ASPCA | Pet Insurance Review

My strong recommendation is that you DO NOT purchase ASPCA Pet Insurance (actually operated by Hartville Pet Insurance). They will happlily accept your premiums and then just as happily deny your claims based on "pre-existing condions" using every trick in the book to do so. When they're unable to claim pre-existing conditions, they will minimize the payment based on some ludicrous schedule of payments "in your area" that has no basis in reality. Here are some of my experiences, summarized: 1. Purchased annual policy effective June 2004. This made my annual renewal date June 1st of each year. 2. Paid premiums monthly. Almost all of my claims were nullified by the deductible. When I actually had a service performed by a vet that exceeded the deductible, the insurance adjuster came up with the most ridiculous "reasonable & average" cost for the procedure (which was LESS THAN ONE HALF of what my vet charged (and I checked 4 different vets in my area - all were about the same), and then subtracted my deductable from that. ON A $275 CLAIM, I RECEIVED A CHECK FOR $34. 3. The most outrageous element of their scam occurred when my dog was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2008. The vet scheduled the removal of a malignant tumor for the first week of June. The cost was over $2,400 for the surgery. MY CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE THEY CLAIMED THAT BY JUNE OF 2008 (one week after the policy renewed), THE CANCER WAS A " PRE-EXISTING CONDITION" (i.e. it existed in the prior policy year, which was actually 2 weeks prior). Only the actual filing of a lawsuit by my attorney got this scam shop to pay my claim (and again, only half the actual cost). I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU CONSIDER THESE ISSUES BEFORE PURCHASING A POLICY FROM THIS COMPANY!

When you look at ASPCA (Hartville) as a potential provider of insurance for that special member of your family take into consideration the reviews you read on this site. Some are very good and some are very bad resulting in a rating in the 5 - 6 range. As a person that has learned by experience, after 1.5 years with ASPCA I am now looking for a better alternative. Based on my first year experience, I would rate the ASPCA policy with a 7. The claims process was easy, they were very conservative in their reimbursement of my claims (allowable amounts for my region are much lower than the amounts charged by veternarians) and the premium costs seemed reasonable. When I did the compare of my premium costs to my out of pocket costs less reimbursements the result was self insurance would have been less expensive. This is typical of any insurance policy because the insurance is there for the big events. As we moved to year two my rating goes to 2 and I caution people to consider other providers. My dog exibited symptoms that indicated potential liver problems. I made the decision to have tests done to know what was causing the syptoms and if treatment was needed. I submitted my claims to ASPCA with confidence that they would be there for me (as they promise in their web marketing). To shorten this story, ASPCA did not delviver on the brand promise of protecting our little friends nor the marketing promise presented by Hartville on their web site. They said that since blood tests were done outside of the plan period (this is their way of avoiding payments) that should have indicated the syptoms or should have allowed my Vet to diagnose the problem I had a pre-existing condition (#18 is their code). Four claims have been denied, customer service has been polite but very slow to respond and I feel there is limited recourse. I now realize that I made the ill fated choice to buy insurance from a company that co-branded with someone I trusted but that did not mean it was good insurance. Hartville invests their money into web marketing and limits the funds going to robust customers service. The business model depends on very limited payouts so the policy is written to accomplish that. When you do the math in terms a policy that is replaced on a yearly basis so that anything in the previous year could be pre-existing unless you can demonstrate the 180 day rule you cannot win with this company. Rates go up every year and the odds are the things they will cover go down. It is not a scam, it is just a business model that is based on greed and a brand message that does not ring true.

They are reasonable-the monthly fee is affordable. They only pay 80% of what they feel is fair and reasonable. My last claim they did not pay any thing bacause they said it was hereditary, although all the tests came back normal. I think they are trying to say that my dog has boxer myocardia. But there was no sign of it found. So therefore I am very dissapointed with them right now, and I have appealled their decision, I just wish I would have found this web site before I picked the insurance company.

my two cats haveen member of ASPCA for almost two years,not to mention every time i called with conserns and question i been educated with the most caring voice and advise.recently i lost one of my cat due to hte sudden illness every claime i submited review fairly with speed, prouces,i am so happy and totaly satiesfy by joyning with, this insurance company(ASPCA) above all the best sweet caring knowlegable reprasentive thank you for all the love and careing.

I have had my elderly lab insured with them for almost 10 years. The premium has continually increased with decreasing coverage (most recently $102/month). They also have a manifest clause in the coverage that does not cover a condition from one plan period to another for 6 months. Basically, an existing condition is only covered for six months such as osteoarthritis. The customer service representatives are courtesy but are not knowledgeable about the details of the policy. Lastly, they charge a 10% cancellation fee. I