Does Pet Insurance Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?

Pet insurance coverage can be a great way to ensure that your pets always have the veterinary care they need, in case of a new and unexpected injury or illness. These policies provide you with up to thousands of dollars in financial protection each year, but does pet insurance cover pre-existing conditions, too?

Here’s a look at the types of care a pet insurance policy may provide and whether your pet will still be covered for an existing condition.

What Pet Insurance Does

As with most other types of insurance coverage, a pet insurance policy is designed to provide you with financial support if your pet is unexpectedly injured or gets sick. Instead of footing the entire bill for veterinary or related pet care, pet insurance coverage will reimburse you for a portion of those covered costs.

Depending on the pet insurance policy and carrier you choose, you may be protected for a percentage of expenses related to your cat, dog, horse, rabbit, or other animal. Covered expenses can relate to injuries and illnesses, such as a:

  • Broken bone
  • Torn ligament
  • Dental infection or abscess
  • Cut or puncture wound
  • Diagnosed disease like cancer or diabetes

If the condition is covered, you can expect most pet insurance policies to provide at least partial reimbursement for things like urgent care visits, blood test, diagnostic scans (such as X-rays and ultrasounds), medication, surgery, post-surgical boarding, and more. Your policy may even cover some of your pet’s prescription food, behavioral therapy training, and acupuncture.

However, one thing that pet insurance won’t cover is a pre-existing condition.

What Is a Pre-Existing Condition in Pet Insurance?

A pre-existing condition (in pet insurance or any other type of policy) is an injury, illness, or condition that was already present when your policy went into effect.

If your pet was previously diagnosed with diabetes, for example, or was already receiving care for a torn knee ligament, those conditions would be considered pre-existing. As a result, any future medical expenses related to those conditions would be denied.

This can be tricky, as a condition may be marked as pre-existing even if you didn’t receive a diagnosis. For example, if you took your pet to the vet for unexplained vomiting twice in the last few months, then bought a pet insurance policy, future claims could be denied if the eventual diagnosis is tied back to those previous visits and symptoms.

Will Pet Insurance Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?

No, standard pet insurance policies will not cover care related to pre-existing conditions in your pet. This can apply whether you knew about the previous injury, illness, or diagnosis, or if you received care for an unexplained symptom that was later diagnosed.

Conditions are considered pre-existing if they were present and symptomatic prior to buying your pet insurance policy. So, if your pet has ever received care for a certain injury or illness, you may find that the same care in the future is denied. This is also why many carriers have a waiting period when you first buy a policy, before your coverage kicks in: this prevents pet owners from buying a new policy and getting reimbursed when their pet is already sick or hurt.

When buying pet insurance, you’ll be asked to disclose your pet’s previous medical conditions, treatments, and diagnoses. Your carrier may also request records from your vet’s office. Even if records aren’t obtained when buying your policy, they will likely be requested if you ever need to file a claim in the future… so it’s important to be transparent!

The pre-existing condition exclusion also applies if you switch pet insurance carriers. Even if you have coverage when your pet’s injury, illness, or condition first occurs, it will usually be marked “pre-existing” (and therefore, denied) if you later switch to a different pet insurance company.

Other Pet Insurance Exclusions

Pre-existing conditions aren’t the only exclusions your policy may have. Depending on the carrier and coverage you choose, and even your pet’s age and breed, you may encounter waiting periods or care denials for new conditions, too.

Some common exclusions include:

  • Routine care (pet insurance doesn’t cover things like wellness exams, vaccinations, or routine dental cleanings)
  • Hip dysplasia (some carriers only apply this exclusion to certain breeds or pet ages)
  • Torn cruciate ligaments (ACL)
  • Dental care (some carriers may exclude specific teeth)
  • Care related to pregnancy and/or breeding

Alternatives to Pet Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions

If your pet has already had a serious injury or illness, you can still buy pet coverage for them. In fact, buying coverage can still be a great decision, as you’ll be financially protected against any new situations that may arise!

There are some other alternatives to consider, though, which can further protect you and your pet.

One option is a pet wellness plan. For a monthly fee, these plans offer financial reimbursement for things like routine pet care and vet visits, up to a certain amount each year. This helps you keep your pet in excellent health and may save you money on typical annual expenses.

Another option is a pet discount plan. With these plans, you can save on veterinary exams and more, with either instant discounts at the provider’s office or reimbursement for expenses that you pay out of pocket. These discount plans may apply to any veterinary provider you choose, too, so you don’t have to worry about switching offices or finding an in-network office.

Bottom Line

Pet insurance is a great way to protect yourself against unexpected veterinary bills and care for your furry friend. For a monthly or annual premium, these policies provide you with reimbursement for some of your covered expenses, should your pet be unexpected injured or fall ill.

While pet insurance is a valuable product, though, it doesn’t protect you against conditions that already existed when you purchased coverage. These pre-existing conditions are almost always excluded from pet insurance policies, but you may still get discounts or partial reimbursement with a wellness or pet discount plan.

FAQ About Pet Insurance and Pre-Existing Conditions

What does pet insurance not cover?

Pet insurance doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions or routine veterinary care. Insurance policies provide reimbursement up to a certain percentage and/or dollar amount per year, based on the specific condition and the type of policy you buy.

Will pet insurance cover previous injury?

A pet insurance plan will not reimburse you for previous illnesses or injuries that your pet has experienced. If those conditions were known or treated prior to buying coverage, they are considered pre-existing and will be excluded from future claims.

When does pet insurance kick in if I buy it today?

Nearly all pet insurance policies have a waiting period, to prevent pet owners from buying coverage when their pet is already sick or injured. While the details of these waiting periods will vary from one carrier to the next, they are usually between seven and 14 days for illnesses and as few as two days for accidents. You may also need to wait up to three or even six months for cruciate ligament injuries or hip dysplasia-related claims.

Can I use pet insurance the same day I buy a policy?

Due to exclusions for pre-existing conditions and most policies’ waiting periods, you cannot buy pet insurance and use it for a covered claim that same day. You can, however, purchase a pet discount plan or pet wellness plan and use that coverage immediately.

Do pet insurance pre-existing conditions last forever?

Some pre-existing conditions will follow your pet forever and always be excluded from coverage. This might include a broken bone, torn ligament, or diagnosis of a disease. Some conditions may fall off of the pre-existing condition list over time, though.

For example, if your pet has unexplained vomiting and nausea before you buy a policy, don’t expect to get coverage for a newly-diagnosed stomach condition a month later. However, if that bout of vomiting was two years ago and your pet hasn’t had any trouble since, you may get coverage if they are later diagnosed with a related condition.

10 Things Affecting Your Auto Insurance Premiums

Nearly all states require drivers to maintain some level of auto insurance coverage. These policies provide liability protection for other drivers and may also offer you coverage for property damage, personal injury, and even medical payments.  With the average cost of auto insurance premiums rising every year, though, you might find yourself asking how are auto insurance premiums determined?

Here’s a look at the 10 biggest factors that go into calculating auto insurance premiums and ways you can potentially save money on your next policy.

How Much Does Auto Insurance Cost?

The average auto insurance premium in the United States is just over $1,070 per year, according to the most recent data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). This comes out to about $89 per month for coverage.

These numbers are calculated using policy premiums from 2019, however, so it’s likely that the national average has since increased.

Top 10 Factors Impacting Your Auto Insurance Premiums

Each carrier has its own proprietary methods for calculating driver risk and, in turn, the policy premiums it charges. However, there are a few important factors that will almost always be considered and can influence the price of your coverage.

Location

Where you live plays a very important role in your auto insurance premiums. Carriers consider your state’s laws and minimum coverage requirements for drivers, which can vary pretty wildly. The more financial risk the carrier takes on, the more you can expect to pay.

Carriers will also factor in the likelihood of your vehicle being damaged or stolen. If you live in a state with frequent natural disasters or higher than average rates of motor vehicle accidents, you will likely pay more than a driver in another state. You may also pay more for living in an urban area where car theft or hit-and-runs are more likely, compared to living in a gated suburban neighborhood or rural town.

Driving Record

Of course, one of the biggest factors that goes into calculating your premiums is your own personal driving record. The safer you are behind the wheel, the lower you can expect your premiums to be.

For example, a driver with multiple moving violations and/or at-fault accidents will likely pay much more for coverage compared to a driver who’s never even gotten a ticket. And understandably so: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speed was a factor in 29% of traffic fatalities in 2020.

The types of citations you’ve received also matter. When determining how high-risk a driver is, someone with a minor speeding ticket won’t be as impacted as someone with multiple DUIs or reckless driving charges.

Age

The older and more experienced you are behind the wheel, the less risk you are likely to pose to an insurer. For that reason, you may find that your premiums are higher when you are a young driver, then level out for a few decades. They’ll likely increase again when you get older; that’s because crash rates rise sharply again for drivers 70 and older.

As you can see in this chart provided by the National Safety Council, drivers under the age of 34 account for the vast majority of accidents.

This visual doesn’t tell the whole story, though: Even though individuals between the ages of 16 and 19 only account for 3.6% of drivers on the road, they are responsible for 9.3% of all crashes and 6.3% of all fatal crashes.

As you get older, you become not only more mature but a more experienced driver. For this reason, you can expect your premiums to go down as you age.

Sex

For many age groups, men and women have similar auto insurance rates on average. For younger groups, though, male drivers may find that their premiums are notably higher than their female counterparts.

Carriers appreciate statistics, so it shouldn’t be surprising that this is rooted in data. Male drivers tend to clock more miles and, especially in younger age groups, engage in riskier behaviors behind the wheel. Men are also more likely to be involved in a fatal crash, according to the latest data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Your vehicle

It stands to reason that the more expensive your vehicle is, or the more likely it would be to cause serious damage to another vehicle, the more you’ll pay for your coverage. You may also pay more if your vehicle is a sports car or is statistically involved in more accidents.

If you’re buying comprehensive coverage for your own vehicle, you can expect your carrier to charge higher premiums if you own an $80,000 car than if you own a $20,000 one. Similarly, a small coupe may cause less damage in an accident compared to a full-size SUV, so you may pay more for a bigger and heavier car.

Credit history

When you think of auto insurance, your first thought probably isn’t your credit score. But what you may not realize is that your credit history is often considered when calculating your policy’s premiums.

If you’re a creditworthy consumer who pays their bills on time and manages their debt, you’re generally regarded as more responsible and less risk. However, if you have a history of defaults, late payments, and are carrying around a lot of debt, carriers might view you as less responsible. And while that doesn’t necessarily translate to your driving ability, it will impact an insurer’s overall view of your risk level.

Carriers cannot deny you coverage based on your credit history alone. They can (and do) adjust your premiums according to the results of a soft credit inquiry, though.

Claims history

Carriers would really prefer that you pay for insurance and never actually use it. After all, every validated claim costs them money, so it’s easy to see that drivers with a history of claims against their insurance will probably have higher premiums than those without any claims.

This technically only applies to claims against your own carrier, such as at-fault accidents or hit-and-run damages filed against your comprehensive coverage. The more claims you’ve filed, the higher your premiums will be. In some cases, you may even find that your carrier will drop you (or you can’t find new coverage) after too many incidents.

Coverage options

Nearly every state has minimum liability coverage or personal injury protection (PIP) requirements for drivers. You must carry at least this much coverage — or in some states, be able to prove financial responsibility — in order to be a legal driver.

This coverage only kicks in to pay for damages and injuries that you cause to others, though. If your own vehicle is damaged in an at-fault accident, you’re hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver, or someone side swipes your car in the middle of the night, you won’t be protected unless you buy more than the state minimum coverage.

Most carriers offer additional coverages including:

  • Collision
  • Comprehensive
  • Medical payments

While these provide you with added peace of mind and financial protection, they also come with higher premiums.

Deductible

Any time you file a claim against your own coverage, you’ll be responsible for covering a portion of the expense before your carrier will step in. This is called your deductible.

The higher your deductible, the more you’re willing to cover upfront for a claim before your insurance company will need to write a check. In exchange for choosing a higher deductible, you’ll usually get a lower premium (and vice versa). Just be sure that you are prepared to cover that expense out of pocket if an incident does occur.

Family members

Even if you’re the only person who drives your car, you may still find that your premiums are impacted by the other individuals in your home.

If there are other adults or driving-age teens in your family or at your residence, they are considered to “have access” to your vehicle. This can increase your premiums substantially, even if they are never allowed to get behind the wheel of your vehicle.

Bottom Line

Auto insurance coverage is required in nearly all states and provides drivers with financial protection any time they get behind the wheel. This coverage can be costly, though, especially for certain drivers or those with high-risk factors. In some cases, you may be able to reduce your auto insurance costs by adjusting certain coverage factors and knowing just how auto insurance premiums are determined.