Does pet insurance cover cancer treatment?

Accident-and-illness pet insurance can potentially cover a wide range of eligible expenses associated with diagnosing and treating cancer.

Depending on your policy, these may include:

• Veterinary examinations
• Blood tests and laboratory work
• X-rays and ultrasounds
• CT scans and MRIs
• Biopsies
• Cancer surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Prescription medications
• Hospitalization
• Specialist oncology care
• Follow-up testing and treatment

Exactly what's covered varies between insurers, so check the individual policy carefully.

The cost of treating cancer can vary enormously depending on the type of cancer, how advanced it is and the treatment your veterinarian recommends.

A pet may need several different types of care:

Initial examination → Diagnostic testing → Imaging → Biopsy → Surgery → Chemotherapy or radiation → Medication → Follow-up care

Individually, these expenses can be significant. Combined, cancer treatment can result in veterinary bills running into thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.

That's why cancer coverage can be an important consideration when choosing pet insurance.

Imagine your dog develops a covered cancer and incurs $10,000 in eligible veterinary expenses during treatment.

Your hypothetical policy has:

Using a simplified example where the deductible is applied first:

That could leave you responsible for $1,450 of the eligible expenses rather than the full $10,000.

Actual reimbursement depends on your insurer's calculation method, deductible, reimbursement rate, coverage limits and which expenses are eligible.

Many comprehensive pet insurance policies can cover eligible chemotherapy when it's recommended to treat a covered cancer.

Coverage may potentially include the chemotherapy treatment itself as well as associated expenses such as:

• Oncology consultations
• Blood tests
• Diagnostic imaging
• Medications
• Hospitalization
• Follow-up appointments

Because chemotherapy may involve multiple treatments over an extended period, check your annual coverage limit when comparing policies.

If surgery is medically necessary to treat an eligible cancer, many accident-and-illness policies can cover the procedure.

For example, coverage could potentially extend beyond the surgery itself to include:

Pre-operative testing

Bloodwork, imaging and biopsies.

Anesthesia

Medication and monitoring during surgery.

Hospitalization

Care before and after the procedure.

Prescription medication

Pain relief and other medication associated with eligible treatment.

Follow-up care

Post-operative examinations and eligible testing.

The exact benefits depend on your policy.

Some comprehensive policies can cover radiation therapy when it's medically necessary to treat an eligible cancer.

Radiation therapy is typically performed by veterinary specialists and may involve multiple treatment sessions.

If this type of coverage is important to you, check whether your policy covers specialist care and advanced cancer treatments, rather than simply looking for the word “cancer” in a summary of benefits.

A new pet insurance policy generally won't cover cancer that existed before the policy became effective.

This is because pet insurance typically excludes pre-existing conditions.

For example, if your dog is diagnosed with cancer and you then purchase pet insurance, treatment for that cancer would generally not be covered by the new policy.

Your pet may still be eligible for insurance covering unrelated new accidents and illnesses, subject to the insurer's terms.

This is an important point.

A cancer diagnosis made after you buy pet insurance isn't automatically covered.

Insurers may review your pet's medical history to determine whether relevant signs or symptoms were present before coverage began.

For example, if your pet had a lump investigated before enrollment and the lump was later diagnosed as cancerous, the insurer could potentially determine that the condition was pre-existing.

How pre-existing conditions are defined varies between insurers, so review the policy wording carefully.

Potentially.

Cancer becomes more common as pets age, and many policies can cover eligible cancer treatment in older pets if the condition isn't pre-existing.

However, older pets generally cost more to insure and may already have medical conditions excluded from a new policy.

Some insurers may also have maximum enrollment ages or other restrictions.

If you're insuring an older dog or cat, compare:

• Cancer coverage
• Maximum enrollment age
• Pre-existing-condition rules
• Annual limits
• Reimbursement percentages
• Deductibles
• Specialist coverage
• Prescription medication coverage

It can, depending on the circumstances and policy.

If a covered cancer returns while your policy remains continuously in force, eligible treatment may continue to be covered, subject to the policy's terms and limits.

However, switching insurance companies after your pet develops cancer can be problematic.

A condition covered under your existing policy may be considered pre-existing by a new insurer.

If your pet has developed a serious ongoing condition, consider the potential loss of coverage before switching policies.

Cancer is a good example of why you shouldn't compare pet insurance based on reimbursement percentage alone.

Imagine two policies both offer 90% reimbursement.

But:

If your pet incurs $15,000 in eligible cancer treatment during one year, those policies could provide very different levels of financial protection.

When considering cancer coverage, look at the maximum amount the policy could actually reimburse, not just the percentage.

Many comprehensive policies can cover eligible prescription medications used to treat a covered cancer.

This can include medications prescribed as part of treatment as well as drugs used to manage symptoms or side effects, subject to the policy terms.

Cancer treatment can continue for an extended period, so ongoing medication coverage may be an important benefit.

Many accident-and-illness policies can cover eligible treatment from veterinary specialists, including oncologists.

Specialist care can be expensive, particularly when it involves advanced diagnostics or treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Check whether your policy covers specialist treatment and whether there are any separate limits or restrictions.

With many pet insurance policies, you'll pay the veterinary provider first and then submit a claim for reimbursement.

For expensive cancer treatment, that can mean needing access to a significant amount of money upfront.

Some insurers offer alternatives, including direct payment to participating veterinary providers or expedited claims-payment services.

If paying several thousand dollars upfront would be difficult, compare how insurers pay claims alongside their cancer coverage.

If you want insurance protection against future cancer treatment, it's important to consider coverage before your pet develops signs of the disease.

Buying insurance after a cancer diagnosis generally won't cover that existing cancer.

And because relevant symptoms before enrollment may potentially result in a condition being classified as pre-existing, waiting until there's a health concern can be too late.

This is one reason many owners consider pet insurance while their dog or cat is young and healthy.

When comparing plans, consider more than whether the insurer simply says cancer is covered.

Look at:

• Cancer surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Diagnostic imaging
• Biopsies and laboratory testing
• Specialist oncology care
• Prescription medications
• Hospitalization
• Annual coverage limits
• Reimbursement percentage
• Deductible
• Pre-existing-condition rules
• Waiting periods
• Claims-payment options

Cancer treatment can involve many different expenses, so comprehensive coverage can make a significant difference.

Cancer can be one of the most difficult diagnoses a pet owner faces—and treatment can also create a significant financial burden.

The right pet insurance can help cover eligible expenses, potentially allowing cost to play a smaller role in decisions about your pet's treatment.

Compare plans based on cancer coverage, annual limits, reimbursement rates, deductibles and exclusions to find the protection that's right for you and your pet.