I Fired Petplan!
 

I'm so pissed I can't see straight :mad:. When we first got Harlie, she was so tiny and fragile I knew that I had better get her insured just in case something happened. I did my research and decided on Petplan and purchased the best policy they offer...Gold. We were past the waiting period and the policy was active and in full force. When we took her in for the fire ant bites (we didn't know was ants at the time) she was given a steroid and an antihistamine. This is when the vet said she had the murmur.

I filed a claim for $92.00 for the visit and treatment. I also filed a prequalification claim form for the ultrasound that the vet suggested because it was about $600.00. After we found that the murmur didn't exist and we didn't need the ultrasound, I get a email that the prequal for the ultrasound was denied because they claimed it was a preexisting condition. It was not! There were no signs or symptoms it was discovered after the policy was in place. They advertise and boast of being one of the only companies that cover hereditary and congenital conditions...they lie because it's a "catch 22"

Fine, we didn't need the procedure at that point anyway because she was misdiagnosed. I then inquired about the claim for ant bite thing and they denied that claim also calling it a preexisting condition!!! How the hell can fire ants be a preexisting condition with a 15 week old puppy, I ask them! They said it's because there is no medical history for Harlie.

BS, this company, if it wasn't in the past, it is now a SCAM, RIP OFF, POS of a pet insurance company and I highly advise everyone to stay away from them. They have a 30 day satisfaction money back guarantee which I'm exercising at this time. Oh yeah, the guarantee is pro rated. I talked with HealthyPaws insurance and they couldn't believe it...I'm with them now.

Sorry about my language,

Don

That would fire me up too! In the way they are explaining it, I can't see what they WOULD cover. I have found that most people health insurance takes perseverance to get payment. They seem to want to disqual claims and then only pay if you show you are not going to back down. Maybe pet insurance is the same. I can actualy understand not covering the murmur in a way as the murmur would have been present prior to the policy, whereas, something like leggs-perthe might be congenital, but symptoms may not develop until later in life. But the fire ants???? That is just inane!

After spending a thousand dollars in vet bills this month for my 3, insurance is starting to look like a good idea. So, I am making a point to read customer experiences. Thanks for passing yours on.

I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like you tried to do everything exactly right.

Why did they say there was no medical history on Harlie? Had you taken her in before the ant bite incident for an initial exam, vaccinations, etc? I would think that would qualify as a medical history. I do know that Petplan (& other insurances) require you sign a release allowing them access to all medical records. Did you submit this to your vet and ask them to send any earlier records to Petplan?

I'm not trying to defend Petplan, or sound questioning of your actions. As a policy owner myself (I have some of my gang covered through Embrace and just moved the others to Petplan), I'd just like to learn their reasoning behind their decisions.

I too looked into pet insurance, and was ready to go ahead with it... then I talked to a few friends who have had similar problems as yours. Those pet policies aren't very helpful if your pet is actually sick. They find loopholes to not cover any expenses. If you do find one that actually insures pet health, please let me know!!

I am with Petplan and also have the GOLD insurance for poppy costing me £35 a month. If something was to happen to Poppy i know she would have thw proper care if needed, but this story just scares me now eeek! Poppy is 12 weeks old and been to the vets 3 times so far and has had a full health check and was ok. xxx

The only records that I had was from the breeder who administered the primary round of vaccines herself. I had no vet records. I my opinion, that is no reason not to process my claim for a visit because of a reaction to stupid ant bites and apply it to my deductible. We didn't know what she had gotten into, just knew that she wasn't right. When they denied the claim they said to send them the vaccine tags and the doctors notes from the visit and that should be fine, which I did. Ultimately, they denied the claim.

I agree. I'd be very upset as well.

I'm not familiar with the new company you signed up with. Do they cover genetic/heriditary conditions as well? If not, you might look into Embrace - another company I really like.

Yes, I did my research again and HealthyPaws seem to offer a comparable plan. Plus, they help fund rescue efforts. Healthypaws get a 10/10 rating...we'll see...http://www.petinsurancereview.com/healthypaws.asp

Wow id be pretty pissed too!
Good job you can get your money back and start up with a different insurence company who hopefully are alot better then Petplan.
Also glad to hear that she dosnt have a heart murmur after all.

Yes, that's the important thing is that she's healthy as a horse at this time. the $90 bucks ain't nothing to me and should have been nothing to them to apply it to my deductible, it's the principle of it all. Why would they do that to a new customer. Maybe they're so fat with business, one client doesn't matter.

You didn't take the puppy to a vet when you got it to have it checked out? Why would you not do that? Usually that is the first place I go with a new puppy to be sure there are no problems? Most breeders tell you to take them to a vet within a couple of days for a health check?
Just wondering?

i find it slightly odd that there are no negative comments even if you had a generally good experience someone would have had a bad thing to say

I strongly agree with this. Puppies should always be taken to a vet for a thorough exam as soon as possible.

And after thinking on it, I can better understand Petplan's position. Had you taken Harlie in right away as should have been done, any heart murmur or other potential issues would've/shouldn've been detected at that time. Meaning it would have been diagnosed within your two week waiting period (if not before), which would make it a pre-existing & deniable condition. Because Harlie didn't see a vet for an intitial exam, Petplan could not have any confidence that the murmur began after your coverage did.

Again, I'm sorry this happened.

I feel the same exact way!!! We too, have the Gold plan, because I did my research and thought this was the best way to go. Last week we took Holly to the derm and came out with a $400 vet bill, so I thought I would at least get a $200 check from Pet Plan because I have a $200 deductible, but instead I got an $85 check for a $400 vet bill! I'm so upset!!! I thought this was the best pet insurance, so I don't know who to go to now!

What's your co-pay %? You have to pay the co-pay for each visit as well as a deductible for each incident. Also, Petplan charges the highest co-pay (no matter which one you've selected for your regular co-pay) if you go to a specialist like a derm, or to an after hours er, a specialist you're seeing based on referral from your vet, etc.

One difference I liked about Embrace is that the deductible is an annual one, instead of being per incident like it is with Petplan. And, their co-pay doesn't change no matter what type of doctor or clinic you visit.