Is Pet Insurance worth the money?

Pet health insurance is still relatively new, and many pet owners are still unaware of their options. You have to decide for yourself, which pet insurance company is the right one for you, and if it is worth it for you to pay the premiums in the event that something could go wrong. Accidents do happen, and pet insurance after the fact, is not going to help as they do not cover pre-existing conditions Many pet insurance providers do have different plans available, for different scenarios. Many pet owners have accidental coverage only. I urge you to check the different providers listed for your area, and look carefully at what each plan covers before you make your decision.
For Canadians, Medicard, the medical credit card, now offers veterinary services. Medicard is a viable option for extensive veterinary services that are either not covered by pet insurance (pre-existing conditions) or for pet owners who do not have pet insurance. Medicard offers fast approval while you are still in the veterinarian's office. The Medicard website also offers a listing of associated veterinarians in your province. Please note: This is not an endorsement, nor a statement of quality services.

If you voted "Yes" and you have pet health insurance for your pets, and would like to be part of a "user reviews" article on pet insurance, please drop me a quick note and let me know which one you use, and whether you are satisfied with them. Let me know what you like, or dislike about your pet insurance company. Where they easy to deal with? Did you have any trouble submitting claims? Have you had to submit a claim yet?

The New Health-Care Fight: Abortion Coverage in State Exchanges

While the congressional fight over health-care reform has wrapped up and legislators moved on, a new, state-level battle over abortion coverage has just begun.

The fight comes courtesy of Section 1303 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (page 779 here), which reiterates states’ rights to regulate abortion coverage among their insurers. The key sentence: “A state may elect to prohibit abortion coverage in qualified health plans offered through an Exchange in such State if such State enacts a law to provide for such a prohibition.”

This provision actually does not give states any rights they didn’t have before. As Nick Baumann over at Mother Jones recently, and astutely, pointed out, “states have had the right to pass laws regulating insurance, including banning abortion” for over six decades now. Five states (Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, and Oklahoma) already do so, only allowing insurers to cover abortion if the life of the mother is endangered (the Oklahoma expectation is wider, allowing for coverage in cases of rape and incest).

This sentence in Section 1303 didn’t change the existing law—but in the world of abortion politics and policy it was important for two main reasons. First, it drew scrutiny to a relatively dormant area of the abortion debate: insurance coverage (remember that, up until this past November, even the Republican National Committee’s insurance policy covered abortion). Second, it restated the existing laws regarding insurance regulation in a way that homes in on abortion, giving those who oppose abortion rights a specific clause to attack.

Leading that charge is Americans United for Life, the country’s oldest, anti-abortion rights group. Every year, AUL publishes a set of state-level model legislation to restrict abortion rights (this year’s volume, Defending Life 2010, weighs in at 832 pages). Before Obama signed health care into law, AUL had begun distributing a model "federal abortion mandate opt-out act," tailored specifically to the provision mentioned above, which they’ve added as an addendum to the 2010 collection.

Missouri and Tennessee already have versions of the AUL opt-out bill moving through their respective state legislatures. AUL says it has been in touch with either legislators or individual citizens in 35 other states, who have expressed interest in pursuing similar measures.

What will happen to states where opt-out bills become law? It will vary from state to state. Missouri, for example, already has a law barring nearly all abortion coverage in private insurance. So it’s unclear what an additional opt-out law would do, other than reiterate current law and stir up anti-abortion rights fervor. In Tennessee, though, which is set to vote on their opt-out bill later this week, they have less stringent laws on abortion coverage, meaning a new law could shape the plans sold on the Exchange.

Travel Insurance India - The Features Of A Good Travel Insurance Policy

A Travel Insurance Policy gives you comprehensive cover for you and your family when you globe trot. A Travel Insurance Policy must go beyond just health insurance and provides you with a wide range of travel related covers to make your trip stress-free.

A good Travel Insurance Plan covers you for:

Medical Expenses

The likelihood of person suffering from an ailment or disease is very high especially in these days of swine flu epidemic etc. Hence hospitalisation will be needed in most cases for a person who is suffering from such ailments. The plan should pay for in-patient and out-patient hospitalisation. It should provide a daily allowance in case of hospitalisation.

Personal Accident

So also, there is a high likelihood of a personal accident occuring in a foriegn country while travelling as is not accustomed to the personal areas and it's surroundings. In case of an accident, the Travel Plan should provide compensation for death or permanent disability. The policy should also provide compensation for death or permanent disability due to an accident on any flight, ship or other common carrier.

Personal Possession Contingencies

One of the most common grouses of a traveller in a foreign country is the loss of passport or baggage while travelling. The policy should provide coverage against loss of passport or baggage by reimbursing the cost of obtaining a fresh or duplicate passport.

Time Based Contingencies

So also with the heavy density of air travel, there are high chances of flight delays etc. especially during the snowfall or rainfall seasons. The Travel Policy should reimburse towards additional expenses incurred if trip is delayed. Incase of the trip being cancelled or interrupted, compensation for any non-refundable payments or additional expenses incurred should be paid.

Other Contingencies

In a foreign country, there are many chances of personal accidents happening wherein one might involunatrily damage another person. Hence, a travel policy should also cover you against liability to a third person caused involuntarily by you or your family. Also theft of foreign currency in a foreign country should also be covered.