VPI Pet Insurance - Pet Insurance Company Profile

We’ve compiled an overview of the leading pet insurance companies to help you make an informed decision about the best pet insurance company for your pet.  All information was taken from each respective pet insurance company’s website and presented to assist you in comparing pet insurance coverage options.

Profiles of Pet Insurance Companies – VPI Pet Insurance

Veterinary Pet Insurance is located at:

Veterinary Pet Insurance
P.O. Box 2344
Brea, CA 92822-2344

Background

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) was founded with the financial support of 750 veterinarians in 1980. VPI still employs 11 veterinarians and more than 60 veterinary technicians. In 2008, VPI joined the Nationwide family of companies, a large insurance and financial services corporation.

VPI offers comprehensive coverage and you can go to any licensed veterinarian for care. You don’t have to provide any of your pet’s medical records to enroll in any VPI plans. VPI is the only provider offering coverage for exotic animals like birds, rabbits, reptiles, and frogs. In 2010, VPI was recognized as one of the International Customer Management Institute’s 2010 Global Call Center of the Year Awards semi-finalists.

Dog and Cat Pet Insurance Plans

VPI covers many types of pets including parrots and lizards under their VPI Avian & Exotic Pet Plan. However, they primarily provide dog and cat insurance, offering a variety of plans for dog and cat owners alike.

Dog Insurance Programs

VPI offers several plans with a variety of rates and coverage options. You can add their optional CareGuard, which is routine care coverage, to your plan for an additional cost.  CareGuard helps pay for your pet’s wellness exams, vaccinations, and flea and/or heartworm preventive medications. CareGuard Premier offers more benefit coverage on many additional procedures and includes benefits for dental cleaning or spay/neuter procedures on top of what the CareGuard Core program offers.

VPI Major Medical Plan (Comprehensive Coverage)

• Coverage for costs to treat hereditary conditions is available after one year. The plan provides $250 annually toward diagnosis or medical treatment and $500 annually for surgical treatments.
• Accident benefits cover accidents such as foreign body ingestion, lacerations, and poisonings.
• All major illnesses are covered including allergies, cancer, and diabetes.
• There is a maximum policy term benefit amount available of $14,000 annually, per pet.

VPI Medical Plan (Economical Coverage)

• This plan includes more moderate benefits and lower premiums than the VPI Major Medical Plan.
• Plan accident benefits cover accidents such as foreign body ingestion, lacerations and poisonings.
• All major illnesses are covered including allergies, cancer, and diabetes.
• There is a maximum policy term benefit of $7,000 annually, per pet.

VPI Injury Plan (Senior Pet Protection)

• No medical review is required to qualify for this plan.
• There are no annual premium increases with this plan, even as your pet ages.   
• Cruciate ligament surgery is covered after the first year in the event that your dog tears its ACL.
• The maximum policy term benefit is $14,000 with an annual deductible of $250.
• Coverage for this plan begins 24 hours after the policy is issued.
• This plan covers no illnesses and no hereditary conditions.

VPI Superior Plan

• This plan features a higher level of reimbursement than the VPI Standard Plan.
• Accident benefits cover accidents such as foreign body ingestion, lacerations, and poisonings.
• All major illnesses are covered including allergies, cancer, and diabetes.
• The maximum policy term benefit is $14,000 with a $50 deductible for each unrelated incident. 

VPI Standard Plan

• This plan features a lower level of reimbursement than the VPI Superior Plan.
• Accident benefits cover accidents such as foreign body ingestion, lacerations, and poisonings.
• All major illnesses are covered including allergies, cancer, and diabetes.
• The maximum policy term benefit is $9,000 with a $50 deductible for each unrelated incident.

Cat Insurance Programs

VPI offers the exact same plans for cats as they do for dogs. However, VPI also offers the VPI Feline Select Plan, their first plan designed specifically for cats. The same CareGuard coverage is offered as well.

VPI Feline Select Plan (Cat-Only Coverage)

• There is no annual deductible and no lifetime benefit limits for this plan.
• There is a maximum policy term benefit of $9,000, per year.
• This plan is for cats only.

The plan covers 15 of the most common feline conditions including tooth infections requiring extraction, upset stomach, lacerations and bite wounds, skin allergies and infections, benign skin growths, eye infections, ear infections, sprains, constipation, diabetes mellitus, bladder infections, chronic kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, asthma, and upper respiratory infections. The plan provides $600 of annual benefits, for each covered condition.

Dog and Cat Pet Insurance Rates

• Premiums for Dogs

Since rates are customized to the breed and age of your pet, for comparison purposes, we have compiled sample test  quotes of the monthly premium costs for plans covering a 2-year-old golden retriever as of June 2011, assuming a $500 deductible.

Because the VPI injury plan is only available for older pets, here is a sample quote of the monthly premium costs for a plan covering a 10-year-old golden retriever as of June 2011.

• Premiums for Cats

Assuming a $500 deductible, here are sample quotes of the monthly premium costs for a 2-year-old Persian cat as of June 2011.

Here are sample quotes of the monthly premium costs for a plan covering a 10-year-old Persian cat as of June 2011.