Why Routine Care for Pets is Important

Dennis' Diary: Part 6

As with people, routine wellness check-ups and a healthy lifestyle can greatly improve the length and quality of your pet’s life.  That is why VPI began offering wellness coverage in 1998 as an add-on, or rider, to our pet health insurance products.  This rider has been popular with our policyholders, with more than three quarters of our policyholders opting for the additional coverage. 

CareGuard^SM Different Than Regular Insurance

VPI's CareGuard coverage functions differently than insurance. It is designed to encourage policyholders to regularly seek routine medical care for their pets and is more like a prepaid savings account.  Our CareGuard coverage offers a set amount of benefits for a flat premium. When you use all of the benefits available with VPI’s CareGuard plans, you can actually receive more money in reimbursements than you spend on the rider. 

“VPI’s current routine care coverage provides partial reimbursement for two annual checkups, which supports the veterinary community’s recommendation of two office visits per year.”

Three Reasons Why

I believe our customers like our routine care coverage for several reasons. 

1. These plans provide more predictability in the cash flow set aside to care for pet health. 
2. They illustrate to policyholders that their pet insurance policy is working for them. 
3. They give policyholders an incentive to take their pets to the veterinarian for routine care. 

While we at VPI encourage CareGuard coverage for all of these reasons, the most important reason is the third.  Knowing you will be reimbursed for a portion of your pet’s routine health care gives you more incentive to get your pet routine checkups and preventive procedures such as vaccinations. 

VPI’s routine care coverage provides partial reimbursement for two annual checkups, which supports the veterinary community’s recommendation of two office visits per year. We believe it is important to use these policy benefits because our pets age faster than we do, and therefore require more frequent medical attention.

Early Prevention

Routine preventive care can help ensure your pet lives a long healthy life. Like humans, pets’ lives can be extended by early detection and treatment of disease. While most of us would like to save for our pet’s medical attention and other expenses, we can all too easily find other uses for the money that seem to take priority.  CareGuard coverage will encourage you to provide optimal routine care for your pet and ensure there are funds available for that care.

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