I have two cats, Fox and Ollie. They are brothers and turn four in September. I got Nationwide Pet Insurance in July 2024 for the first time. I did not notice at the time, but their plans didn't match. Fox's was $189 for the year, Ollie was $190. I called to change the renewal policy so it was the same, and to add Behavioral coverage. I wanted to match Ollie's coverage to Fox's, add behavioral. Fox's renewal, with NO CHANGES, increases by $125/YEAR in July. The woman on the phone said it's "because he is a year older." Lady, he will be FOUR this year. FOUR. Current: $19/mo > $29/mo So, recommendations? They are two boys, indoor, vaccines up to date but no recent vet visit. I'm mildly concerned Ollie has a behavioral issue but no diagnosis and running off vibes and tiktok diagnosis, not real doctors. I am going to wait to take him to the vet about this until I have the right insurance policy JIC, but SHOULD I even have cat insurance?!?! Otherwise, they're two healthy young cats. Indoor. Thoughts?

I'm 41 and live in New Jersey. I work for a non-profit and make around $35k per year. A few months ago, I saw my GP for a regular check-up and mentioned that, in my job, people often speak confidentially, whisper, or are just low talkers, and I sometimes have trouble understanding them when it seems like there is an expectation that I should not, which can get frustrating. I said that I have not had my hearing tested since I was in grade school like 25 years ago and asked whether that's something that should be checked from time to time. She said sure and wrote me a referral to get a hearing test. So I went to the website for my insurance (Horizon, aka Blue Cross Blue Shield) to search for providers and easily found an audiology office that's tier-1 in my network a few blocks away. I called them, explained that I hadn't had my hearing checked in decades and was looking for a regular test with my doctor's referral, and gave them my insurance information so they could verify that they're in my network. I went for the test, which didn't really tell me much, and later I received the finalized claim notification and was surprised to see that I owe $1,041.85. I argued with the billing department, and then I argued with the insurance company. There are two different issues here, I've been told. First, insurance explained that the medical coding was for a diagnostic hearing test rather than a routine (annual) hearing test. (Obviously, no one ever gave me an option for which type of test I wanted to receive.) An insurance representative talked to the billing department while I was on the phone and was unable to convince them to change their coding; they insisted that they had coded it correctly and that it would be illegal to change it. Insurance doesn't consider it preventive care if it's a diagnostic test, even though their Preventive Health Guidelines document mentions "Doctor will ask about hearing difficulties and refer for further diagnosis" under "Other Recommended Screenings/Tests." When I escalated and spoke with a different insurance representative, she figured out the other issue, which became the main focus: I was billed as a hospital outpatient, not as a visitor to a specialist office. She was not able to change that by working with the billing department and filed an appeal internally with the insurance company on my behalf. About a month later, just the other day, I received a denial of the appeal in the mail. I can still file my own appeal, but I'm not sure how to get a different result. In the meantime, my "payment is overdue," and I'm worried about it going to collections and affecting my credit. The billing department isn't doing anything to hold the timeline even though I've told them repeatedly that I'm arguing with insurance about the bill and had them note it on my file. If I gave the audiology office my insurance up-front, didn't they have an obligation to inform me that the service wouldn't be covered? If I found the provider through my insurance website as in-network, didn't they have an obligation to inform me that the office was considered hospital outpatient and not a specialist practitioner? I should note that I live right by a hospital in a major healthcare city, and many of the facilities throughout the city are under their umbrella. My GP's office is also part of the hospital system. Their name is on the door. I use the same patient portal for my doctor visits as I got this bill through. So why, when my GP is a regular office visit, would this audiology office bill me as a hospital outpatient? I've had health insurance for almost 17 years through my job but only recently started exercising it at all. It's absolutely insane to me that I can be billed an amount like this without anyone letting me know up front that I'm agreeing to pay for a costly service rather than just a co-pay. I'm dealing with some dental stuff right now that's not covered by my plan, and the dentist's office has been extremely clear and forthcoming about costs months in advance. In contrast, this hearing test bill feels like a scam. Does anyone have any recommendations for what I can do from here? Also, does the No Surprises Act help me with this at all?

my car was stolen 2 weeks ago and the insurance company is considering it a total loss. this is fine, but they are offering me 13500 for my 2019 subaru 2.i0 premium sedan with roughly 91000 miles. it had 3 month old tires and a new battery. the issue im running in to is there are 0 of this car available within 150 miles of me with similar milleage. but when i look nationally it is showing they are shorting me about 2000, which would pay off my loan. im afraid getting an adjuster involved will cost me too much and not be worth it. any advice for fighting their appraisal? they couldnt do a fully accurate appraisal because they dont have the car. i asked to see their comparables, because if theres nothing local what are they comparing it to?

Hi, yes a throwaway account cuz im a bit nervous So starting a few weeks after changing insurance providers, the pharmacy accidentally (?) put some meds on the wrong insurance(multiple times tbh, and the last one was over 6 weeks after the insurance had been stopped?!) . i get a notice maybe a month later saying i owe them quite a large sum of money. I go back and forth for about half a year before i was able to get a check from my new insurance to cover it. It isnt even the whole amount, but it helps. Now im so frustrated w the old insurance for putting us thru so much hassle. I tried to do a payout w them for like half the amount for all the trouble and after their review, they denied that request. But what if i were to let it go to collections and then do a lump sum payout with them? Any ideas how badly that would affect my credit? Im floating typically around 800 so i have decent credit. Or does medica debt even count towards credit score? I feel like i cant find a solid answer to that…im in the midwest usa for reference. Or even, what am i mot considering by doing this? I could def use the extra money, this whole situation was not my intention. It was rly super stressful tbh. Thoughts? Thanks everyone in advance! Any suggestions advice etc welcome.

Is it even legal for Healthy Paws pet insurance to increase premiums at almost 200% in CA? This is outrageously high!! Anyone experiencing the same? #healthypawspetinsurance

I’ve used Embrace for over 11 years for my 4 pound chihuahua. Overall, it was a great experience. Dog is mostly healthy, has had 2 knee surgeries, but that’s it. I have cap on amount 15k per year, and an affordable deductible….until now. Just got notice today that they are upping my premiums 107% per month next year bc reasons?!?!? It’s now a small mortgage w/o explanation or justification. Has this been happening to anyone else? Is this increase legal? Is there anything that can be done about it? Insurance sucks in general, but seems extremely predatory to take my free money all these years, just f me when my boy, who could easily live to be 20, gets older. Almost begging me to cancel the policy.

I am debating between nationwide and costco pet insurance for my new 8 month goldendoodle puppy. Figo is $40 cheaper than nationwide. Nationwide is $93 a month 80% coverage $250 deductible. Figo is $53 a month 80% coverage with $250 dedutlctable. i have had nationwide for my older dog who got chemo treatments and front leg amputated 3 years ago and they covered 90% with $250 deductible. I've had 90% coverage for 8 years untill 2 months ago. Nationwide sent me a letter saying they were cutting coverage from 90% to 50% for my 12 year old dog.

The claim was for dental surgery (periodontal disease). The reason it was denied is that the cat had no previous medical records showing his dental condition. They also said that no single exam is going to be enough to establish he didn't have previous dental problems, they need to see a record of his health over time. I do realise that dental is a separate category as far as most insurence companies are concerned, but I also wonder if they won't use the same reasoning in future claims. How can I prove something wasn't a preexisting condition if I don't have records? Some background: My cat who is now 8 year old, grew up as a partly feral street cat in a non western country. Yearly vet visits for cats are not common practice there, and with him being the kind of cat that requires sedatives in order to get in a carrier, he ended up visiting a clinic even less than the average cat. In short he has barely any medical records from before arriving in Canada last year. I was actually a little surprised to see that I could even get insurance for a cat his age, but now I'm starting to suspect that they're just fine with taking my money but will never approve a claim. TLDR: Should I cancel an 8 year old cats insurence if he doesn't have any previous medical records?

TL;DR: my 8yo DSH cat has "slightly abnormal shape to heart," "discussed URI, allergies, etc.", and "susp. feline idiopathic cystitis" written in his vet records, all from different exams and illnesses over the last few years, but with no recurrence in illness or symptoms. Are these comments enough for insurance companies to say he has incurable preexisting conditions and deny coverage of any future health issues? I'm super late to the party (no one told me to get pet insurance when they're young), but I'm looking to get insurance for my two cats, Andy and Ollie. Given that they're basically my children and I'm finally in a position where I have a bit of income, I want to do what I can to make sure they're able to get whatever care they might need (though hopefully they never do). Both are 8 year old DSH, previously indoor/outdoor for 3 years, now indoor only, no major health issues so far (no ER visits, no chronic conditions, etc.). I've been spending a bunch of time reading up on different companies, policies, reviews, kinds of issues people run into, etc., spoke with an ASPCA rep and planned to call Lemonade and Pumpkin to ask some questions and compare rates and plans and such. With all the frustration and confusion expressed different places about claims being denied for preexisting conditions, I decided to read back through the vet records I have and see if there was anything that my cats might get dinged for. There are a few things off the bat: they're both a bit on the chonky side, but weight has been steadily coming down into good ranges. A vet noted mild tartar two years ago, which I know means there's essentially no chance of any kind of dental coverage, but that's not necessarily the end of the world. What's really got me worried is that Ollie has had a few illnesses that I could see insurance companies labeling as preexisting conditions and using to deny future coverage: * May 2024- After a wellness exam where the vet said he was in good health, he became lethargic, struggled to use his litter box, and barely ate. I got him back into the vet ASAP, and the doctor found his bladder was painful and a little swollen, diagnosed "suspected feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC)", and gave him an anti-inflammatory shot and gabapentin. Ollie responded well and recovered in a few days with no issues since. Importantly, the vet noted that the inflammation could have been caused by stress and that his bladder was full but "did not seem to be blocked" -- I know that urinary blockages are considered incurable preexisting conditions, so I'm worried that the lack of definitive language (ie "no urinary blockage") could provide enough wiggle room for them to call it an incurable PEC. * July 2023- This is the one I'm most worried about. I took them in because Ollie had been wheezing a bit after activities like playing with his brother. At some points, it sounded almost like he was trying to get a hairball out, but nothing ever came up. The vet ran some tests to check for heart disease, asthma, or a URI. His radiographs showed "no obvious signs of asthma" and "weren't a slam dunk for asthma", but unfortunately did show "potential heart issues, abnormalities on heart" and specifically that his heart was apparently a "slightly abnormal shape". She recommended a proBNP to see if his symptoms were heart-related and it came back negative, so she said it was most likely a URI and gave him antibiotic and steroid injections with instructions to come back for a trial asthma treatment if he didn't improve. Thankfully, he did improve and hasn't had any wheezing since. -- This is especially concerning because 1) asthma is an incurable PEC and even though none of his vets has ever diagnosed or trialed treatment for it, the fact that asthma was even mentioned could be enough for them to call it a PEC; and 2) the "slightly abnormal shape" of his heart just screams guaranteed denial of coverage. And if this is considered an incurable PEC, what kind of probably serious things could they potentially refuse to cover because it's tangentially related to his heart? * Also, Ollie is a snorer. It's never gotten to a point where he's stopped breathing or anything, but it was happening frequently enough that I brought it up at a wellness exam. We used to live in a house that got fairly dusty, so I asked the vet if allergies might be contributing to his snoring and if an air purifier might help. The vet records read "Disc informed O about URI, allergies, etc.". Really really hoping that me asking about allergies doesn't lead to a future issue not being covered. So yeah, I feel like there's enough in his records for insurance companies to reject so many different kinds of claims, especially claims for cardiac, respiratory, or renal health issues, by saying these illnesses (and snoring) are evidence of incurable preexisting conditions. One of the big reasons I want to get insurance is in case cancer tries to rear its ugly head, especially since both of my childhood pets died young from cancer and all my family could afford was basically just pain management. I don't want to go through that again with my boys, and there are also a ton of other big health issues that could pop up and (hopefully lmao) be covered by insurance. But as much as I want to believe that they'd be reasonable, at the end of the day, these insurance companies aren't non-profits, they exist to make as much money as they can, and there's no Pet ACA to prevent them from denying coverage because of preexisting conditions. Which brings me to my main question (sorry for taking so long to get to the point): is getting insurance for Ollie worthwhile? I'd hate to spend the money on fairly pricey premiums just for anything that might come up to not be covered. Maybe I'm just overly worried and cynical, but the fact that something small can make a massive difference in how much longer I get with my fur babies is honestly scary. Sorry again for rambling, there's just a lot to consider. Any advice or insight is very much appreciated!