definitely a yes

Out of 10

I have had pets all my life. with our newest additions, a german shepherd and a kitten, I decided to give this a try. all claims have been processed promptly. Unfortunately, the biggest payoff would be with a large claim. I wish I had this for my older dogs. then we wouldn't be hesitating about some surgery our lab needs.

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Posted: 03/20/2009

I would go with another company. VPI doesn't cover old dogs. You can't add the cancer rider either if your dog is over 8, the age most likely when they might get cancer. VPI uses a "rate schedule" which is outdated, confusing, and often they don't even pay a claim at all or not very much of it. I have VPI and am shopping now to switch. There are many more pet insurances out there now than there were when I first got VPI and they seem a lot better.

Posted: 05/15/2009

Geez. I've had two dogs over 8 insured with VPI. I've always had their cancer endorsement. Although it wouldn't surprise me if you can't add it on after the dog turns 8. Not very surprising at all.
All my claims are paid in a very timely basis. I wonder how Kim has calculated "often the don't even pay a claim"? Just what does she use to calculate this? 100% of my claims are paid.

Of course, if Kim thinks that VPI should be paying for things excluded from her policy, then I guess they don't Pay all claims. for instance, my Vet put one of my dogs on prescription diet, but VPI excludes this. So they don't pay for that, but I knew that from reading the benefit schedule and policy. I knew they wouldn't pay that before so I wasn't surprised when they didn't.

Posted: 08/14/2009

VPI - Definitely not recommended for the "large claims" you mention. They have paid only about 30% (generous estimate) of my dog's bills in the past 6 months, leaving me with over $4500 out of pocket. Altho he had pneumonia twice, they said he is covered for only once because no matter how many times he gets pneumonia, it is a single incidence. If you have a complicated claim with several dates and several doctors and hospitals, you might as well give up on understanding how they have calculated that which they will and won't cover! When I called to inquire, the person on the phone couldn't even figure it out. I have the rider for wellness and that has not been a problem.

Posted: 11/12/2009

I have been with VPI insurance for over 15 years. My dog Jake recently had a tooth abcess. The total bill including emergency care two days earlier was about $459. After the deductible of $50 we received a check for about $314. It came within 3 weeks of faxing to VPI. Some people must have expensive vets or they don't ask for the vet to give a current client discount if they pay cash. My vet charges wellness visit of $26 and VPI pays $20. If I had the more expensive plan it would pay up to $30. My dogs vaccinations are included in the plan. They paid about every except about $8. I know that some things are going to cost alot and they may be on an older schedule but you need to review your policy. I have looked at other insurance but there deductibles are higher and the monthly premiums are either the same or higher. VPI also gives multiple animal discounts of 5%. I got the insurance for the major problems that hopefully will not occur. I think it all depends on the policy you choose. If you choose the basic policy you may not be covered for certain items. If you pay for the wellcore or premium policies you will get more benefits. It's just like any other insurance particularly if you have a dog with pre-existing conditions. I just got a new dog a few months ago and was honest when they asked about any illnesses. Knowing that they could ask for vet records I told them that she had kennel cough (which has cleared up). It was noted on my policy as a pre-existing condition. I'm not saying that VPI is the best or anything like that but it all depends on how you use the plan. Talk to your vet and get a rate sheet and compare. Go to other vets in the area and see what they charge. Sometimes dogs don't need everything that the vet prescribes, such as heartworm meds or flea treatments, you can get that from petmeds or Dr Smith and Foster. Anyway, that's my 25 cents.

Posted: 11/19/2009

I agree with the comments on choosing someone else. I've had VPI since my 3 yr old dog was a puppy and when something potentially serious was diagnosed they paid very little. Initial pathology on a cyst was melanoma, an agressive form of cancer in dogs as it was explained to us, so we proceeded with having additional testing done and had the growth removed. In the end a larger sample showed it was not cancer so they paid just under $200 of a bill that cost over over $2000 and after many disputes their final decision stayed the same.....the final diagnosis wasn't cancer so they would not pay the bill. HELLO....the only way to find that out was to have the surgery. In the end an excellent outcome for my dog, but I will no longer be using VPI. Their payment didn't even cover the anesthesia. Imagine if that were a person and you thought you had an aggressive form of cancer and after they remove the tumor and it comes back benign your insurance won't pay the bill. Ridiculous!

Posted: 11/20/2009

carol, I have gotten the same crap. My kitty was insured from kitten on and they always paid the routine stuff promptly. Recently she had some scary neurological things which resulted in several vet trips, an opthalmologist, and 2 emergency hospitalizations. I was told I exceeded the cap for an incidence and it was two separate hospitalizations. I had to re-file and they pissed off my regular vet (who was on vacation through much of this) withrecords requests. I've only seen $576 on a $1536.00 2 emergency visit bill. same here, piles of paper and dates etc. I couldn't make heads or tails from the way they figured either. Any recommendations for a new company?

Posted: 08/05/2013

I think VPI insurance is great and well worth the money. I haven't had any problems with reimbursement for my pet's vet bills. I have the major medical plan and last year they helped me recover most of my costs (approx. 80%), in which I received over $2,000. This year, so far, I have been reimbursed for more than what I pay for both of my kitties' policys for a year. It's definitely worth the money insuring your cats and VPI is the way to go. Of course, there's a cap on each illness but that's to be expected with any pet insurance plan. I appreciate the service I receive when I call them and they were very compassionate when I lost my "Pretty Boy". I have both my kitties covered and I feel I've selected the best plan. Call around and compare, you'll see that they're reasonable and you definitely get your money's worth.