lifetime dog insurance

How to Get Lifetime Dog Insurance

What is Lifetime Dog Insurance?

Lifetime dog insurance is a term used to describe a pet insurance policy that will provide coverage for the rest of a dog’s life. Lifetime coverage is offered by some pet insurance companies and appears to be a term more commonly used in the United Kingdom. In the United States, many companies will include lifetime coverage in the policy by stating, “once a pet is enrolled, the policy won’t be canceled except in cases of non-payment”.

How to Know if Your Dog Can Get Lifetime Dog Insurance

If your dog qualifies for pet insurance and you sign up with a company that will continue your policy as long as you continue to pay the premium — then you can get lifetime pet insurance for your dog.

An important question to ask when you shop for pet insurance is if they can cancel you for any reason. If the answer is yes, then this company will not provide you with lifetime dog insurance. If the answer is no, then they should. Please confirm these questions with them prior to signing for a policy.

How Much Is Lifetime Dog Insurance

The cost of lifetime dog insurance will depend on several factors. The biggest factor in the cost will be the coverage that you choose for your dog. There are several variables that you look at when shopping for lifetime dog insurance. Important terminology and variables include:

  1. Premium: This is the amount you pay to the insurance company to insure your dog. You can often choose monthly or annual premiums. The premium directly correlates to your deductible and your reimbursement (also known as a copay). There are sometimes discounts for paying annually or for automatic bank deductions for monthly payments.
  2. Deductible: This is the amount of the vet bill you must pay before insurance benefits start or “kick in”. It is important to understand that some companies have per-incident deductibles while others have an annual deductible. An example of an annual deductible is a $500 deductible. Generally, once the deductible is met, the copay kicks in.
  3. Reimbursement (Copay): This is the amount of a bill, after deductible, an insurance company will pay you. Generally, you can choose your amount of reimbursement. For example, if you choose 100%, the pet insurance company will cover 100% of the bill after the deductible. If you choose, 90%, 80% or 70% – the pet insurance company will cover that percentage of your bill. The more you want them to cover, the higher your premium.
  4. Maximum coverage limit: This is how much money an insurance company will pay out per health issue, per year, or lifetime. Some may have a limit of $5,000 and others may have unlimited coverage.
  5. Waiting Period: Period of time you wait for your policy to kick in.
  6. Exclusions: It is also important to understand what the pet insurance company won’t cover. For example, pet insurance companies won’t cover pre-existing conditions.
  7. Coverage type: Most policies cover accidents and illnesses. Many companies offer add-on policies that also cover wellness such as vaccines, flea prevention and more.

The cost of lifetime dog insurance can vary from as little as $20 per month to over $100 a month depending on your location and the coverage you select.

Visit PetPartners and get a quote today to see if pet insurance is right for you.

Getting Your Lifetime Dog Insurance

Many dog owners want to get a pet insurance policy that will cover their dog for the dog’s entire lifetime. This makes it important to pick a company you like and trust, and choose the policy that is best for you and your dog. Once you have a policy, if you continue to pay the premium, it can be your dog’s insurance policy for the rest of his or her life.

Additional Articles that May Be of Interest About Pet Health Insurance: