by Just like how an insurance policy is the one of best options when we, humans, want to safeguard the medical and other needs of our near and dear ones, the same pet insurance does for your furry babies.
Pet insurance is a kind of insurance policy that can be bought by any individual who owns a pet and would like to have adequate protection for them against various veterinary expenses which can be incurred in order to treat their pet, in event of any accident or illness.
Presently, pet insurance is a very nascent market in India, as compared to other countries. But owing to increasing demand of pet ownership in India, there are few insurance providers which are offering full-fledged insurance coverage to pet animals such as dogs, cats or any other pet.
Here’s a guide which talks in depth about the best insurance plans for your pets in India and also the other crucial details pertaining to pet insurance policy, which you should know, if you have a pet.
Best Pet Insurance Plans In India
What Is Pet Insurance?
Considering how expensive it is to maintain our pet’s overall health and wellbeing in today’s world, a pet insurance is a must if as a pet owner you don’t face any sudden financial difficulties and continue to protect your pet in every possible way.
A pet insurance is an insurance contract between insurance company and a pet owner, which provides the latter the optimum coverage for the veterinary expenses related to their pet’s medical treatment and thus ensuring that your cat or dog stays in the finest of health.
Generally, there are two kinds of pet insurance coverage available in India: Cat Insurance and Dog Insurance. Both these policies can be customized as per your needs and requirements and ensures your loving pets to always stay healthy, without causing you any sort of financial distress.
What Are The Benefits of Buying Pet Insurance?
- Ensures financial safety for pet parents especially when their pets fall sick or need any immediate medical treatment.
- Helps you to keep your pet’s health condition safe and sound without worrying about hefty medical regular check-ups. Certain plans also provide free annual health check-ups.
- Provides special benefits to the pet owner, especially when your pet is lost or stolen, or has caused damages to a third-party or property.
- Provides your coverage for the special and modern treatments which can be otherwise very expensive.
- Certain plans also provide global coverage, which helps you when you are traveling abroad with your pet and cover for any mishaps which might occur during your trip
Pre-Requisite of A Pet Insurance Policy
It is important that the insured cat or dog is required to be registered with Municipal Corporation or deemed local government authority or certified Kennel Club of India, or micro-chipped by the policyholder. Apart from filing the insurance proposal form, the insured has to submit the photograph of the insured dog as per specification:
- Face Photo.
- Photo clearly showing the birthmark.
- Photo from both right and left side.
Documents Need To Be Submitted While Buying Pet Insurance Policy
- Fill up the form and provide the details relating to your pet.
- To help identify your pet, the insurance company needs color photos as specified in the above section.
- The policyholder needs to declare that their pet has received all their vaccinations on time.
- At times, the policyholder might need to submit diagnostics test results, such as circulatory blood count (CBC), urine test or chest X-Ray.
- If one is choosing a Sum Insured basis pedigree lineage, they will also need to provide a pedigree certificate from Kennel Club of India (KCI).
Claim Settlement Procedure For A Pet Insurance Policy
Claims settlement process under pet insurance policy can be done via two ways:
Cashless Claim Settlement Process
- Notify the network veterinary hospitals at least 72 hours before any planned medical treatment or within one day before, in case of any emergency.
- You are required to share the copy of E-Cards along with your ID proof at veterinary hospital and get the pre-authorization form.
- Submit duly-filled and signed pre-authorization form to the veterinary hospital.
- Once all the formalities are done, your insurance company will settle the bills directly with the hospital.
Reimbursement Claim Process:
- You can avail reimbursement facilities from any of the veterinary hospitals within India of your own choice. The main difference is that the insured has to pay for all the bills upfront to the hospital.
- Once the payment is done, then the original bills and expenses can be submitted to the insurance company.
- This kind of facility is not cashless and thus the insurance company reimburses the expenses within the span of 30 minutes, once you submit the bill on time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Will any pet insurance policy provide coverage for their vaccinations?
Generally, the pet insurance policies provide coverage for vaccination expenses. However, it totally depends on your pet insurance policy as it differs from one insurer to insurer.
