Plans Take Bite Out of Pet Bills

Pets can be worth a lot to residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.

With treatment ranging from an exam at $32 to a hip or knee surgery going into the thousands of dollars, there are reasons for pet owners to be concerned.

"Typically we don't save enough for ourselves, let alone a pet," said Dr. Ron Faoro, president of the California Veterinary Medicine Association in Sacramento.

However, many local veterinarians have begun to accept health insurance specifically for animals.

"There is a trend towards providing care through insurance," said Misty Hirschbein, a veterinarian with V.I.P. Veterinary Hospital in Saugus.

Jorge Barrera, who is also a veterinarian in Saugus, said that animal health insurance has become very popular in the past three years, despite some insurance companies being around for up to 25 years.

Many procedures are covered by pet insurance, such as cancer treatments, accidents or illnesses, with some extending as far as vaccinations and annual exams.However, it is not like health insurance for humans, where paperwork is done through the doctor.

A client pays the veterinarian for the procedure and then submits the forms and documentation to the insurance company.

After the information is verified, the insurance company sends the client a refund for the procedure.

Lisa Pope, a veterinarian at Stevenson Ranch Veterinary Center, said many of the center's clients have pet insurance.

"It's not a bad idea," she said. "You never know when an unexpected accident or health incident will occur."

Hirschbein said pet insurance can aid pet owners in affording procedures that they might not normally be able to afford.

"It allows people ... to go beyond (what they normally would do)," she said.

Some people even envision that animal health insurance might become more like human health insurance, and might allow veterinarians to provide mainly for insured pets.

Although many agree that pet insurance is a good idea, most people say it probably won't become mandatory.

"I think it's something that's always going to be optional," Pope said.

In Faoro's experience, he found that only 10 percent of people in his practice buy pet insurance, and it might not be for everybody.

"The idea is that it doesn't pay for everything, but it takes the sting out of unexpected things," Faoro said. "It can definitely pay for itself. ... Of course, you can't predict the future."

He said people who have adequate resources and don't have financial concerns might not need pet insurance.

Instead, people should try to have a savings account for their pets, where money is put aside for accidents and illness on a yearly basis.

However, he said there are many people who aren't saving, but rather "hope they just get lucky."

This could cause a serious risk.

"Someday in the future, they might have to make a life or death decision based on finance," he said.

Information from: www.the-signal.com