Pets are part of the family, so when our beloved four-legged friend suffers an illness or injury, we suffer too.
Not only are these events very upsetting but unfortunately extremely expensive nowadays and for this reason German insurance companies offer the following two products:
'Pet Medical Insurance & Pet Surgery Insurance'
Pet Medical - Terms & Benefits
Common benefits provided by insurers are:
- 100% reimbursement in accordance with the German Veterinary Fee Schedule (GOT) and up to twice the amount, for:
- Outpatient and inpatient treatment
- Pre-treatment, follow-up care & inpatient accommodation
- Surgery, including expenses for medication, x-rays and bandaging material
- Lifelong reimbursement, however level depends on the animal's age.
For animals up to the age of 5 it is usually 100% and will reduce for older pets to 60% or lower.
- Lifelong reimbursement, however level depends on the animal's age.
- Various levels of reimbursement for:
- Alternative medicine (e.g. homoeopathy, acupuncture)
- Microchip expenses
- Preventive measures
- Financial aid for:
- Anthelmintic (worm) therapy,
- Calculus removal
- Castration / Sterilisation
- Ectoparasites
- Vaccinations
- Europe-wide cover
- General waiting periods: 1 - 3 months
Pet Medical - Costs
Premiums depend on the pets breed, age, medical status and the way e.g. a horse is kept. Also important is the choice of provider. Comparing plans there are big differences in waiting periods, insured sums, claim reimbursement ceilings (50 - 100%), exclusions, ages insurable and renewal premiums too must be taken into consideration as these generally increase due to age.
For cats no older than five years full health insurance (medial + surgery) can be purchased for 10€ per month, but there are also providers that charge 25€ for products of less quality.
Comprehensive health insurance for dogs is slightly more expensive than cats, with premiums ranging from anything between 40€ - 120€ per month.
Finding a provider of full medical insurance for horses is very difficult, however not impossible.
For example, the specialised and renowned insurer Uelzener offers excellent coverage for riding horses, without a general deductible, for 219€ per month. For most this tends to be too expensive and therefore people often settle for just surgery, which is easier to find. Depending on provider the price for horse-surgery-insurance ranges from 20€ - 30€ per month, whereas to receive a good plan paying latter premium is advisable.
