Select Pet Insurance through Healthy Pets

Healthy Pets provide cover for cats and dogs. Cover can usually be taken out for your cat or dog so long as they are 5 weeks old or over. New customers can insure dogs up to 11 years old, and cats up to 13 years old.

Unfortunately, Healthy Pets can’t provide cover for rabbits, horses or other pets. Cats and dogs with pre-existing medical conditions can only be insured for future accidents and injuries, not for medical conditions they currently have. Pet owners must also be UK residents.

Be sure to check our excluded breed list on our FAQ page.

The cost of Pet Insurance will vary as it depends on the product and tier of cover you pick. Other factors that are considered include where you live and how old your pet is. Higher tiers of cover will incur higher costs; however, you’ll have a broader level of protection in the event that your pet needs more extensive treatment. Costs may also vary between practices, as well as by breed and the size of your pet, all of these things may impact the amount you may need to claim for an illness or medical condition.

Pet Insurance is not a legal requirement. However, as vet bills can be expensive for pet owners without a policy, you may like to consider it a safety net which will could help to cover you if your pet develops an illness or has an accident. If you are concerned by potential vet fees, you may want to consider Pet Insurance. 

On most occasions, your insurer will pay the vet directly if agreed between you and the practice; this is subject to the excess fee being paid to the vet by the policyholder. That said, if you have already paid the invoice, your insurer will pay you instead.

Pet Insurance premiums may rise over time for various reasons which might include

• Pets ageing
• Rising costs of vet treatments due to their complexity
• The claims history of your pet
• The cost of living in your area causing vet fees to increase 

Yes, please check your policy schedule for the fixed excess that applies to your pet.

The fixed excess is the amount you must pay towards treatment for each condition in a policy year when you make a claim. Your insurer will cover the remaining cost of the claim or any other eligible claims for the same condition during that policy period, up to your cover limit. If your pet is treated for the same illness or injury in separate policy periods, the excess will be applied to the first claim in each policy period.

Once your pet reaches a certain age, co-insurance payments will come into effect on your Pet Insurance policy. Check your policy wording each year for details.

Paid alongside your compulsory fixed excess, the mandatory co-insurance payment is an amount you will put towards the cost of your insurance claim. Your co-payment amount may change at renewal, so please make sure to check your schedule for the latest figure when the policy renews, and also if you need to make a claim.

Some policies allow you to include co-insurance from birth if you wish, and others let you choose a different excess. Once co-insurance is added to your cover, it will remain for the duration of the policy.

So, how does it work?

1. You put in a claim for £499 to treat your 6-year-old dog for a new condition
2. If you have a Maximum Benefit policy you’ll pay a fixed excess of £125, leaving a vet bill of £374
3. You then pay a co-insurance of 20% from the vet bill after the fixed excess has been deducted of £74.80
4. This means your insurer pays the outstanding balance of £299.20
5. In total, you pay £199.80 (fixed excess plus 20% co-insurance payment)

The idea of adding compulsory co-insurance payments to your Pet Insurance policy is to try and help keep premiums lower.