by Danielle Sheffler

Created on: January 28, 2008

I know most of you have made New Year's Resolutions for yourself (most of them health-related)but what about your pet? Did you make any New Year's Resolutions for them? Many people around the country have become interested in pet health insurance and since this idea seems to be gaining popularity I decided to write a post on the different types of pet health insurance, generally what they cover, and the cost to you. Hopefully this post will give you more information about the industry so you can make an educated decision for your pet.

For this post, I am going to discuss various providers first and go over each one of them before moving on to general information about pet health insurance.

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI)

What pets they cover: Dogs, cats, birds, and various other pets

What their policies cover: There are 4 different policies, so I am going to go over each one separately -

* Best in Class Coverage: Includes reimbursement for the following: prescriptions, hospitalization, office visits, surgeries, vaccinations, flea & heartworm preventative medicine, two bi-annual exams, testing for urinalysis, and dental cleaning or spay/neuter. Cost starts at $44 for dogs and $38 for cats.

* Exceptional Coverage: Includes reimbursement for the following: the same as "Best in Class" coverage, but they advertise enhanced routine protection and that "Exceptional" coverage is their most popular package. Cost starts at $34 for dogs and $28 for cats. To the naked eye, there doesn't seem to be much (if any) difference between this coverage and the "Best in Class" coverage - you would need to read the fine print and go over both plans before deciding.

* Preferred Coverage: Includes reimbursement for the following: the same as"Best in Class" coverage but without the urinalysis and dental cleaning or spay/neuter. This coverage is advertised as the most popular base medical plan. Cost starts at $23 for dogs and $16 for cats.

* Principal Coverage: Includes reimbursement for the following: prescriptions, hospitalizations, surgeries, and office visits. This is advertised as smart coverage in case of an accident or illness. Cost starts at $13 for dogs and $9 for cats.

Pet's Best Insurance

In order to view plans for this pet insurance website, you have to enter your area code. The availability of plans vary depending on what area of the country you are in, so for more information about specific plans, see their website.

There are three different plans I would like to mention: pets

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