National Pet Health Insurance Month & A Chance to Win a $20 Kroger Gift Card {Closed}

Accidents Happen

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Pets are family, too

Friday night Ivy ate a whole batch of pizza dough. All it took was a few moments of distraction. A few moments of distraction led to a trip to the emergency vet, an overnight stay, and a bill of just over $450.

September is National Pet Health Insurance Month

September is nationally recognized as Pet Health Insurance month, and Kroger is inviting pet owners to learn more about policy options for their furry friends. This year marks the second annual celebration of the pet insurance month in the United States with pet insurance becoming more and more popular.

Vet care has increased significantly within the past few years. Pet owners can now seek treatment for their pets from dialysis to cancer treatments to surgeries, and pets are living longer than ever. But with the increased level of care comes an understandable increase in cost. According to the American Pet Products Association vet bills topped $11 billion across the nation in 2008.

Pet insurance is an option pet owners may want to consider. Pet insurance can allow owners to have coverage for the unexpected, and it can allow them to better budget for planned expenses. Some plans, such as the accident-only pet insurance plan covers treatment that results from an injury or accident, such as a car collision or unintentional ingestion. But with a more inclusive policy, pet owners can seek reimbursement for preventative care, such as teeth cleaning, flea control, annual exams and behavioral training. Pet insurance can provide peace of mind for pet owners, knowing they will not be stuck making a decision between proper care for their pet and possible “economic” euthanasia.

If you’re looking to benefit from obtaining a pet insurance policy, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Get the coverage you want. Take the time to review what policies are available. Some carriers, like Kroger and PetFirst Healthcare, offer accident-only coverage, which pet owners may find more attractive than a premium coverage plan which costs more per month. Pet owners should examine how much they’re willing to spend on the monthly premium and match that with the benefits of each plan.

• Buy early. Most, if not all pet insurance providers will refuse a pet with a pre-existing condition. Just like in humans, a pre-existing condition means the pet was diagnosed with an illness or disease prior to seeking pet insurance. It’s best to seek coverage from Day 1 to avoid the possibility of a pre-existing condition.

• Know your coverage. Not all treatments will be covered, and what’s covered varies from policy to policy. Because pet owners pay out-of-pocket and then file a claim for reimbursement, some pet owners may not know a treatment isn’t covered until their claim is denied. Avoid that scenario by knowing the coverage benefits before walking into a vet’s clinic.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Benjamin Franklin

Did you know Kroger offers pet insurance?

With Kroger’s PetFirst pet insurance we could have saved approximately $280.60*.

*$450 vet bill – $119.40 (1 year of accident insurance @ $9.95/month + $50 co-pay.

Offered through PetFirst, Kroger pet insurance policies cover routine care and medical procedures for dogs and cats, and is available at more than 2,400 stores in the Kroger family including City Market, Dillon’s, Fred Meyer, Frye’s, King Sooper, Owen’s, Pay Less, QFC, Ralph’s and Smith’s.

A little about PetFirst

• Started in July 2004
• Founded by Lansdon B. Robbins and A. Brent Hinton
• Privately held and owner operated
• Available in all 50 states
• Headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana
• Underwritten by AM Best A+ rated insurance companies

In addition to being available in-store, Kroger’s pet insurance can be purchased online at http://www.krogerpersonalfinance.com/pet-insurance/. Kroger’s pet insurance works at any veterinarian nationwide, with reimbursement typically occurring within two weeks. Coverage starts as low as $9.95 per month and right now, individuals who purchase online can save $10.

Win a $20 Kroger Gift Card

Kroger has generously sent me a $20 Kroger gift card to give away to one of my readers so you can spoil care for the special pet [or pets] in your life.

Giveaway Rules:

Mandatory entry:

Tell me ~ how are you going to spoil your pet if you win?

Additional entries:

• Like AnneOnLife‘s page on Facebook
• Follow Kroger’s Pet Health account on Twitter @PetsOfHealth
• Follow @AnneOnline on Twitter (leave your Twitter name in a comment)
• Subscribe to AnneOnLife via e-mail* (must confirm) or in a reader
• Tweet about this giveaway (once per day) Be sure to include a link to your tweet for verification. Make sure to include #pethealth or use this:
  RT @AnneOnline Win a $20 Kroger gift card & show your pet how much you care http://anneonlife.com/?p=7390 #pethealth

* Anyone who subscribed to my feed via e-mail prior to May 1, 2010 will need to resubscribe. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Giveaway will end on September 30, 2010 at Midnight EST and is open to U.S. residents, 18 years of age or older. Winner will be selected using Random.org. Winner will be notified via email. Additionally,  I will post the winner’s name on my site in a separate post on October 1, 2010. Winner will have 48 hours from the time the email is sent to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Kroger provided me with a $20 gift card from its One-Stop Gift Card Shop so that I could select my pet-related products at Kroger, as well as a gift card for one of my readers so they could do the same. All opinions are 100% my own and are not influenced by Kroger in any way. Please read my Disclosure Policy for more information.>