The welfare of the animal adopted by the family is a collective responsibility. Just like every investment and member of the family is insured, the pet needs a finance cover too. Pet health insurance has been around for a while now, but the importance of the cover has only recently made the rounds. The availability of pet health cover plans has in a way been affected and limited largely due to the various policy restrictions and prohibitive clauses included in many cases. However, in last few decades, pet owners around the world have pursued the changes adopted within the dedicated pet insurance industry.

Importance of Insurance for Your Pet
Most pet owners react from the hassles they face when dealing with insurance red tape and problems prevalent in the human healthcare fields. The increasing cost of veterinary medicine and the responsibility of the pet are leading pet owners across the globe to address the need for dedicated insurance. The cover basically takes care of animal hospitalization and healthcare needs are addressed by the veterinary.

The pet owners are responsible for veterinary costs incurred, like preventive or routine pet care, emergencies and conditions that require hospitalization. The policies of health cover provided for pets are quite similar to human insurance policies. It also involves the payment of annual or semi annual premiums, calculating deductibles and evaluating the different coverage plans based on budget and specific terms and conditions. In the case of animals, the health coverage plans are based on the species, the pets' age and any preexisting health conditions. In certain policies, the lifestyle of the pet, which needs to be declared as indoors or outdoors, is also considered. Most companies offer policies to animals that have completed a certain number of months since birth. There are some that do not follow the 'age limit' criteria at all and yet some others who actually design policies and plans for pets aged between those specified by the company only.

Qualification Criteria
The various insurance companies seek information on preexisting health problems. Policies differ form one company to another and in type. Some companies insure the animal only if the pet is veterinary declared 'stable' or 'controlled'. There are policies where companies refuse to insure animals with existent health conditions or terminally ill. The animal, in some programs are not covered if the breed is understood as prone to developing certain diseases. A good example of this is the common health hazard in German Shepherds: Hip dysplasia!

Working of Pet Health Insurance
Here, there is a fixed current average for annual deductibles. The actual costs of the policies vary widely. The affecting factors include the animal species and the different packages designed with the species in mind, from which the owner can choose. There are healthcare packages that include annual checkups and vaccinations and preventive medication, along with routine visits to the veterinary. The comprehensive-insurance packages for the animals also cover spay and/or neuter surgeries. Almost all of these plans cover accident and illness and offer immediate coverage, literally within a month, in the case of illness claims on new policies. If you have more than one pet, then additional pets are offered coverage plans at a reduced rate.

You need to check with your veterinarian about the wellness packages offered by certain hospitals, at discounted prices and the geriatric checkup packages. Comparison shopping for premium rates and maximum coverage helps you save on precious time and money!