Covering pre-existing conditions the right way

Petplan do not believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach to pre-existing conditions. We deliberately don’t have a specific policy for pre-existing conditions because it’s not possible to provide an appropriate level of cover for all pre-existing conditions at an affordable price. If you look at the pre-existing policies that exist in the market most will limit the amount of vet bill cover provided within the first year and in some cases it’s as low as £500. Other policies will not cover any condition until your pet has been clear from it for 24 months.

With over 45 years experience in pet insurance we use our unrivalled knowledge of pet health to review pre-existing conditions on a case by case basis. With Petplan, not all pre-existing conditions can be covered but for those that can, you will receive full cover up to your chosen vet bill level. The period of time your pet needs to have been clear from the condition for will vary depending on the illness or injury that has occurred. Again, the complex nature of pet health means that conditions such as kennel cough may be covered again after a period of 3 months symptom free whilst more extensive issues such as a perforated ear drum would need to have been symptom free for 12 months following surgery.

The quality of the insurance cover that Petplan provides is why thousands of veterinary practices choose to work in partnership with us and why we are able to pay 97% of all the claims we receive.

With every new application, we ask you about any pre-existing conditions your dog, cat or rabbit has had and then decide if we can provide cover for these. Our intention is always to make clear to customers at the start of their policy what we will and won’t cover so there are no surprises in the event of a claim. Not all insurers do this. With some insurance policies you only find out what isn’t covered when you claim.

With new conditions your pet develops you would be covered in line with the usual policy Terms and Conditions so insuring your pet with Petplan can still help you cover the cost of other veterinary bills that arise.

1. We may cover for the pre-existing condition if it happens again

In the majority of cases this means that the condition is fully resolved, so should your pet have the same condition again, it may be covered. For example, if your dog suffered from kennel cough but had been symptom-free for the past three months, there would be no exclusions placed and any future bouts of kennel cough would be covered.

2. We can’t cover the pre-existing condition now but may be able to in the future

Sometimes we can’t cover a specific condition as part of a policy immediately. However, in many cases we’re happy to review this once certain criteria has been met. This is generally the pet being symptom free for a certain period of time. For example, if your dog is suffering from kennel cough when the policy is taken, we’ll place a temporary exclusion for the condition. Once we have a copy of the veterinary history showing the dog has been symptom free for three months, the exclusion will be removed and any future bouts of kennel cough will be covered.

3. We can’t cover the pre-existing condition

If the condition is likely to affect the dog for the rest of its life (such as arthritis), we’d unfortunately not be able to cover costs attached to that particular ailment at any point in the policy.