I’ve been with Lemonade Pet Insurance for a bit over a year now, and my cats are fully covered. I have a quick question. I missed their annual check-up; it’s been about three months for one cat and a month and a half for the other. I called to set up an appointment because one of my cats has a cough, and the vet mentioned that since I missed the annual physical and rabies shot, I should get those done too.
Will this affect my policy? If the cough gets worse, will the insurance still cover it?
I haven’t used Lemonade myself, but with other insurers, as long as the pet is seen by the vet at least once a year, it’s usually fine. There were times when I was busy or traveling, but as long as the visit happened within the year, it didn’t seem to be an issue.
I doubt Lemonade is super strict about needing the visit in the exact same month each year, it would be quite a hassle if they were. I’m not familiar with your specific coverage, but sometimes there are different billing practices for wellness and illness visits. It sounds like you might have both types of coverage?
I wouldn’t stress too much about the timing. I hope your kitty feels better soon. 
What do you mean by sick and well visits? So, they won’t see this as a pre-existing condition, even though the initial vet visit was okay?
Also, I should mention that one cat is a few months overdue, and the other is about a month and a half. I just checked their paperwork.
When people mention ‘full coverage,’ they usually mean both accident and illness coverage, plus a wellness plan. If that’s the case, the vet might record it as an annual wellness exam rather than a sick visit, which means your wellness benefits might be used instead of the illness benefits. They have different reimbursement structures.
If you don’t have wellness coverage, Lemonade likely won’t cover the annual exam itself. How they handle the cough treatment during the annual exam will depend on how the vet records and bills it.
As for pre-existing conditions, it depends if your cat had any cough or respiratory issues noted before the insurance started.
Generally, as long as your cats have had some form of annual exam, that should meet the policy requirements. I haven’t seen any policies requiring a visit at the exact same month each year.
Thanks for clarifying. Do you think it’s okay to address both the annual exam and the cough in the same visit, or should I separate them?
The best approach is to request a copy of your policy and read through it. That will give you the most accurate information.