Well, the Houston Chronicle did today in the article, “Should You Get Health Insurance For Your Dog?” The justification: “Dog owners can expect to pay a few hundred dollars a year for routine veterinary care, but a serious illness could send the bills soaring into the thousands.”
According to the article, fewer than 1% of pets are covered by health insurance in the US and of the 13 pet insurance plans available in the United States, not one of them will cover a pre-existing condition. I’m sure their owners can relate.
So while the legislators on Capitol Hill are trying to get universal health reform passed, why not tack on doggie health coverage? For just a few dollars more, man’s best friend could have his health insured too and save his owner thousands of dollars in vet bills when Fido jumps up on the counter and eats an entire chocolate cake or has to have tubes put in his ears to prevent ear infections (yes, just like children do).
Then again, there is some irony here–it is infinitely easier and cheaper to get insurance for your cat or dog than it is for yourself. Go figure.
Summer Johnson, PhD