In France, the pet population currently stands at 61 million, reflecting their important place in our lives. However, this trend is met with an economic reality: an increase of around 70% in veterinary costs over the last decade
Faced with this reality, animal insurance appears to be a relevant strategy. It provides financial protection and the welfare of pets.
This article offers 5 key tips to guide you in choosing animal insurance tailored to your needs and those of your pet.
To select insurance tailored to your pet, it is essential to carefully examine criteria such as race, age, sex and lifestyle, as these factors influence susceptibility to disease and accident.
The necessary coverage may therefore vary. For example, young animals often require preventive care, while older animals may be subject to chronic diseases that result in higher veterinary costs.
You can discuss this with your veterinarian in order to accurately identify the needs of your animal and thus determine the type of coverage required.
2. Choose the type of cover suitable for your pet
Once the needs of your animal are identified, it is essential to know the three main animal insurance schemes, in order to choose the one that best meets the needs of the animal and the owner's budget.
Economic Formula
This formula is the least expensive, covering between 50% and 70% of veterinary costs. It is suitable for healthy animals, requiring routine care such as laboratory tests or veterinary visits. However, coverage may be insufficient for greater health problems that require more expensive care.
Annual ceiling: between 1 000 and 1 500 euros
Intermediate formula
This formula is more complete than the previous one. It includes surgical costs for diseases and accidents and can even offer partial coverage for certain care such as sterilization. Although the annual reimbursement limit is higher, it may not be sufficient for serious health problems.
Annual ceiling: between 1 500 and 2 000 euros
Premium Formula
The premium formula offers the most comprehensive coverage, with refunds of 90% to 100% for a range of care such as consultations, examinations, hospitalization and sometimes funeral expenses. This is the ideal option for those who want the best protection for their animal, covering a wide spectrum of medical care.
Annual ceiling: about €2,500
3. Determine the necessary guarantees for your animal
Generally, to get the best insurance for your pet while controlling costs, it is advisable to subscribe to a basic formula at an affordable price and add additional guarantees if needed.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of current insurance coverage:
- Veterinary consultations: It shall include the costs of regular consultations, health examinations and specific treatments, as well as medicines and analyses prescribed by the veterinarian;
- Dentaire Detarrage: Some contracts reimburse this treatment which is considered preventive, but often with annual restrictions or ceilings. It may be excluded from entry-level formulas;
- Sterilization: this guarantee is covered in certain forms, in particular where sterilization is medically necessary. Comfort sterilizations are generally not covered;
- Surgery: Most animal insurances offer partial coverage for surgical operations that your animal may require in case of illness or injury.
There are also some common optional guarantees, including:
- Prevention Package: This package can cover prevention costs such as deworming or pest control treatments, and sometimes even the care of alternative medicines;
- Death insurance: This guarantee offers a flat-rate refund for the costs of your animal's death.
It is important to note that optional guarantees vary from insurer to insurer, and each company can offer different coverages. This is why it is essential to carefully examine the offers and select the guarantees that best match your pet.
In addition, pet insurance contracts often include specific exclusions to limit risks to the insurer. Exclusions may also vary from one insurance company to another, but there are current trends. Here are some of them:
- Pre-existing conditions: any condition diagnosed prior to insurance is usually excluded from coverage. This includes not only declared pathologies, but also inherited or congenital diseases that could be discovered after subscription;
- Diseases Avoidable by Vaccination: If an animal incurs a disease against which it could have been vaccinated, the treatment costs for that disease will not be covered;
- Periods of Carence: This is a period defined after the subscription during which the guarantees provided for in the contract are not applicable. This period helps to prevent fraud and ensure that insurance is not taken immediately before planned surgery or as soon as the symptoms of a disease develop;
- Management and Lowering: Pregnancy costs are generally excluded from coverage. However, sterilization can be covered in certain contracts, notably under a preventive scheme;
- Exclusions from Race: Specific breeds of animals, often predisposed to hereditary diseases, may be excluded from coverage or subject to specific conditions.
4. Compare animal insurance contracts
Faced with the abundance of insurance offers with various rates and coverages, choosing the right formula can be a real challenge. Using an online comparator can then be a wise step.
Here are some advantages of this tool:
- Personalization: the comparators offer you the possibility to adapt your search criteria according to the needs of your animal. You have the possibility to change coverage levels, deductibles and other parameters in order to obtain estimates adapted to you and your pet;
- Time saving: Using a comparator, you avoid spending long hours browsing different insurer websites and filling in multiple forms. Everything is done in one place, you enter your information and you receive several quotes instantly;
- Objective comparison: online comparators are generally not affiliated with specific insurance companies, which means that they provide objective and impartial information on available offers. In addition, they allow you to highlight the specificities of each contract, such as repayment ceilings, deductibles or exclusions of guarantees;
- Potential savings: By comparing insurance offers, you have a better chance of finding adequate coverage at a competitive price. They can highlight temporary promotions or special offers that some insurance companies offer.
5. Read the opinions of insured persons
Consult the reviews of customers who have already subscribed to insurance can play a decisive role in choosing your contract. These feedbacks reflect the real situations experienced by insured persons and provide an overview of the relevance of an offer to specific situations. To refine your selection, it is advisable to give preference to opinions of people who have animals with similar characteristics, such as age or race.
These notices can also inform you about the quality of the services provided by the insurer and the level of customer satisfaction. They are also a means of identifying insurers who may have questionable practices or unsatisfactory customer service, as evidenced by negative experiences shared by dissatisfied clients.
It is important to take into account both positive and negative criticisms to forge a balanced opinion on the reliability and effectiveness of an insurance company.
