_{Pet Insurance Interviews > Petplan Insurance}

This interview is part of a continuing series of pet health insurance company interviews. I will be using the same ten questions for each of the veterinary health insurers so that viewers can learn about each company and compare what plans are available. In this interview, Chris Ashton, co-founder & president for Petplan insurance, answers ten questions about pet care plans available through Petplan.

Question 1: How long has your company been in business, and where are you based?

Answer 1: Petplan, based out of Philadelphia, was originally founded in the UK in 1976. We launched here in the U.S. in 2003, and in Canada in 2013. For over 35 years Petplan has grown to become the world's largest and most trusted pet health insurance provider with over a million policy holders worldwide.

Question 2: Are clients able to go to any veterinarian, or only through your insurance providers?

Answer 2: Petplan policy holders can visit any licensed veterinarian in the United States or Canada. This includes specialists (including behavioral and alternative therapists), referral practices, and veterinary teaching hospitals.

Question 3: Are hereditary and breed-related conditions covered?

Answer 3: Petplan is the only pet health insurance provider in the US to cover all congenital and hereditary conditions for the life of the pet without restricting the reimbursement for each condition.

Question 4: Are age-related (senior) checkups, illnesses, and medications covered?

Answer 4: All diagnostic tests, procedures, and prescription medications are covered! Petplan will cover treatment for any illness, injury, or accident provided that it was not evident prior to enrollment.

Question 5: Does your company offer wellness plans?

Answer 5: Petplan does not offer wellness plans. Reimbursing for expected care will only increase the cost of premiums for our clients who already budget for their yearly check-ups with their vets.

Question 6: What types or levels of health insurance medical plans are offered?

Answer 6: Petplan offers three levels of coverage, Bronze, Silver, and Gold policies providing $10,000, $14,000, or $22,000 a year of coverage, respectively. As plans increase from Bronze to Gold additional benefits are available. 

Question 7: If a wellness plan is available, can it be added to, or incorporated with, the medical health plan?

Answer 7: No, wellness plans are not incorporated with our medical health plans.

Question 8: Is there an annual or lifetime benefit cap?

Answer 8: Petplan policies offer three simple annual limits of $10,000, $14,000 or $22,000 which are replenished in full each year upon renewal so a pet will never run out of coverage. Petplan will never place a lifetime benefit cap or raise a pet owner's premiums as the result of filing claims.

All Petplan policies come with a "Covered for Life" promise. This means that once a pet is insured it will be covered for any chronic illness for life so long as their policy is renewed each year with no break in coverage.

Question 9: How are "usual and customary" fees determined?

Answer 9: Petplan policies reimburse the pet owner what their veterinarian charges them after the deductible is met - pure and simple. The company does not rely on a "usual and customary" clause or a schedule of benefits to determine levels of reimbursement.

Question 10: What specific things stand out about your company?

Answer 10: Petplan is committed to offering the most comprehensive pet health insurance products in the market. We believe that no pet parent should have to make the choice between economic considerations and their pet's health.

It is this commitment to animal health and the uncompromising quality of our products and levels of service that have enabled Petplan to become best-loved pet health insurance provider according to independent pet owner reviews on www.petinsurancereview.com.

The only pet insurer named to the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing privately held companies and Forbes’ annual list of America’s Most Promising Companies, Petplan is also the only pet insurer to publish a quarterly pet health magazine, fetch!, and offer exclusive, interactive, vet-authored content through our “Vets for Pets” blog and monthly fetch! health e-newsletter.

Thank you, Chris Ashton, for taking time to answer these questions.

Please visit the PetPlan web site to learn more and ask any specific questions you may have.

Company web site: www.GoPetplan.com
Petplan co-founder Natasha Ashton bio

_{Pet Insurance Interviews > Petplan Insurance}