¿Merecen la pena los SEGUROS DE SALUD para GATOS? 🐱💸 Lo que NO te cuentan las ASEGURADORAS 🔍😾

Foreign do you want to know if health insurance for cats is worth it? Well, stay tuned because in today's video I'll help you read the fine print and tell you where all the tricks are. Hi, I'm Carlos and I'm a veterinarian and this is Alcachofo. Welcome to the Happy Pets and Families Channel. Say hi to Algae Cofo. I'm sure you've often wondered whether it's a good idea to take out health insurance for your cat. Well, there are many people who have, well, many doubts, many questions, because when our cats have a health problem, we have to face a financial outlay. So of course anything that makes our life a little easier in that situation is welcome. But the question is, what type of insurance would suit my cat? With a normal standard insurance, would it be completely protected? Maybe I'm going to have to pay something more in addition to the insurance. Well, today I'm here to answer all those questions. First of all, I want to ask you to please show this video a lot of love and affection because lately the algorithm has been really messing with us here on YouTube. So give it a like subscribe to the channel and also if you want, you can give us a super thanks. That helps a lot to spread the video and it really makes us very happy. Well then, let's get to the parts that I would look for when taking out insurance for our cats. What are the most important parts of the insurance policies out there? Don't worry, because even if you don't live here in Spain, most insurance policies share these types of parts clauses and they can help you a lot in your country to decide. Of course, I don't need to tell you that no insurance company has paid us not to speak well of it or to speak badly of the competition or anything like that. I am going to give you my honest opinion after having studied and reviewed a lot of insurance policies about the general conditions of all of them. But before that, you may have heard that in Spain, for example, the new Animal Welfare Law 7 of 2023 makes insurance mandatory for our animal companions. Is that true? No, it is not mandatory for all animals. It would only be mandatory for dogs. That part of the law has not yet been implemented. So it is not yet mandatory and only civil liability insurance is required in the case of dogs. Civil liability insurance, in case you don't know, is the insurance we take out for damages that our animal companion may cause. In this case, a dog, for example, that goes out into the street on a person, on another person's Property, or for example, if it damages, well, I don't know, a baby's stroller. All of that would be covered by civil liability insurance. And this would also include any aggression that the dog may commit against other people. For example, if we are asked for compensation for a bite. In addition to this type of insurance, there are two more. On the one hand, we have accident insurance, which logically covers our animal companion in the event that they have an accident, fall out of a window, get hit by a car and etc. And also medical insurance or insurance that covers veterinary expenses. That's why this is the most important thing to keep in mind when taking out insurance for our cat. Why? The most basic is civil liability insurance, but of course it might not make much sense for our cat because if it doesn't go outside, it won't meet other animals or people and it won't be able to cause damage to other people's homes. Well, that insurance isn't very useful for our cat. For our cats, the most useful thing is always insurance that covers medical expenses. They could get sick, need vaccinations, go to the vet to have something checked out, or maybe get sick at night. All of that, well, to a greater or lesser extent is covered by medical expense insurance. Although we're going to see what this means to a greater or lesser extent because there are a lot of friends out there with this concept clear. We already know a little bit about why we have to start choosing. But there are also insurance companies that do not cover cats at all. They are only made for dogs. As I always say, society's dog centrism also prevails in companies. For example, Terrania does not offer insurance for cats. So logically, when you are comparing, you will have to go for those that do include cats. But now, what should we start with? What is the first thing I would look at? The first thing is to see how old you can insure your cat. Most insurance policies have a minimum and maximum age for which you can insure your feline companion. That means that when they are very young, generally less than eight weeks old, cats are not insurable and when they are older than a certain age, they are not insurable either. Of course basic civil liability insurance can be taken out at any age, but I am referring only to medical expense insurance. If your cat is over nine or ten years old, you can. You won't be able to get insurance with e.g. adeslis, Seger, Kaisa or Santabet, which are very, very well known insurance companies. In the case of Barkibou stretch it a little further and go up to 11. There are insurance policies that fall far short. For example, PEZ plan, which you can find everywhere because, well, it's specifically for pets. It only covers cats up to seven years of age. But be careful. There's a little trick here too. There are some insurance companies like Edesla, Segur Kaisa, that tell you that if you've taken out insurance before your cat reach that age limit, they'll continue to keep the policy, but they won't let you take out a new policy. But I would recommend that if you already have insurance, go to the terms and conditions and see if that's written there. That is, we will maintain your policy after a certain age, when your cat is older, because if it is not stated, they could refuse to pay in the event that you need to resort to the insurance to pay a vet bill. And of course, if you have any questions, contact your insurance company and ask them to clarify it for you. And make sure they put it in writing, because that is precisely when a cat needs more veterinary care, when it is older. That is why insurance companies do not want to get caught out. And if they can leave you out, well, the money they save is much better. Another very important element for me, and note that I put it in second place, is the free choice of vet. Although it may seem silly, there are many insurance policies that do not allow you to choose a veterinary clinic, the one you trust, the vet who has known your cat all your life, but instead you have to go to their network of clinics. Sure, this ultimately leads us to the fact that you may be taking out insurance for your cat, saying, oh, I don't have to worry because my sifu is fully covered and will be able to continue going to his clinic. But when you go to claim the price of a bill, they tell you, oh no, you didn't take him to the clinic we told you about. Also, for me, as a veterinarian, that connection, that trust that is established between the professional and the animal, in this case your cat is very important because that veterinarian knows your cat, knows its history, all its medical history, and also knows you. Trust is the most important thing when it comes to health. Make sure that this clause is included, that you can choose the veterinarian, because some tell you that you can choose the veterinarian, but that you also have to pay a higher deductible. In other words, if your cat has to go to the veterinary clinic that you have freely chosen, it will cost you more. In other Cases such as Seger ksa, Adesalis, they don't let you choose your vet, and they have a price list with the different procedures performed in their clinics. So, as you can see, there's a big difference. If it's something you don't care about, fine. But for me, as I said, it's very important. The next point, a very important one, is the coverage. And, well, of course, logically, this is the backbone of the insurance because it's what it covers you for, it's what your cat is insured against. In other words, not all insurance policies are worth the same thing. There are some insurance policies that include, for example, that you go to the clinic and you don't pay for any consultations. Other policies include your cat's vaccinations and annual checkup. So you have to read all that very, very carefully. Now, I'm going to detail some very interesting things that I've come across because in the case of, for example, the Santi vbet indoor cat insurance, okay, that's very important. It covers you if your cat falls out of the window, has an accident, either from the window or the balcony, and, well, logically needs to be taken care of. But it doesn't cover you if your cat, later on on the street, I don't know, gets up, scared, runs away and is hit by a car. That wouldn't be covered by that policy. And it doesn't cover any other accidents it has on the street either, or if a dog bites it, or if another cat attacks it, or if it escapes through the door and runs off through your building, or if it falls down the stairs. None of that is insured. Other insurance policies, for example, don't cover illnesses or expenses derived from illnesses that can be prevented with vaccines like leukemia and man. I really don't think this is right because these kittens have a condition, an illness, and they're going to need to go to the vet from time to time because they have small relapses that can ultimately cause major expenses for the family, which logically, if covered by insurance, will be much less expensive and you will be able to help your feline companion better. So carefully review all the coverages and also any that are complementary. Let me explain. 1. Insurance that would be very good for me would be for veterinary expenses and accidents. But you should also check if the actions taken after an accident, for example, if your cat breaks a leg, are covered by the insurance, for example, physiotherapy rehabilitation, that usually involves large expenses and will help your cat improve Many insurances do not include it. You have to check each one specifically. In my opinion, you might want to consider getting an insurance policy that includes an annual dental cleaning, which is great, but it's something you can plan ahead of time, save up a bit and get that dental cleaning to help your cat. But you don't have to pay for it at a specific time. It's better to opt for services that you're going to need at a specific time due to a specific accident. No, it could also have caused you a lot of stress or even cost you money because they've had to have surgery, have some nails put in, etc. But they're mutually exclusive, right? But if you don't know whether to choose one or the other, it's better to always choose the things that you won't be able to foresee the things that will come up at a specific time, than those that you can perhaps postpone. Hey, you don't have to have your cat's dental cleaning tomorrow, Tuesday. You can wait two months, save up a little bit, and that's it. You can do it anyway. However, rehabilitation will come to you at that specific time without you being prepared. In addition, it would also be desirable for the insurance to cover situations such as death or even cremation or euthanasia of your cat. And look, it's true that these are somewhat unpleasant situations that none of us want to think about, but we also have to reflect. And hey, this is probably going to happen due to an illness, a great emotional and psychological stress for the family. The fewer things I have to worry about at that time, well, hey, all the better. And if the insurance is going to take care of those expenses, well, they're going to help us through those difficult times. In the case of a very popular insurance, varkaboos, for example, doesn't cover any postmortem expenses related to your cat. So, hey, at least keep that in mind. Also, it's very important with this coverage that you make sure you fully understand the language that the insurance companies use. And that's where a big problem comes in, because they often use somewhat ambiguous language so as not to make it very clear what they cover and what they don't. It's very important. Goodbye to the cat that your feline companion's insurance, in addition to including treatment, also includes the diagnosis of illnesses. Diagnosis is basically all the actions that the veterinarian performs before saying that your cat has an illness or to get to the cause of that illness. It can include anything from a blood test to see if it has an infectious disease, looking at the urine under a microscope to detect if it has crystals, or even an X ray, an ultrasound, an mri, or a CT scan. All of these are diagnostic tests. And the treatment, which is what most insurance policies usually include, is the actions that your veterinarian takes to resolve your cat's illness. For example, if your cat has a broken leg, the diagnosis would be an X ray, and the treatment would be surgery and an X ray. And this is very important because many insurance policies include treatment, but they don't mention diagnosis at all. Hey, I'm not saying that they're going to refuse to pay in all cases, but that could happen. Maybe if you're reading the policy, you don't notice that little twist of language, but diagnosis is very expensive. Many times, if our cat, for example, loses mobility in its hind legs, it may be necessary to have an MRI to find out if it has a herniated disc or if it has suffered a blow and broken a vertebra. Well, these types of tests are usually quite expensive, around €800 or €900, depending on the type of test. If your insurance does not specifically state that it covers the diagnosis, they may refuse to pay for them. And logically, they would not be fulfilling the purpose for which you have contracted them. Related to this, regarding coverage, it is also very important that you know how much money the insurance covers, because, well, in few cases are they unlimited. And logically, the more money they cover, the more expensive the policy will be for you, or what you will have to pay for the insurance after a year. Now, you may ask me, hey, what would be a more or less acceptable limit? Well, we have an answer for that, too. I wouldn't take out any insurance that covered less than €2,000 per year. And you might say, oh, my gosh, €2,000 is outrageous. Well, don't think it's that much, huh? Because if our cat has some kind of emergency, for example, or what I said before, like having to have an MRI, which alone is going to eat up €800 of the budget. Well, if we only spend €1,000, we're going to be very tight on the treatment, which is to solve my cat's problem. So that's why it's almost better to always go a little over than to go too low. As they always say in these cases, you have to have enough budget to cover what's happening to your cat and all the unforeseen events or complications that may arise. Okay? And one very important thing, the issue of Excesses. A deductible is basically the amount of money you have to pay when your insurance company provides any type of intervention. Because, of course, the annual fee you pay is one thing, and the amount you should pay when your cat needs veterinary care is quite another. Although you may think that when you pay the fee for the entire year your cat is already covered, insurance companies will always reserve a small amount of money that you should pay. If, for example, an X ray needs to be done, well, it may tell you that you have to pay 20% of the budget that has to come out of your own pocket. The rest would be paid by the insurance company. In contrast, there are two types of deductibles. On the one hand, we have variables that are based on a percentage of the total bill. This is the method that EBU uses, for example, which asks for 20% of the total billing. Or for example, Mafe. If you don't choose one of its clinics, you will have to pay 20% as a deductible. On the other hand, there are fixed deductibles. This means that regardless of the expenses you are going to pay for your cat or the insurance you pay an amount. An example of these fixed deductibles is Santabet. This type of insurance, depending on the coverage you have contracted, includes a deductible of between €20 and €70. And that is, as I said, a fixed amount. And there is an example, a slightly different model, which is the one followed by Sigur Kaisa to Teslas. This type of insurance does not include deductibles of any kind, but rather what it has is a kind of price table. This price table is the one applied to you in their veterinary clinics. As I said before, this type of insurance does not allow you to freely choose your clinic. So when you go to that clinic, they tell you, well, if you're insured with Segre Kaisa Deslis, for example, the consultation is free, but maybe when your cat needs surgery, you have to pay something like €350, for example. Those types of amounts are always going to be fixed. Well, it's basically as if you had a special price table just for you because you're insured. The issue of excesses is very important because it's going to determine how much money you're going to have to pay when something happens to your cat that's covered by the insurance, more or less. You know that if something happens to your cat, your insurance tells you, well, it's only going to be €50. Well, that's it. I know that if I have these €50, they might be able to treat my cat. Well, that's with an asterisk which I'll explain to you now. But first let me tell you about the deficiencies. The waiting period is not what the insurance lacks, but rather the way insurers tell you. Hey, there's a period from the time you sign the policy until the insurance starts to take effect, until your cat starts to be covered. And this also varies greatly depending on the company to begin with. Well, most insurance companies won't cover you if your cat has a pre existing illness or condition. Okay? If your cat has a disease that can be proven to already exist in your cat, even if it hadn't had any symptoms before signing the insurance, that disease isn't covered. In fact, there are some that are a little more specific and tell you, hey, some genetic or congenital diseases, for example, in some breeds of dogs that have heart problems, those are not covered under any circumstances. An example of a waiting period is a very common clause in most insurance policies that does not cover expenses for accidents to your cats if it has been less than 15 days since you signed the insurance, or does not cover expenses for your cat's illness if it has been less than 30 days since you signed the insurance. This only applies to the first time you sign up for the insurance, the first time you take it out. Okay? Not to renewals. There is no waiting period for renewals in any insurance. In these cases, I recommend that you always look for the insurance that has the shortest waiting period. As I say, this varies greatly, although it is usually around 15 or 30 days. 15 days for an accident, 30 days for an illness. But there are some that lower the waiting period for accidents to 7 days and illnesses 28 or others that even increase the time, such as one that I've seen where the waiting period for illness is 45 days. In other words, your cat won't be covered for a month and a half, even if you've already signed up for the insurance and paid for it. And since this is typically something that can give you a bad surprise when you take out insurance for the first time, at least look into it and take it into account. And now let's move on to a series of important things that I recommend you look for if they appear in the policy. On the one hand, your cat always has to have a MIC microchip. So if your cat doesn't have one, they won't ask you for it. Many times when taking out the insurance the first time, uh, once you've already paid for it, etc. But later you'll have to provide it. So the cat has to be correctly identified if you want it to cover expenses for illnesses that require a vaccine, such as leukemia, herpes virus, calico virus and others. Your cat must have its vaccinations up to date. You can't miss them. You have to keep getting them every year in some insurance policies. For example, in Barkibou, if your cat lives more than three months outside the country, in our case Spain, it automatically stops being insured. It's no longer insured, even if you've paid more. Things that may be interesting. Other insurance policies have travel coverage. It's quite common to find them within countries of the European Union. Hey, if you're someone who travels with your cat, maybe this interests you. And another thing, some insurance policies, such as pet plan, only cover the cost of treatment for chronic illnesses during the first year. If the following year your cat still has that illness, like a heart problem or a kidney problem, the cost of treatment will no longer be covered. And of course, this can be a bit annoying. Chronic illnesses last a very long time. Your cat is going to be sick for the rest of its life and will have to continue to have checkups, treatments, diagnoses, etc. If the insurance doesn't cover it, they're going to wash their hands of it and not pay you anything. Another very important thing I want to tell you is that insurance is not the same as a premium or a health plan. Okay? Insurance is given to you by an insurance company, and premiums or health plans are set up by the veterinary clinics themselves to make it easier for you to access the care they provide. And they consist of an annual fee that includes certain services such as consultations or checkups, perhaps vaccinations or discounts on food or diagnostic tests. But the fundamental difference with insurance is that you will always have to pay a certain amount of money that no one will reimburse you at a lower price right at the veterinary clinic. But you will always have to pay a significant part of the bill less if they are services that they can include, such as vaccinations, consultations, and so on. And I think it is important for you to know this because you may be interested in investigating this option before taking out insurance. And one very important thing that I do not want to forget to mention, I told you before, with a small asterisk, that you would only need to have the money for the deductible to cover the cost in case your cat had to go to the vet. But here we have to mention something that is a universal truth and that no one has told you before. Cat insurance. Health insurance for our feline companions and also for our dogs, is more like insurance for your home television than your health insurance. And this is what I am referring to. They do not consider that what we are really treating is a vital need for our cat, a need related to its health with a disease that has just appeared, but rather that you are going to have to pay the total amount of the veterinary expenses. They are going to give you an invoice, and you are going to present that invoice to the insurance company, and they will then reimburse you after studying the invoice. But in that process, which is true, that many insurance companies also tell you that it will not take more than 30 days. They can do checks, they can send an expert to the clinic, they can ask the veterinarian, or even request a second opinion from another veterinarian to determine whether the treatment you gave your cat was necessary or not. And based on that, decide how much of that invoice to pay you. This is very important because, of course, even if you take out insurance for your cat, you always have to have a piggy bank, because that will be the first fund that we will have to be able to take care of our cat if an emergency operation is needed, if it has to go to the clinic at night, if it needs an X ray or a tag. If we don't have that money, even if we are insured, we will not be able to carry out the procedure, because we always have to advance that amount of money. And I am sure that this has surprised more than one or two people who are watching this video right now, because even those people who have already taken out insurance probably do not know this specific information. Right. And so you are wondering, well, how much does insurance usually cost? Well, there is a range of prices. It will depend a lot on whether the insurance is more basic or more comprehensive. Civil liability insurance is only the most economical. Those can be around €100 per year or a little less. But the ones we're interested in, which are veterinary expense insurance, are a little more expensive. You can find them for around €250 or €300. And they'll also depend a lot on, on the one hand, the coverage, on the other hand, the excess that you've selected, and also on the total amount of insurable expenses, in other words, how much money in total per year those insurances will pay. If something happens to your cat, depending on how you set up the insurance, on what you select, the total policy will be more or less expensive. And be careful because another important thing that many people don't know about is that civil liability insurance is often included for our animal companions and the general insurance that we take out for ourselves, such as home insurance. In many cases, they usually include the civil liability of your animal companion. Take a look. So with all this, is it worth it? Well, my personal opinion as a veterinarian is that it is true that insurance will help us provide better veterinary care to our feline companion because, well, if it is going to alleviate a little the financial outlay required for a procedure, well, hey, welcome. But it is also true that it can generate a false sense of security. Why? Well, because if you didn't know that you had to keep that little bag ready in case your cat got sick, you might say, oh, it's okay, my cat is insured, I don't have to have any money saved. And in the end you get an unpleasant surprise. In addition, it is also very important that you check very carefully what coverage you have purchased for your cat, because depending on that, some insurances will be more attractive than others. As I said, I would always prioritize, in the event that you are considering the situation, that the insurance covers all accident expenses, illness expenses, and also expenses derived from those accidents and illnesses. Preventive medicine is great for me. Listen, it is perhaps the basis of health, the issue of vaccinations, an annual check up, that is great, but at the end of the day you will be able to plan that ahead of time and it is not so necessary for the insurance to cover it. Always prioritize those insurances that include unforeseen expenses. It will also depend a lot on the case that you have at home. There are certain breeds of cats that are predisposed to certain congenital or genetic diseases. If the insurance that you have more or less covers it, if it does not specifically say that it does not cover genetic diseases, diseases that your cat had before taking out the insurance, etc. Well, listen, it may be much more interesting because it is possible that your cat has a high probability of having that disease. So, well, for those cases it can be quite interesting. And otherwise, well, if you already know what the insurance you have taken out for your cat covers, or the one you are willing to take out for your cat, perfect. But for me, the most important thing is that you don't just rely on the information, on the sign. That's very nice. What you find in the online ad or what the insurance broker has told you, but that you go directly to the policy, that you review the coverage and that you are clear about it. And that if you have any questions, consult the insurance company directly or perhaps consult your vet because they can help you before signing anything. For me, the most important thing is that we are well advised and know what we are taking out. Well, now it's your turn to tell me a little bit in the comments if you were familiar with this insurance topic or if you had ever considered it as an alternative, Leave me a comment. Also, remember to subscribe to the channel like the video and give us a super thank you if you want to support us a lot. We also have a secondary channel here on YouTube called Questions and Answers from a Veterinarian. Check it out and don't leave yet because first we're going to meet Bob the cat Chimuelo, who greets us with his human companion Lizzie from Colombia. With Laura in Montevideo lives this little girl named Patxa. They tell us that she used to be a little tigress, but that she has improved a lot. And with Fatima in Mexico live three cats. One is called Fofo, the second is called Gatti, and the third is called Patina. Thank you very much for following the Pets and Happy Families channel and we'll see you in the next video. Say goodbye to the Kociofo. And with that little pink nose that looks like a little pig. Yes, Idz. Time for this kitty's nap. No, no, we don't respect anything in this house anymore. And this is the Kociofo, who, although he is asleep, also welcomes you to the channel Pets and Happy Families. I don't know why I said that. Oh, now you've woken up. Well, yes and no. Hmm. Now I'll explain. Well, I should have said at the beginning that of course no one has paid us, but. Well, I think so. Okay. Because apart from knowing him well, there's also a relationship between you, between the family and the vet, which makes all that communication that exists between the two of you very important and valuable. Didn't you like it? So when you're going to take out insurance, even if it seems very cheap, make sure, make sure. No, if it's something you don't care about. Well, hey, perfect. That it's important. That's it. Well, that's it. It doesn't matter. It's going to be more expensive for you. Well, and now let's go to the advisor, Right? For me, the most important thing is that before signing anything, we are completely equal. You already have experience with other types of insurance, and you can answer the question yourself. Yeah.