ASPCA | Pet Insurance Review

First time I entertained pet insurance after spending thousands on my prior cats due to urinary infections. I still have one female cat who requires constant care for same problem and is not covered by insurance. I adopted another cat who was 4 yrs. old and decided to look into pet insurance and finally considered ASPCA hoping I would not have problems, but needless to say, she was diagnosed with Kidney problems. All claims submitted were dealt with on timely basis and had no issues with anyone. However, based on the comments from D. Fallon and others, I'm wondering if I renew the policy will the kidney problem be considered pre-existing and denied should she not be cured at the time of renewal?

My buddy Ren, is a 3 1/2 year old tan tabby rescue. He's been my best buddy for the past 2 years. Three days before Christmas the urine balls in the hatbox shrank to 1/2 normal size and then stopped. Poor guy was in discomfort. I took him to the vet, and we began a repeating ritual ofIIV fluids/meds, Catheterizations and trips between our vet and the Emergency Vet hospital for overnight ICU care. By Christmas it was cleat that Ren would have to have a perineal urethrostomy or be euthanized. I lost my last cat to urinary problems when she was only 10, and I couldn't bring myself to do it again. I didn't remember that I had pet health insurance until after the surgery was done and Ren was back at home. Ben's bills were very expensive. I was glad that the insurance paid for about 2/3 of the bills.

While I wish I could get paid back more of my claim (I live in New York and they pay back based on reasonable average rates. Nothing costs a reasonable amount in New York) the customer service is excellent. They always call and check in on my pet. And filing claims has now been made super easy, with online filing. They make the painful experience of insurance a lot more bearable.

These guys are awesome! And I DO have a comparison. Years ago I had pet insurance through a competitor, the one most recomended. (Starts with a V). The 'other guys' fought every single claim. Every claim! The insurance was absolutely worthless. I cancelled and thought I would never use pet insurance again. Several years later I signed up for ASPCA. ASPCA has been amazing. They have paid every claim promptly without any contention whatsoever and usually call a few weeks later to see how my dog is doing. They truly seem to care about my dog. But here's the piece de resistance: my dog had a hip issue on her right hind leg and was treated 2 weeks before her policy renewed. Five months later, she had another problem with her right hind leg. Vet diagnosed it as an ACL injury. ASPCA immediately said they would cover it as a new condition (not continuing care) because it was a different issue. I guarantee, the previous 'other guys pet insurance' would have fought me all the way to court because it was the same leg. With x-rays and surgery, ASPCA has paid about $2400 so far on this one injury. There is a $3000 cap on one incident. Yes I wish they had paid more of the surgery - but I am so grateful they did not argue and try to claim this injury was related to her previous hip issue. I am not a doctor, but seems like her weakened hip could have attributed to her ACL injury but they considered it 2 different events. I've read the reviews and I'm sorry if others have had a bad experience with ASPCA. I have found them to be exemplary and suggested to my vet that he share my recommendation with all his other clients/patients. In my opinion, they are OUTSTANDING in the pet insurance world.

While I do wish that they raised their coverage costs for my area, the claim process was quick and satisfactory. My only gripe is that when my pet needed emergency surgery, they said they cover up to $3,000 per incident. However, once they went through the itemized bill, there were a number of list items that are flat out not covered. In addition, some of the line items were considered above average price, and only received reimbursement for a portion. All in, the surgery cost around $4,000 and I received $2,400. I will give them significant credit for excellent customer service and a speedy and painless claims process.