Mary Allen
Which animal health insurance for dogs and cats pays when and how much? There are significant differences. Stiftung Warentest tested 27 tariffs.
Who wants to think about vet bills when a lively little cat comes into the house or a lively puppy?
Even if the topic of illness still seems far away, it is worth thinking about animal health insurance early on, because previous illnesses or old age can drive up the costs of the insurance.
Find the Right Insurance Plan
In the meantime, the range of health insurance policies for pets is relatively diverse, so you can choose a tariff that suits him and your own requirements – at least as long as your pet is still young and healthy. Everything is included, from inexpensive surgical insurance with a deductible to comfortable all-around health protection, which also covers preventive care services.
However, the wide range of tariffs on offer does not necessarily make it easier to choose the right animal health insurance, because the scope of services can be very different, even with insurance tariffs that sound similar. For example, some surgical insurance companies do not cover the aftercare costs or only pay the simple rate of the veterinary fee schedule (GOT). If an operation has to be performed at night after an accident, the veterinarian has to charge a higher rate according to the scale of fees and you as the animal owner have to bear more costs yourself.
Stiftung Warentest took a very close look at the tariff jungle of animal health insurance and offers you an overview of 27 different tariffs from six insurers. The detailed results of the animal health insurance test were published in the February 2016 issue of Finanztest magazine.