Pet insurance is becoming more and more popular in Australia. It offers you peace of mind as it covers some or all of the treatment costs if your pet was ever involved in an accident or suffers a sudden illness. There is no equivalent of Medicare for pets, thus often treatment costs exceed what an equivalent problem would cost for a human patient. Did you know that 24 hr emergency care for animals can cost over $1000 per day? Some surgeries such as repair of fractured bones or exploratory surgery can also add up to thousands of dollars and that does not even include the recovery and aftercare treatment. It is a heartbreaking situation to have to choose between the health of your pet and financial constraints, so for peace of mind we strongly recommend that your pet is insured.
There are more than ten companies in Australia that offer pet insurance so there should be one that suits your needs and your pet.
What does pet insurance cover?
Individual packages vary in the type of treatment covered. However, they usually include most accidents and unexpected illnesses.
You need to consider the differences between policies, in particular the claim excess amount, proportion of treatment costs covered, annual claim limit, age restrictions, pre-existing illness exclusions and policy costs. It is also important to distinguish between accident only and accident and medical combined.
Making a Claim
Many companies require you to fill out a paper form and bring to us for attaching notes and signature , we then send to your insurer via email or mail according to the insurer guidelines. Veterinarians need to check and sign the form , so this administrative task is usually done once our vet work is completed. Our procedure is that you bring your forms on the day of your procedure and leave with us a stamp addressed envelope and we will email or post to the insurer accordingly. A copy of the form will be made if its posted. As more and more companies introduce on-lline forms, you will find that they may require your vet notes. These will be sent direct to the insurer via email on request to facilitate your claim. Currently there is no charge for this service although an administration fee may be charged if claims are more than 90 days old.
As applies in the medical profession, veterinary clinics have ownership of the case records and there is no legal requirement to provide them to clients. The vet’s notes are the property of the business compiled for our own information in treating a patient. This is industry standard and in line with Queensland Veterinary Surgeons Board and Australian Veterinary Association guidlines. Where a client has an agreement with an insurance company to agree to provide case notes , Indooroopilly Veterinary Clinic can provide the vet notes only what is required direct to the insurer to facilitate the clients claim.
We highly recommend pet insurance and encourage you to discuss it with us at your next visit.