 TITLE: Do I Need a Good Credit Score for Pet Insurance? CONTENT: How to Choose the Right Pet Insurance Policy\n--------------------------------------------\nGenerally, there are three types of pet health insurance you can buy.\n1.  Accident-only insurance covers medical care related to an accident.\n2.  Wellness covers routine or preventative care.\n3.  Accident and illness offers more comprehensive coverage for accidents, routine care and treatment for illnesses.\nWithin those three categories, there's a wide range of coverage, so it's important to know exactly what a specific policy includes. Here are some questions to ask when comparing pet insurance:\n*   **What treatment is covered?** Not all pet insurance policies are created equal. For instance, some wellness policies cover dental care, prescriptions and medical tests, while others do not. If you're getting an accident-only plan, does eating rat poison constitute an accident, or does it only cover things like road accidents?\n*   **Are preexisting, congenital or chronic conditions covered?** Some policies exclude such conditions, while others will cover them on a limited basis. For example, if your pet got cancer and treatment was covered by insurance company A, cancer will be considered a preexisting condition if you switch to insurance company B. However, it's also possible insurance company A will categorize cancer as a preexisting condition when your policy comes up for renewal and exclude it from coverage.\n*   **What costs are you responsible for?** Just as with auto or home insurance, you'll pay a deductible when you make a pet insurance claim. The insurer then pays a percentage of the remaining costs for covered treatments. For example, suppose your pet needs a $10,000 surgery, your policy deductible is $100, and your copay or coinsurance is 80%. You pay $100; the insurance pays 80% of the $9,900 remaining (or $7,920); and you'll be responsible for the remaining $1,980.\nHowever, there's some fine print to be aware of when it comes to deductibles and reimbursement levels. Like human health insurance, some plans require you to meet a certain deductible for the year before they pay out any benefits; others just charge a per-treatment deductible. In addition, some plans reimburse a percentage of the \"usual and customary\" costs of certain procedures—which may not reflect what your vet actually charges.\n*   **What are the benefit limits?** Pet health insurance policies generally have limits on how much they'll cover per pet, per illness or accident, or per year.\n*   **How will benefits be paid?** Some insurers pay the vet directly, but in most cases, you'll pay the veterinarian out of pocket and submit a claim to get reimbursed by the insurance company.\n*   **Are hereditary conditions excluded?** Some pets are prone to certain conditions because of their breed; often, these will be excluded from coverage.\n*   **What is the waiting period?** All pet insurance policies have a waiting period, generally 30 days or less, after which the policy goes into effect and you can make a claim for illnesses that begin after the waiting period.\n*   **Is a medical exam required?** Some insurers require proof your pet has been seen by a vet in the past year before they will issue a policy.\n*   **Are you limited to a provider network?** You may have to use a vet from the insurance company's provider list to be covered. If you already have a vet you love, make sure they are part of the network.\n*   **Are there extra benefits?** For example, some policies cover treatment if your pet is ill or injured on a trip outside the United States. Others cover the cost of advertising for a lost pet and paying a reward for its return. END