Pet Insurance: Another Worker Perk
June 6, 2005
Karen Matthews

Rene Castro's cat, Mitsu, developed a uterine infection last year and needed a hysterectomy that cost $1,700.

The year before, his 6-pound Maltese dog, Princess, dislocated a disc when she fell off the sofa. The bill for treatment including a CAT scan was $750.

So Castro was thrilled when his employer, Lenox Hill Hospital, added pet health insurance to its list of optional benefits.

"Everybody went crazy," said Castro, who supervises the sterilization of instruments in the hospital's operating room. "I think it's great."

Lenox Hill is among a small but growing number of companies offering some form of health insurance for their workers' pets.

Jerry Hirsch of Pet Assure Inc. in Dover, N.J., which manages the Lenox Hill pet insurance program, said the program is one of several employee benefits being added as a defense against losing valuable employees.

"Employers are looking for ways to attract and keep their favored employees," he said.

It's difficult to determine exactly how many employers offer pet health insurance. Kristin Accipiter, spokeswoman for the Society for Human Resource Management, said a survey of her organization's 130,000 members a few years ago found 1 percent of companies offered the benefit, the first time the question was included in the annual survey.

Rebecca Lewis, vice president for marketing and communications at Veterinary Pet Insurance Inc. in Anaheim, Calif., said her company has sold individual policies since 1982 but group plans for employers only started taking off in 1999.

"We've seen a real big interest from a corporate standpoint," Lewis said. "Benefits become a real key part of retaining and obtaining new employees."

Additionally, she said, "The role of the pet has truly evolved. Pets are seen more as a family member."

Lewis said VPI has between 75 –100 corporate members nationwide including St. Louis-based Ralston Purina Group.

Alan Feldman, a spokesman for Las Vegas-based Mirage Resorts, now part of the MGM Mirage empire, said the company started offering pet insurance in 1999 and so far many of Mirage's 32,000 employees have signed up.

VPI offers a typical indemnity plan, with average premiums of $200 a year and a $40 deductible. VPI covers only dogs and cats, and pre-existing conditions generally are not covered.

In contrast, Pet Assure, is not a traditional insurance program but "kind of an HMO for pets," said Hirsh, the company's director of communications.

Members pay a small fee – at Lenox Hill it's a $4 monthly payroll deduction – and get a 25 percent discount at network providers. All animals are covered regardless of age, infirmity or species.

Erin O'Connor, vice president for human resources at Lenox Hill, said the hospital signed on after polling its employees about what new benefits they would like. Life insurance for spouses was the top choice, followed by car and home insurance. Pet health insurance was No. 3.

So far 50 employees out of about 2,800 at Lenox Hill have signed up for the pet insurance program, which recently went into effect.

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Between our cat who was sick and had to spend a night in the emergency room and our 15 year old dog who had 16 teeth taken out, catarac medicine, arthritis meds, etc; we spent more than that guy on our pets this past year.

That is sad.

Kitty bit off the heds of two plastic mice and they got lodged in his intestine. It was emergency surgery or let him die. I couldn't let him die.

But it cost $3000.

I love my two cat's but no way I'd spend that kind of money on them.

I'm not really sure I could give my pets a death sentence for $3000. I don't know how I'd handle that.

I think I would spend anything, these are our children.






and yes I am using this as a ploy to show off my good doggys.

jaktor, the second pooch, reminds me of a farside cartoon, and when i get home, im going to try to find it

I could have used this insurance in 2003:



Kitty bit off the heds of two plastic mice and they got lodged in his intestine. It was emergency surgery or let him die. I couldn't let him die.

But it cost $3000.

Everyone loves their pets. But, hell, for $6000 I will put down anyone's pet for $5.