Hereditary and Congenital Disorders: What are they?
Two more common terms with pet insurance companies are congenital and hereditary disorders. If you’re looking into pet insurance you might be reading through one of the pet insurance policies, and it just might tell you that congenital and hereditary disorders are not covered. “What does that mean?” you might think to yourself, and more importantly, “What would that mean to my bank account?”
Let’s see if I can make this simple. A congenital disorder is one that is present at birth, whether or not signs are showing. Essentially, something happens during development to cause such an abnormality, but the pet may not show signs of this particular disorder until much later in life. A hereditary disorder is one that a certain breed is prone to. An example of a hereditary disorder would be intervertebral disk disease (back problems) with Dachshunds because of their long backs or Brachycephalic syndrome (breathing problems) in Pugs because of their short snouts. Of course these two examples are more commonly known problems, and more than likely, pet owners about to get a pug or dachshund are probably aware that they are a possible threat. There are plenty of hereditary or congenital disorders that are not commonly known, or easy to understand.
Hip dysplasia, for one, which is a common condition among some smaller, heavier dogs such as bulldogs, can be either a hereditary or congenital disorder. Confusing? Well, I think so. Oh, did I mention that these disorders can be extremely expensive. Hip dysplasia surgery can run around $8,000! And you’re telling me that this might not be covered?! How is a pet owner supposed to know if their pet has a hereditary or congenital disorder and why wouldn’t it be covered!?
What experiences have you had with this type of coverage? Would you be willing to pay extra to make sure that they’re covered or would you just assume that they should be covered?
Stay away from VPI insurance. They have a set schedule and that is all they are going to pay. They once sent me a check for .50! I was with petcareinsurance.com for over 4 years and they were amazing. After I got Riley though, I started looking around at different policies because with pet care insurance their limits didn’t renew every year and this would have been the first time I started out with a policy with a puppy. Check out petplan.com. They cover everything, you can pick different deductibles, coverage amount, they cover hereditary and cogenital problems and their limits renew every year!
I haven’t been able to find an insurance company that would cover hereditary or congenital diseases. The interpretation of that differs, but basically the most costly problems dogs have… hip dysplasia, knee dysplasia, very few will cover. And if you have a purebred.. FAHGET ABOUT IT! Since there are well documented lists of problems that are breed specific, those are deemed “hereditary” or “congenital” and won’t be covered.. i.e. Rotti’s and hip dysplasia. Doxies and spinal diseases…
Pet insurance is regulated by the the same insurance commissions that “people” insurance is, but how high a priority is it?
Hi Aurora,
I can assure you that there are companies that will cover both hereditary and congenital disorders. Some will place limits on reimbursement, some will charge extra for hip dysplasia coverage, but yes, there are companies that cover conditions deemed “congenital” or “hereditary”. You can learn more about companies and their different coverages with this online tool for comparing pet insurance companies.
In regards to your question about regulation, I’m not sure the “priority” that pet insurance is placed on the list, and I’m also not quite sure as to what you’re referencing. Before any admitted insurance company (that is, one that is regulated) can market or issue policies, they must be approved by the department of insurance. It’s possible that due to low “priority”, it may take longer for pet insurance companies (as opposed to other types of insurance companies) to get approved. But I do not work with a department of insurance, so I really couldn’t answer. Regardless, pet insurance is regulated.
I hope this helps.
We are very happy with VIP – or VPI? Well, the one with the V and the I and the P in its name.
)
They are reliable and supportive. Jolanda has cost them a ton already and we never received less then 60 – 90% of our costs. The vet has to do accurate paperwork but then it is straight forward.
I wish you all luck and I can highly recommend the VIP.
We have all four pets covered and the more, the less you have to pay
We called them before insuring the pets and sent them all sorts of papers so we were all reassured that everything we signed up for is covered and they had the exact picture of our dogs health and disposition..
Warm wishes, sonja
Jojo and Jolanda,
Happy to hear that pet insurance has worked in your favor!
Note: The company is called VPI (it stands for Veterinary Pet Insurance).