When I decided to get a French Bulldog mix I knew I should invest in Pet Insurance. Even though she is half Boston Terrier, I know that both breeds are prone to health problems stemming from their smooshed in faces. I decided to go with the ASPCA as a provider since its the ASPCA, I figured it was good.
My plan was just renewed automatically on January 15th. Now, normally that would be fine, but they charged me a fee of $10.50 to renew the plan and didn't tell me. Lame. Then I called and tried to reduce her plan. She has higher coverage because it covered all her puppy shots and her spay etc. I tried to lower it and they said that 1) I'd have to wait another 30 days from February 15th for illness to be covered and 2) anything she illness or injury she had on the previous plan would be considered a pre-existing condition and not covered. It is considered a new plan as soon as they renew it, automatically, without telling you.
What is even worse, is that when they renewed my plan, it made anything that happened to her the previous year a preexisting condition and now its not covered. WTF? So basically, unless it can be cured in a year, you're paying for it. They even had the nerve to up sell me on a "Extended Coverage" add on, which gives you an extra $1000 for long term care. Um...$1000? For the rest of their treatment? That is nothing. If Olive, god forbid, had to have surgery that wouldn't even begin to cover it.
So I cant lower my plan and nothing that happened to her since I got her is covered now. And I pay $35 a month for this. Seems like a rip off to me. Not to mention, every reimbursement check I get, I swear they nickle and dime me and find some way to not cover something entirely.
Oh and don't even get me started about how the Governator wants to fix California's budget problems by raising the tax on vet services!
Taking care of your pet in a responsible manner shouldn't be so hard.
ASPCA, you should be ashamed of yourself for such a scam.
Olive it totally going on vitamins starting this weekend.
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I'm a big advocate of insurance. It's kind of that necessary evil. But yes, it is EVIL. An evil industry preying on our love and commitment to our relatives in order to sell enormous packages for high premiums, packages the benefits of which they PAINSTAKINGLY try to keep us from accessing! They do NOT want to part with the promised money. As a pet owner, you have zero room to make an honest mistake. If you do anything outside of their logic, you jeopardize cashing in on the much needed insurance. Nobody knows what the first thing to do is during a crisis. And crises is when insurance is needed. I've seen lots of people try to fix a situation on their own, only to accidentally RECATEGORIZE it, and then discover that their fuck up changed their coverage. Makes me ill. Not their fault at all!
ReplyDeleteASPCA participating in this schemely scheme that takes advantage of mortal considerations... makes me ill. They need to reform their policies! Here here!