Insurance Q - Updated !!!!

My pup is fully insured [with Argos pet] she has to go into the vets tomorro for a biopsy for a skin issure she has.... my question is - do I have to pay upfront and re-claim from my insurance co OR can my insurance co pay my vet directly ?

The whole point of me having my pup insured was so I didnt need to worry about costly vet bills - i dont have hundreds of pounds sitting around that i can afford to spend up front and wait to be re-imbursed.....

/confused.

its all down to your vets and how well you know them .
if your a new coustermer or there only a small practice you may have to pay upfront.
but if they know you well or part of a large practice/chain they may well have practices in place to deal direct with companys.

p s

if it was an emergency and it was life or death there no vets i now of which would insist on payment upfront .
they wouldnt let a pet suffer

What Wazza said Mine gives you a form to fill in and then deals with it themselves, no upfront payment apart from the excess, but all vets differ XX

Best bet phone them up and your insurance company.

It isn't up to the insurance company - they don't really care who they pay it to as long as they have your permission to do so. It's down to your vet.

Mine will take on a direct claim as long as I pay the excess + an admin charge of £20 (after all, they are basically loaning you the money until the insurance co. pays out). I also have to sign a form that says I will pay if the insurance company refuses. Believe me, I know...........I've claimed over £5000 over the last 12 months or so!

Also, most vets are part of a finance arrangement, whereby they have an agreement with a finance company so that if you don't have insurance & you can't afford the bill the finance co, will loan you the money to be repaid over (usually) a maximum of 2 years.

The thing to do is to phone your vets, tell them that you would struggle to pay the bill up front, and will they do a direct claim?

just spoken to my vets - they want payment up front when we pick her up...estimating around £300 ish they say they wont do a direct claim we have to pay and claim from insurance co.

we just dont have even £100 to spare atm...I dont know what to do, my pup needs help and I dont have any money to help her.

Im so stressed and upset .... fully insured but whateva way u look at it - screwed.

Have you looked down every avenue? I really can't see how a vets can turn you away when you are fully covered?

spoke to the insureance co - they are happy to do direct claims - but the vet wont budge....wont even let us pay off the bill bit by bit over a period of time so we can even claim at the end....

im in floods of tears - husband is annoyed and saying we have to get rid of her now as we cant afford to look after her....

Oh love, I'm so sorry, I really don't know what to suggest apart from going to another vets Xx

:O

My advise find a new vet for a start and clear it with them that they will work the way you want them to with your insurance cover.

I assume you dont have access to a credit card you can put it on till the insurance money comes through?

12 months no intrest credit cards are still very common now if you have the ability to get one, this way you can stick it on the card and pay it when you get the money off the insurance company. An it wont cost you a penny that way.

Long shot an dont know if any of them would help, but is it not possiable to get some help from some sort of dog charity? If you show them you have the insurance cover but need a tempory loan to pay the vets upfront as they suck and dont allow insurance claims to be delt directly with the vet.

thanks for your suggestions and support all.

I have found a new Vets - recommened by a firend of a friend who do deal direct claims with insurance co for £500 and over - anything under that you can pay off in installments - and claim at the end. [both things my origional vet wouldnt do]

stressful afternoon but she is now booked in thursday morning for a full checkup and they said altho she was due skin biopsy/scraping at old vets - they want to do thier own assessment etc to see if its necessary...

So all in all - i guess it may be a good thing im changing vet now.

x

Now breath a sigh of relief, and have a stiff drink, I think you need one after all of that! Great stuff, and good luck Thursday, let us know how you get on

Jackieb wrote:thanks for your suggestions and support all.

I have found a new Vets - recommened by a firend of a friend who do deal direct claims with insurance co for £500 and over - anything under that you can pay off in installments - and claim at the end. [both things my origional vet wouldnt do]

stressful afternoon but she is now booked in thursday morning for a full checkup and they said altho she was due skin biopsy/scraping at old vets - they want to do thier own assessment etc to see if its necessary...

So all in all - i guess it may be a good thing im changing vet now.

x

I was going to sugest a different vet - looks like your old one just doesn't want the business! >

Honestly, I thought vets were supposed to do that job because they wanted to make animals better...what a joke!

Really glad you've found a decent one now & good luck with the appointment.

Took her to the other vets today and omg i feel so much more confident in this vet tbh. He actually came across like he knew what he was talking about.

Long story short - she is going in on monday morning for skin scrapings and a small op to remove a lump/growth [which is quite worrying..he even mentioned cancer..] ANd he said they will direct claim to my insurence co.

I asked about her food that shes on [wainwrights hypoallergentic] and he said that is totally fine [the salmon and potatoe one]

so, me, hubby and diesel are very much relieved indeed. x

just crossing fingers for monday now ...

Jackieb wrote:a small op to remove a lump/growth [which is quite worrying..he even mentioned cancer..] ...

Don't worry too much. Most 'lumps' on a dog are just fatty tissue, but the vet has to tell you every possibility, he wouldn't be doing his job properly if he didn't.

Sounds like this practice is much better. Half the battle is finding a vet you can trust & get along with (after all, they've all got just about the same training/qualifications!). One that likes the animals they're looking after, and who give you the facts along with being sensitive & friendly. Sounds like you've found one, so hold on to them!

i am so glad that you found a vet who was willing to help

good luck on monday and i hope it is nothing

I hope all is fine, I was at the vet for a fatty lump some time back and it turned out to be a benin tumour, I was so worried but apparently its quite commen Xx

Good luck and keep us posted