If a wellness plan costs you $300, but a pet insurance plan covering basic pet health wellness (the same things the wellness plan covers) may cost $500, then Pet Insurance can be your best option.
Most pet owners believe that Pet Insurance is far better than the Wellness plan or surprisingly, some even believe that both are same without any difference. Nevertheless, factually, both the programs are completely different. Moreover, many pet owners think that Pet insurance is far better option thinking that it has more coverage and provides freedom of finance during a time of crisis. Contrarily, there is a huge gap.
What Do Pet Wellness Plans and Pet Insurance Cover?
Let us unveil little in brief about both of them. Medical pet insurance helps protect the finances while you provide your pet the care they require for accidental injuries and unexpected illnesses. It is something that is helpful and available for things that you don’t anticipate happening.
On the other side, Pet Wellness Plans or routine care plans, also known as the preventive plans, are like a discount membership model – more specifically, a reimbursement model that ensures to provide money back toward common pet health care procedures you know that pet will need.
Some organizations, including veterinary hospitals and some pet insurance companies offer these Wellness plans. Though the details of the plans vary from company to company, the primary things remain the same. They mostly cover the basic pet health care processes like flea control medications, heartworm prevention, vaccines, dental cleanings, worm/heartworm tests, and more.
Check the Major Things Covered in Each Plan
Wellness Plans Typically Cover
- Microchipping
- Annual exams
- Dental/teeth cleaning
- Fecal and urinalysis tests
- Flea, tick, and heartworm prevention
- Heartworm testing or feline leukemia testing
- Routine blood testing
- Spaying and neutering
- Vaccinations or vaccine titers
- Wellness exams
- Behavior training
- Grooming
On the other hand, Pet Insurance covers:
Pet Insurance Typical Coverage
- Accidents
- Illnesses
- Emergency care
- Hereditary and congenital conditions
- Orthopedic conditions
- Prescription medications
Benefits of Pet Wellness Coverage
Unlike pet insurance, Pet Wellness Plans help you to redistribute the cost of your pet’s routine veterinary care and you pay for the treatments and services you utilize. As the plan covers routine care such as microchipping, dental care and vaccinations, it helps you distribute the cost of maintaining and improving your pet’s overall health over their lifetime.
You can pay small monthly installments, which distribute the cost of routine health care and help you keep your pet healthy. Thus, with Wellness plans, you take a proactive approach towards your pet’s wellbeing and it can support you in figuring out the early signs of any conditions or major diseases before they become severe, preventing extreme expenses and critical health conditions.
However, it is important to know that it will never cover the expenses of the treatments and the illnesses.
If so, Wellness Plans should be cheaper than insurance, or do they cost more? Let’s find out.
Is Pet Wellness Plan Cheaper Than Pet Insurance or Not?
Again, the cost of Pet Wellness Plans depends on the company from where you are planning to cover your pet. In many ways it also varies depending on the variables covered. Basically, the more it covers, the more it costs.
In numerous ways, it is quite tricky to compare both prices, as both options have different terms covered and offer varied benefits. Thus, the ball is rolled towards you and you need to figure out what your pet requires and based on that you can make the best decision.
For instance, if a wellness plan costs you $300, but a pet insurance plan covering basic pet health wellness (the same things the wellness plan covers) may cost $500, then Pet Insurance can be your best option.
In a nutshell
You may be wondering, if pet insurance comes with some additional benefits, why opt for Pet Wellness plans. No doubt this is the most common query every pet owner has – whether wellness plans are worth the money. Conclusively, it depends on you how well you leverage the benefits of Pet Wellness plans. The cost of vet visits and other health checkups exceeds the cost of Wellness coverage. Thus, it is worth the value; however, remember that it never covers the accidents and medication costs during the treatments.
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