Question: Are Regular Vet Checks Covered?

Good afternoon!

Continuing with our Frequently Asked Questions blog series, today we talk about whether regular vet checks are covered under your typical equine insurance policy, or not.

Answer: Under the major medical & surgical, nearly every illness or injury that requires calling a Vet out for emergency services  is covered, (ie: your horse needs stitches, or develops sudden lameness, and needs diagnostics to find the cause, etc.).  This coverage applies to emergency services, so it would not include regular vet checks for worming, shots, etc.

In other words, something has to be wrong with your horse for coverage to apply.

A claim is one occurrence. Let's say your horse comes down with strangles, and the vet has to come out every other day for a month. If you've purchased the major medical coverage, you pay the deductible, and his charges after that are covered by the insurance company.  Diagnostics, meds, etc. are covered, but again, when you have a claim, you call the 800 number. They will get the name and phone number of your vet and between the vet, the insurance company and you, they will pay for the best care for your horse.

However, your vet can't charge an unreasonable fee. For instance, if most vets charge $50 a visit and he decides to charge $100, the insurance is only going to pay the reasonable fee; they're not going to pay an accelerated fee, just because the vet knows insurance is paying the bill.  Additionally, the insurance does not pay for the call charge, transportation, or any routine medical care of your normal, healthy horse.

Note that if the horse is so seriously injured that in the vet's opinion it needs to be immediately put down to avoid further suffering, the adjusters will take that into consideration, (they don't want an animal to suffer).  So, in that case, the vet may want to put the animal down right away, and call the 800 number afterward.









*taken from Mize Ins. FAQs*