How do pre-existing conditions impact pet insurance coverage? I recently switched from Nationwide to Lemonade since Nationwide was charging me over $600 a month for my five cats. Lemonade seemed like a good fit because I already use them for my home and car insurance.
One of my cats, a Maine Coon, was treated earlier this year for sneezing and coughing. She got oral antibiotics, but it didn’t help. Two weeks later, we went back, she got an antibiotic shot, and she was 100% fine. Now, in August, she started coughing and wheezing again, so we took her back to the vet. The vet suspected Valley Fever (common in Arizona), so we did x-rays and a specific screening for it. Thankfully, it wasn’t Valley Fever, and the vet concluded it was allergies or asthma. She got some Prednisolone (anti-inflammatory), and now she’s doing great.
But Lemonade just denied my claim, saying it was due to a pre-existing condition. They said any additional treatment or complications related to this condition aren’t eligible for coverage. I’m really frustrated because she wasn’t diagnosed with allergies or asthma before. I have another cat with asthma, and what she had was nothing like that. My understanding is that even if the diagnosis ends up being a pre-existing condition, if it wasn’t documented before, shouldn’t the diagnosis still be covered? Or am I just wrong here?
She doesn’t need an official diagnosis. It’s all about the symptoms. For example, I once mentioned my dog was scratching (he just needed a bath after being adopted), and Healthy Paws decided they wouldn’t cover allergies for him. He never had allergies, but they labeled it as pre-existing. It sucks, but switching insurance companies can be tricky because anything that happened with the old carrier or during the waiting period is considered pre-existing.
I had to switch from Nationwide because of the high cost too, so I totally get it.
There’s a bit of info missing, so I’m not sure about the timeline. When did you switch to Lemonade? If you got the new policy after the first vet visit when your cat was sneezing and coughing, then yeah, that’s probably why it’s considered pre-existing. It’s pretty unlikely Lemonade will cover anything related to allergies, asthma, or those respiratory symptoms.
This is the tough part about switching pet insurance. Any sign or symptom that’s been recorded before is now considered pre-existing, even without an official diagnosis. And this can include anything you’ve ever mentioned to the vet or anything the vet noted during an exam.
I switched to Lemonade about three months ago, so it was between the two vet visits.
But does this mean if any of my cats show similar symptoms to what they’ve had in the past, it won’t be covered? Like if one of my other cats had respiratory symptoms before, and now they get something new, that’s not covered either?
Exactly. If any of your cats show a similar illness to one they had before your Lemonade policy kicked in, it’ll be considered pre-existing and won’t be covered. Even just a sign or symptom, not necessarily a diagnosis.
Though in some states, Lemonade might cover a pre-existing condition after 365 days of continuous coverage if your pet hasn’t had any symptoms or treatment in that time. But it’s not available everywhere, so you’d have to check your policy or ask about it. Here’s a thread where someone mentioned Lemonade saying they would cover a pre-existing condition if it followed those rules.
I’m going through this exact situation with Lemonade right now. Try calling their customer service and ask to escalate your case. Will it make a difference? We’ll see, but I’m pushing because this is just wrong. They should at least cover new symptoms, even if it turns out to be related to an old condition. Not covering meds is one thing, but ruling out a new illness before confirming it is crazy.
Yeah, it’s +1-844-733-8666. Technically, only your agent can discuss the details of your claim, but calling that number can ensure they get back to you. I had to ask my agent to call me five times before I finally called in.
Most insurance companies will review your pet’s records before enrollment to check for any pre-existing conditions. It’s definitely worth asking about!