Reimbursement of veterinary expenses: what solution?

Getting your pet treated in case of illness or accident can be very expensive. And when you have few means, even a routine consultation, vaccination or even sterilization have a serious impact on the budget. Also, to take care of the health of his little companion, the only solution is to insure him with a mutual insurance company for animals. In this way, you can obtain reimbursement of veterinary costs, either partially or totally, depending on the formula chosen. Let’s do a check in.

Veterinary prices

In France, animal health professionals freely set their prices. This is the reason why healthcare expenses can double from one veterinarian to another. We see that in a clinic, they are around 30% higher than in a practitioner who practices in a private practice, but this is explained by the fact that a clinic has sophisticated equipment and very often provides a permanent service in order to respond to emergencies, including at night, on weekends and on public holidays.

As an indication, the average prices observed for routine veterinary procedures are the following.

• • Consultation: from 30 to 50 €,

• • Vaccination: from 50 to 80 €,

• • Sterilization: for a dog (male), from 100 to 130 € and between 150 and 450 € for a bitch depending on her weight on the one hand and the operation carried out on the other hand, namely:
    • • Oophorectomy or removal of the ovaries,

     

    • • hysterectomy or removal of the uterus,

     

    • • Ovariohysterectomy, removal of the ovaries and uterus.

     

• • Descaling: between 100 and 300 €,

• • Removal:
    • • A cyst: from 150 to 200 €,

     

    • • A tumour: from 500 to 800 €.

     

• • There basic formula which partially covers routine veterinary consultations and care, certain interventions and hospitalization costs, whether in the event of illness or accident.

• • There mid-range formula which also covers certain acts of prevention at least partially, such as vaccination, sterilization, and even deworming for example.

• • There premium formula which offers a extended coverage. The reimbursement ceiling is much higher than that of other formulas and this type of contract also allows you to benefit from a financial contribution to keep an animal whose owner is hospitalized, to have your dog or cat searched for if it has wandered off or been stolen… At least partial coverage of euthanasia costs is often provided for in a high-end formula like many other guarantees.

It is also necessary to take into account the cost of more or less heavy treatments depending on the case. From the simple management of a dermatological condition to radiotherapy sessions via physiotherapy, the bill can be very high. But there is no other choice than to do everything possible to treat your animal, following an accident or an illness. We cannot therefore encourage the owners of a dog, a cat or a NAC too much to turn as soon as possible towards a pet insurance in order to considerably reduce the burden of veterinary costs on their finances.

Insure your animal to be reimbursed for health expenses

Health insurance for a pet it’s not mandatory. However, many masters resort to it because they have understood that it is the only solution to take care of their little companion throughout his life without spending a lot of money on it. It is indeed possible to get reimbursed up to 100% expenses incurred within the limit of an annual ceiling.

All health mutuals for dogs, cats and NACs offer different formulas, each guaranteeing specific coverage. Once the contract takes effect, the insurer reimburses, in part or in full, the expenses incurred according to the conditions provided. In return, the master of the animal must pay his contribution.

AC dog and cat insurance works in the same way as our supplementary health insurance. Reimbursements are made when the master sends the insurer the care sheet completed by the veterinarian accompanied by the invoice and the prescription if medication has been prescribed and therefore the pharmacist’s invoice in this case. The amount of reimbursements is generally transferred directly to the applicant’s bank account.

Animal health insurance: choose the right level of guarantee for better reimbursement

Insuring your animal with mutual health insurance is very simple. What is a little more complicated is to know which formula to choose because there are several levels of guarantee and it is on this that the degree of support depends. In general, each NAC dog cat insurance company offers three formulas, namely:

Each insurer being free to concoct its formulas, it is essential to use a comparator of animal health mutuals to compare the offers in terms of prices of course but also guarantees.

Thanks to the online comparison tool, the interested party quickly receives (free of charge and without obligation) different offers. He can thus read the terms and conditions in order to choose the contract best suited to the needs of your pet. It is important, before signing a contract, to be aware of:

• • Guarantees,

• • the level of support,

• • The annual reimbursement ceiling,

• • exclusions,

• • The age limit beyond which the animal cannot be insured,

• • of the franchise,

• • The waiting period, knowing that some companies offer animal insurance without waiting period And without franchise even no age limit,

• • Termination conditions,

• • The amount of the contributions and the method of payment (by check, direct debit, etc.),

• • The frequency of contributions knowing that some insurers offer monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or even annual payment.

Sometimes, for a slightly higher contribution, one can choose a higher level of coverage allowing a better support so higher reimbursements for veterinary expenses. We find that the higher the level of coverage, the less hesitant to consult a veterinarian. It is essential for a health problem to be taken care of as soon as possible because in many cases, a early diagnosis can save an animal’s life.