Page 8 2026 Animal Stories Lincoln Daily News February 2026 Should you insure your pet? Like health insurance for people, pet insurance provides pet owners financial assistance with vet bills. However, as with regular insurance, people want to make sure they are getting the best bang for their buck. Vet bills generally do not cost as much as hospital bills, but they can be expensive, especially when your pet has a medical condition. Is pet insurance worth it or not? This question has a lot of parts to it. Vet visits are traditionally once a year for checkups, and most plans cover these costs. However, it would likely be more expensive for the plan over the course of a year than the vet bill would be. This is almost certainly to be the case with just one visit per year. Like other insurance plans pet insurance can be modified to cover different things, such as surgeries and medication. According to the website Findpetinurance, coverage can cover “emergency medical treatments, surgeries, diagnostic treatments, and medications,” with some plans covering “preventative care, dental treatments, and even alternative therapies.” According to the same website, most pet insurance plans are reimbursement-based, meaning you will get money back from the insurance company after you pay the bill. Unlike traditional insurance plans that pay before you do, most pet insurance plans seem to be the other way around. This also means that someone would need the capital to pay for their pet’s care, or go on a payment plan if their vet allows. It is also important to know that not all things are covered by pet insurance. According to the insurance company Nationwide, who provides pet insurance, preexisting conditions are not covered by their plans. Most plans seem to have this stipulation, meaning that if your animal is already sick, the insurance plan will not cover it. This can be an important issue for something like cancer, which would be classified as a pre-existing condition if the insurance was purchased after the animal was diagnosed. There are some plans available that do cover pre-existing conditions, however. The company AKC Pet Insurance is one of these companies, claiming to cover pre-existing common illnesses such as cancer, allergies, and dermatitis, as well as hereditary conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. These plans are often more expensive than more traditional plans. Ultimately, it is up to the individual whether they think pet insurance is worth it. There is no clear answer and unfortunately, like with regular health insurance, life circumstances are the determining factor in whether the plan is worth the money. Pet owners with pets that get sick later in life, or develop conditions in their old age, may be grateful they chose to get a policy. Others with healthy older animals may not see it as a great investment.
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