Status: 27.10.2023, 19:00 PM
By: Bettina Menzel
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Health insurance can also be worthwhile for pets - under certain conditions (symbolic image). © IMAGO/Anastasiya Amraeva/Westend61
The Germans are considered to be the world champions in insurance – policies for beloved pets are also becoming increasingly popular. However, the insurances do not always make sense.
Munich – Germans love their pets. For many, dogs and cats are even family members. However, animal husbandry can be expensive: On average, 59 euros per cat per month, for dogs it is 75 euros per month, as a survey by the DA Direkt insurance company recently showed. If the four-legged friend is sick, the costs quickly climb into the four-digit range. Can health insurance for pets be worthwhile?
Comparison of veterinarian costs and insurance premiums
Four-legged friends are often good for surprises: the Labrador who swallows a piece of plastic or the cat that needs a tick cure because of its last trip to the bushes. Even serious illnesses such as cancer do not stop at pets. The chances of treatment are good, explained veterinarian Martin Kessler to the German Press Agency. However, a cancer operation costs between 500 and 5000 euros, for radiation therapy one has to reckon with costs of 2000 to 10,000 euros.
Full insurance for cats or dogs starts at less than ten euros per month and can cost up to 100 euros per month, as the comparison calculators from portals such as Check24 show. This depends on the age, breed, place of residence and identification of the animal. Based on an average age of ten years, an animal's life costs between 1000 and 12,000 euros. The younger the insured animal is when you take out the insurance, the cheaper the policy is – and only healthy animals can be insured at all.
When it comes to comprehensive health insurance for dogs, insurers often offer good benefits. As a study by Stiftung Warentest in 2021 showed, 15 out of 61 policies had a very high level of performance, while 37 tariffs offered a high level of service. However, the extensive protection also comes at a price: According to Stiftung Warentest, the premiums for comprehensive insurance were more than three times as high as for pure surgery insurance. However, it is precisely for the operations that the highest costs are usually incurred. Under certain circumstances, it may therefore make sense to only take out surgery insurance instead of comprehensive pet health insurance, consumer advocates advise.
Take a close look at tariffs and insurance conditions
Since the end of November 2022, there has been a new fee schedule for veterinarians. Vaccinations for cats and dogs are now about twice as expensive. But insurance premiums have also risen by an average double-digit percentage since then, Claes Christiansen, managing director for pet health insurance at Check24, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. "In general, the savings potential has become higher due to the increase in prices," says Christiansen. However, whether insurance is worthwhile in individual cases depends heavily on the conditions. The consumer advice centre therefore advises to compare tariffs and conditions carefully.
Pet health insurance companies reimburse the costs of the veterinarian, surgeries, outpatient or inpatient treatment, accommodations, diagnostics or medication. As is often the case, the devil is in the details. As a rule, only medically necessary treatments are insured. For example, castrations or sterilizations do not fall into this category unless there is a need. In most cases, not all costs are refunded: the deductible is often 20 percent. Depending on the insurer, there may also be a cap on veterinarian costs per year, warn consumer advocates.
In the case of illnesses, there is also a waiting period of usually three months. If the four-legged friend falls ill shortly after the conclusion of the contract, pet owners are left with the costs despite insurance. After all, accidents are excluded from this regulation. If you often travel with your dog or cat, you should also pay special attention to international regulations, according to the experts' advice. So there are many things to consider when choosing insurance. Even with a policy, there is no guarantee: if treatment becomes too expensive, insurance companies can terminate the contract.
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With material from dpa