vet visits is 30 days, which is not very long in the grand scheme of things.
This means that, once 30 days have passed, you can take your pet to the vet and you will be covered up to your benefit limit. Bear in mind that there is a 14-day waiting period between vet visits. Oneplan’s vet visit cover includes consultations, radiology (x-rays), pathology (blood tests) and minor dental procedures (except scaling and polishing, which is included in routine care).
Discover: 6 Ways to Use Your Phone Before You Take Your Pet to the Vet
Don’t forget about pre-existing conditions
Pre-existing conditions are health issues that your pet was diagnosed with or showed signs of BEFORE your cover began. If your pet has a pre-existing condition, then you have to wait 12 months before you can receive cover for events relating to this health condition. But that doesn’t mean you can’t claim at all during this time, it just means you cannot claim for any costs relating to this specific issue.
For example, if your precious pet has cancer and you decide to get pet insurance, then you will still receive cover for check-ups, emergencies and other benefits (depending on your cover chosen), but if any of these events arise because of cancer, then you cannot claim until 12 months have passed.
But if your pet is hit by a car or needs a check-up, then you are likely to have cover for this.
For the purpose of this example, these are Oneplan’s waiting periods:
- Vet visits (30 days)
- Routine care (30 days)
- Kennel cover (3 months)
- Accident cover (none)
- Illness cover (3 months)
What happens to the waiting periods if I decide to change policies?
If you switch to a different insurer, then you will have to wait out NEW waiting periods. If you decide to upgrade or downgrade your plan with the same insurer, the 12 month waiting period will not apply if you have already observed your 12 month waiting period (or it will continue from whichever month of your waiting period you are on).
But keep in mind that you will have to wait out the specified waiting limit to cover the new limit of your new chosen plan. For example, if you upgrade your plan, and you claim for an illness event before the 3-month waiting period has passed, then the limits (the max amount of cover you get for a claim) from your previous plan will apply.
Read the fine print
Make sure you ALWAYS read the fine print of your contract. Pet insurers do everything they can to make insurance easy to understand, but if there is ANYTHING that doesn’t make sense, it’s best to reach out and get clarification from your insurer.
Read next: Choosing the Pawfect Pet Insurance Policy for Your Fur Baby
Yours in Not-So-Average Pet Advice,
The Petinsurance.co.za Team