What is Pet Health Insurance?
A Health Care Article Contributed by Ajishnu Sharma
Why is Pet Health Insurance Important?
More and more people are looking at pet health insurance in the USA today. People take their pets seriously, as they should. When someone takes in or adopts or even, though it sounds strange, buys a pet, she/he not only adds to the joy and number in a family, but also needs to understand that she/he has just taken on added responsibility. A huge responsibility, I might add; the responsibility of caring for, properly, another life.
Pet health insurance is good news for all pet owners and animal lovers, as also for the animals themselves. Basically, pet health insurance works just like any other insurance policy you might buy, only this one is for your beloved dog or cat or whatever animal you might be having as a pet.
My friend Gina has a lovely dog. Hagar is a Great Dane and one of the gentlest and friendliest animals I have met. He was about 6 years old when he fell sick. Symptoms included general lack of interest in eating, and he showed signs of pain. Gina and me took him to the vet and Gina discovered, to her utter horror, that Hagar was suffering from colon cancer. The cancer was in its initial stages, and he could be saved. But he would have to undergo surgery, an expensive procedure for a pet.
That was when Gina thanked herself for something she had done a while back. She had heard about pet health insurance for a while. Being very fond of Hagar (she considered him part of the family), she had bought a preferred plan for Hagar. That came in handy now. The vet was from the list of doctors that the pet health insurance provider had given Gina. The policy took care of Hagar's medical bills and all surgery-related expenses.
For someone like Gina, who was earning enough to be able to shell out $3000-$4000 for her beloved Hagar, the pet health insurance plan might not exactly have been a life saver. However, in many cases that is what it can turn out to be.
In the event of Hagar requiring immediate surgery, and Gina not having the required money, one never knows what might have happened. Thankfully, Gina was insightful enough to have taken the pet health insurance plan, and saved herself from possible agony.
What is Pet Health Insurance?
The term pet health insurance is self-explanatory. It is a health insurance plan for your pet. Pet health insurance is potentially big business today. Take a look at the figures given and you will have a fair idea why.
The Statistics of Pet Health Insurance
As per figures released in 2002 by the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are a staggering number of pets in USA. There are 61 million dogs in America. The cats outnumber the dogs - they are an estimated 69 million. These figures in themselves are huge. Add to that a total of 300 bird species that are considered in the pet category, and you will have a fair idea of what numbers we are talking about. Statistics further state that roughly 61% of American families have pets. About 91% of families take their pets to the pets for their shots and other health care requirements.
Now you know why pet health insurance is such a big potential business activity!
