What Does Pet Insurance Cost in Louisiana? 2024 Update

Caring for your dog or cat can be costly, but the snuggles make it worth the expense. Pet insurance can help you cover what you don’t plan for by reimbursing you for a predetermined percentage for your vet bills. The cost varies greatly depending on your coverage, your location, and your pet’s age, breed, and overall health. You’ll need to receive an individualized quote to see the most accurate cost, but if you live in Louisiana, here’s a good idea of where to start when looking for pet insurance.

The Importance of Pet Insurance

Sometimes middle-of-the-night emergencies require a trip to a costly 24/7 clinic. In other cases, your pet could break their leg in the middle of the day or have another emergency that will need to be dealt with before the next available appointment at your local vet. Unfortunately, dogs and cats also develop cancer and other illnesses at a similar rate as humans, and will need long-term care in order to recover.

Pet insurance can provide a way to keep emergency and long-term care affordable by reimbursing you according to your policy. Basic accident-only policies offer the cheapest coverage, but only cover immediate emergencies such as a GI obstruction. On the other hand, accident & illness or comprehensive coverage will usually pay for emergencies and long-term treatment. Some companies even offer a wellness rewards add-on to help you budget for routine care at an extra cost.

How Much Does Pet Insurance in Louisiana Cost?

There are many factors that go into the price of pet insurance. Your pet’s age, breed, and medical history matter. Your location also plays a part since insurance is usually more expensive near an urban area such as New Orleans than in rural places.

Depending on the company and policy you choose, you can typically personalize your coverage and how much you pay at once. For example, most companies let you choose from a range of annual deductibles, reimbursement percentages, and monthly rates. The higher the deductible, the lower the monthly rate, and vice versa. This helps you choose the payment plan that best fits your budget, whether you prefer to pay a higher price per month, or you can afford to save for a higher annual deductible that you only pay once per policy period.

While accident-only plans are the cheapest, they’re not necessarily the most efficient. Some comprehensive accident & illness plans are almost the same price for considerably more coverage. Some accident-only plans are notoriously cheaper than others, however, such as Spot which starts at the low cost of $10 a month.

Here is a chart which breaks down different comprehensive coverage options for a 17 lb. Maltipoo who lives in New Orleans, LA.

You can raise or lower most of the deductibles in this chart for a more conducive monthly cost. Additionally, you usually have the choice of a 70%, 80%, or 90% reimbursement, and every company has their own annual maximum payout amounts.

Trupanion is the only plan on the list without much ability to change since they always offer an unlimited maximum payout with a 90% reimbursement rate. However, Trupanion is the only company that gives you the option of setting your annual deductible in the range of $0-$1,000, allowing you to forgo a deductible in favor of a higher monthly price if you so choose.

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Top Rated Pet Insurance Companies

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Additional Costs to Anticipate

If you’re wanting pet insurance to cover almost every medical related cost, you can choose a company that offers an additional wellness add-on. These help you cover routine care such as vaccines. They’re not insurance plans, and you can only purchase one if you have an insurance policy. However, they can be an easy way to pay for the expenses you typically expect by paying a small amount each month that adds up to an annual allotment.

It’s important to look at how wellness plans work with different companies. Some have strict per category caps which give you a limited allotment for a certain procedure, such as a $25 annual limit on vaccines. Other wellness plans, such as the one offered by Embrace, allows you to spend however much you want from your annual allotment on a single expense. This can be helpful since, maybe, vaccines are more expensive that year than heartworm prevention, or vice versa.

How Does Pet Insurance Work?

Pet insurance is actually much simpler than our health insurance as humans. You take your pet to the vet when they need to go, pay the total bill up front, and then submit a claim for reimbursement, usually within a couple weeks.

When scouting for a pet insurance policy, it is important to note how quickly claims are usually processed, especially since you’ll be responsible for paying the bill out-of-pocket. You don’t want to choose a company with a reputation for late payments, or you might miss the deadline to pay your credit card bill.

Unlike human healthcare, you can usually see any provider since there are no networks. Trupanion is the exception to the rule. Since they pay the vet directly, you must see a qualifying vet. While this can sound like a bummer, it’s actually a plus if you don’t have a credit card or good enough credit to cover a large expense. However, the monthly costs can be a little more expensive than some plans.

What Pet Insurance Covers—and What It Doesn’t

Your coverage depends on your policy and your pet. In general, there are accident-only, and accident & illness policies, but every company has their own list of coverage and coverage exclusions. For example, some companies don’t cover periodontal disease while others do under similar policies.

Some companies won’t completely insure your pet if they’re considered a senior nearing the end of their life expectancy. Pre-existing conditions (which are any conditions your dog has prior to enrolling in pet insurance) are usually not covered, either, although some companies will pay for former conditions that haven’t received treatment in the past 12 months.

Do I Need Pet Insurance?

Accidents are almost inevitable at some point in your pet’s life. In fact, you’re probably due for a handful of accidents and illnesses if they spend many years with you. Having a reliable way to cover the costs can help extend your pet’s life by giving them the care they need without the financial stress.

Pet insurance pays for what you’re not planning for, such as emergencies and long-term illnesses, and can help prepare you for what you know to expect, such as annual exams. Finding the right pet insurance policy for you is all about knowing your budget’s strengths and constraints.

Ideally, you need to try to buy insurance to only cover what you need. For example, if you can afford a yearly vet visit but wouldn’t be able to cover chronic illnesses, skip the wellness plan and invest in a comprehensive policy that will tend to any disease they may develop in the future. Just remember not to wait too long to secure a policy because some companies bar enrollment for older pets, and most won’t pay for pre-existing conditions.

Conclusion

Pet insurance can be a beneficial way to pay for the vet bills that your dog or cat will incur over their lifetime. Since there are so many variables, it’s important to receive an individualized quote with your pet’s information to find the best match. When searching for pet insurance in Louisiana, try to find a policy that only covers what you can’t afford in order to keep your monthly payment as low as possible.

Also, considering your financial status, you can choose whether the reimbursement or network model is the best fit for your budget. Reimbursement gives you more options for providers and is usually a little cheaper, but the network model is the way to go if you need the insurance company to immediately pay their part.

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