A Vet's Review of Fetch Pet Insurance
2023

• There is a 6-month waiting period for damage or rupture of cruciate ligaments, luxation of the patellas or other soft tissue disorders of the knee. (May vary by state)
  While you can waive the waiting period for these knee conditions by having your pet examined by a vet (in the first 30 days of the policy) to certify that they don’t have any relevant pre-existing conditions, please note that a Vet may want additional diagnostics (e.g. x-rays, ultrasound, etc) before they feel comfortable certifying this. The cost of this will be out of your own pocket.
• There is a 6-month waiting period for hip dysplasia. (May vary by state)
• According to their sample policy: "..If your pet has received treatment or has shown clinical signs of a cruciate or soft tissue injury to one knee prior to the effective date of this policy or during the first 6 months of this policy, where no certificate of knee health has been provided...then the other knee is automatically excluded from coverage."

• Strong underwriter
• Coverage when travel out of state or to Canada
• Provides comprehensive coverage in the 5 important areas as part of the base plan:
  1. Chronic disease
  2. Continual coverage for chronic disease
  3. Hereditary/congenital conditions
  4. Cancer
  5. Breed specific conditions

• Based on their pre-existing conditions policy, signs can be used to denote something as pre-existing. As with all pet insurance companies that use this wording, I have concerns that this can be used to deny claims even when these previous signs are not directly related to the disease or condition currently in question.
• Reimbursements are calculated by applying your reimbursement percentage first, then your deductible. This can lead to being reimbursed less than companies that subtract the deductible BEFORE applying the reimbursement percentage.
• Other than knee conditions, it is not entirely clear if other bilateral conditions are subject to the bilateral conditions exclusion policy.
  
  They do have this wording in their sample policy for what is considered a pre-existing condition: "...ii. Any injury or illness that is the same as, or has the same diagnosis or clinical sign(s) as any injury, illness or clinical sign(s) your pet had prior to the effective date of this policy; any illness that is the same as, or has the same diagnosis or clinical sign(s) as any illness your pet had during the waiting period beginning on the effective date of this policy; or any injury that is the same as, or has the same diagnosis or clinical sign(s) as any injury that occurred to your pet during the waiting period beginning on the effective date of this policy."
  
  This could be interpreted to refer to ANY body condition that happens on both sides of the body.

• Make sure you research what customers are saying about the company. A company may have the 5 components that should be part of a pet insurance plan, but the company may not be a hit with customers. Sites to check include but are not limited to: BBB.org, Yelp.com and PetInsuranceReview.com Things to look for include but are not limited to: How fast are payments paid?, What are customers saying about the pre-existing conditions policy?, How often are claims denied and for what reason?, What is the customer service experience like?, Are there issues with premium increases?
• Check with your state's Department of Insurance to see if any complaints have been filed for the company you are interested in.
• Make sure you understand what the waiting periods are.
• Make sure you understand their bilateral conditions policy.
• Make sure you understand any requirements that you must adhere to to maintain coverage.
• Make sure you read the terms and conditions to get a thorough understanding of all exclusions.
• Make sure you understand when and by how much your premium can increase.
• If you change plan levels, there is a possibility that all medical conditions present under the old plan will be considered pre-existing in the new plan. Make sure you ask the company if this is the case.
• For some companies, pre-existing conditions can be based on signs and symptoms alone, a diagnosis is not needed. For example, if your pet had a cough before you applied for pet insurance and this cough was discussed and written in the pet's medical record, there is the possibility that all future cough conditions, no matter what the cause, would be considered pre-existing - even if there was no treatment given. Make sure you ask the company if this is the case.
• Pet insurance companies are businesses. The top priority of any business is to make a profit for their stakeholders. Pet insurance companies can and may change your rates and terms to meet that top priority. A change of business ownership or underwriters can also be a catalyst for changes in your rates and terms.
  
  When you purchase pet insurance make sure you have a realistic understanding of this and how it can affect you.

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