We adopted our pup from the shelter, and they gave us a free month with MetLife. He caught kennel cough in the first week, but after a telehealth visit, the vet said he’d be fine – no in-person visit, no prescription, and the cough cleared up after a few days.
Once the free month ended, we switched to Lemonade (big mistake ). Three months later, he got the cough again, so I took him to the vet, and they gave us antibiotics. But Lemonade refused to cover it, saying “coughing” is a pre-existing condition. How are they able to get away with this?
The cough has come back again now. Does anyone know of an insurance plan that won’t treat coughing as a pre-existing condition? Seems like this could be a sign of all kinds of illnesses. Thanks in advance.
Yeah, pet insurance still follows those pre-existing condition rules, kind of like how human health insurance worked before the ACA. Back when I worked in human health insurance, they used to deny coverage for people just because they had a cold or fever when they were babies. Totally ridiculous, right?
Unfortunately, pet insurance is still like that. The trick is to get a policy early and hang on to it as long as possible. Otherwise, a lot of companies will never cover a cough again after it’s been labeled “pre-existing.”
There might be a slight exception with AKC – they’ve started offering coverage for some pre-existing conditions after 365 days of continuous coverage. It’s new, though, so no one really knows if it works yet. Definitely worth checking out, though.
Pet insurance has so many exclusions and fine print. Always read the policy carefully because they can pull some surprising moves.
Thanks so much for the insight! Lemonade did say they’d cover the cough after 12 months, but it’s starting to look like this might be a long-term issue for him.
We’ll cover it, of course, just feeling for my boy (and my wallet ).
That’s interesting. I’ve heard from a couple of people now that Lemonade told them something similar about covering it after a year. But yeah, they aren’t really advertising that, huh?
Sorry about the vet bills, though. That’s never fun. Fingers crossed that Lemonade picks up the bills after 12 months. A lot of companies don’t even do that. Hope your pup feels better soon.
Quick side question: How has Lemonade been with claims in general? My cat had a cough, but she was given a clean bill of health at her initial exam, which I submitted to Lemonade about a year ago.
The start was a bit rough because we switched providers. Once we got all the paperwork in order, about 9 out of 10 claims get approved instantly, and the money hits my account within 2-3 days – as long as it’s something covered by the policy. It’s a pretty smooth process overall. They always ask for the bill and doctor’s notes, though, so if I’ve got those handy, it’s quick. If not, it might take a couple of days while they reach out to the vet.
When it came to the cough being pre-existing, that took about a week to sort out. Honestly, I do like Lemonade, but I wish I’d known the cough would be considered pre-existing, or else we’d have stuck with MetLife and paid the higher premium.
We’re waiting on the results to see if it’s long-term bronchitis or just a nasty infection.
The weird part is that he had a cough for like three days right after we adopted him. Because it was recorded, Lemonade has labeled any coughing visit as “pre-existing.” I asked them why since “cough” is such a broad term, and they said, “We may cover some pre-existing conditions that can be cured, as long as there have been no symptoms or treatment for at least 12 months.”
I’m not holding my breath, though, since he’s had this cough a few times already. He’s fully vaxxed, too.
Yeah, if it was documented during your first vet call about the cough, they’ll count that as pre-existing. Doesn’t matter if nothing was done at the time.
Thanks for clarifying. It just seems strange that any kind of cough, no matter the cause, is considered pre-existing – especially when it’s something that can be cured. Even our vet was surprised. Appreciate your input.
). Three months later, he got the cough again, so I took him to the vet, and they gave us antibiotics. But Lemonade refused to cover it, saying “coughing” is a pre-existing condition. How are they able to get away with this?
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