‘We’re Still Paying’: How Pets Became a Big Business
‘We’re Still Paying’: How Pets Became a Big Business
People have grown more attached to their pets — and more willing to spend money on them — turning animal medicine into a high-tech industry worth billions.
Paywall, although I’m wondering from the start of the article whether the pet insurance is mentioned as a way to help control costs.
Insurance isn't really worth it in my experience, you're better off putting the premium into a savings account. Between the limits on insurance redemption and the deductable, it's not cost effective vs just saving the money.
(this was for me in Canada, maybe the US has better but seems unlikely)
I think it depends on the plan. I’ve definitely seen some useless ones, but right now I have one that covers only a specific list of critical illnesses with no deductible. It’s nice if you’re worried about those specific things.
Non Paywall link: https://archive.ph/wlHq3
From the article:
Only about 4 percent of pet owners have insurance, and even for them, the options are limited. Pet insurance often excludes pre-existing conditions and costs more for older pets who are more likely to get sick.
Companies can also change the terms. This spring, the insurance company Nationwide notified thousands of pet owners that it was discontinuing their coverage, leaving them scrambling to enroll in new plans that excluded the pets’ pre-existing conditions. About 100,000 plans are being discontinued, said Kevin Kemper, a Nationwide spokesman.
Stephanie Boerger of Royal Oak, Mich., said that Nationwide had been covering her cat’s chemotherapy, but told her it would not renew her plan when it expired in August. The treatment, which costs about $1,000 every other month, will not be covered under any available plan.
“Now I feel like I have to choose between paying for my cat’s chemo or letting her die,” said Ms. Boerger, who was able to find new coverage through a competing company.
In a statement, the Nationwide spokesman cited the rising cost of veterinary care. “We are making these tough decisions now so that we can continue to be here for even more pets in the future,” he said.
Awesome, link and content. Not required by any means but absolutely awesome.
I love my pets but I’m not going to spend thousands of dollars to extend their life a couple more years. You can love your animals and still not go to extremes to keep them alive.
This is an emotional problem that businesses are exploiting.