Pet health insurance is considered a necessity by some people and a whim by others. Yet, given the fact that millions of Americans don’t manage to get a real health insurance, it feels difficult to cover it for pets. Nevertheless, anyone who has a pet knows that lots of money go into disease prevention by vaccination and periodical checkups.

Things have changed a lot in the industry ever since the costs of pet health insurance have stopped being so prohibitive. There are different levels of pet health insurance now available that help people cope with the costs incurred by veterinary treatments, regardless if we are talking about disease conditions, emergency interventions and preventive/routine care. The pet health insurance system is similar to that of human policies: there are annual premiums, coverage plans and deductibles.

With some pet health insurance there are age limits both for puppies and older pets. While is some cases pet health insurance has an 8-year limit, in other cases it extends up to 27 years. The pet may get coverage after the age of 8 if the animal has had an insurance prior to this age. Animals with current conditions and terminal diseases may cause rejection for pet health insurance. Some companies provide coverage if the pet’s condition is stable or controlled, usually following a waiting period between 3 months and a year.

Choose the pet health insurance that best corresponds to your pet and the specificity of the species. It is based on such considerations as well as on the package content that the yearly or monthly premiums are established. Most plans cover annual checkups and vaccinations, preventive medications, spray surgeries and various routine care procedures. There are also pet health insurance policies for illness and accident. There is no waiting period for the coverage in accident claims.

If you can’t afford to pay for pet health insurance, you can take care of your pet’s health by working with humanitarian associations and non-profit organizations that offer health checkups and even emergency assistance. You can make 25% savings on veterinarian services if you work with programs like Pet Assure. They also provide other pet services and supplies for which you can even get a 50% discount. This could be a solution to take into consideration!