GENRIC Pet Insurance offers affordable plans that cover pretty much everything from head to tail. Like all insurers, pet insurance is designed to cover the unexpected accidents and illnessesthat your pet may experience in their lifetime and that you simply cannot plan for.  Coverage includes emergencies, hereditary or congenital conditions, cancer and chronic conditions. 

“The proviso of courseis that these conditions do not exist at the time of the inception of the policy – which is known as a pre-existing condition. Pets are eligible for coverage so long as the signs and symptoms of any condition – whether hereditary or even congenital, manifest after enrolling, including any applicable waiting periods. It’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to get cover in place while your pet is young and healthy, and not wait until things go wrong and you find yourself in a financial and emotional dilemma,” explains Candice Hobday, a director of ARCO360, an equine and pet insurance brokerage offering GENRIC Pet Insurance.

What do all the terms mean, and how does it affect me?

When choosing medical insurance for your pets, it’s important that you understand the terms and conditions.

• Pre-existing and congenital conditions: This is any condition, disease or musculoskeletal issue that occurred before inception of the policy and could not be resolved. It may also be congenital – something which your pet has had from birth. This may result in a permanent or temporary exclusion on your policy, depending on the problem. For example – if your dog was born with a cleft palate - a congenital condition - this would be permanently excluded.  Hereditary and congenital conditions in dogs and cats can sometimes appear as early as birth, however many problems often develop later in life, with your pet developing a hereditary or congenital condition that's very expensive to treat without insurance in place.  If your dog broke its leg previously – a pre-existing condition - this would result only in a temporary exclusion and will be lifted once your pet is fully recovered and given a clean bill of health on the broken leg. 

• Genetically predisposed (also known as hereditary) conditions: These are issues that are found to occur in breed-specific dogs. For example, spinal conditions in Dachshunds and Pekinese. GENRIC Pet Insurance does not exclude any hereditary conditions from cover – as this really defeats the point of having the cover - so long as they have not manifested prior to inception of cover. Another really important reason to get cover in place early!
  
  
• Pre-Authorisation vs Emergency: If an initial situation presents with your pet, this would be deemed an emergency as you are not qualified to assess the severity of the issue. Any further diagnostics or treatment would be classified as emergency as they have to be performed immediately for the welfare of your pet. In the case of any diagnostics, treatments or surgeries having to be at­tended to in the future, by special appointment, pre-authorisation would need to be obtained.
  
  
• Chronic Conditions: These are conditions that develop and often don’t resolve. In general, after a period of three months, any issue that requires continued treatment of medication would be deemed ‘Chronic’. For example, skin allergies and Osteo-Arthritis. Chronic conditions will be covered up to the annual limit of your policy, and only if they developed after the inception of the cover.
  
  
• Routine Care: On a fully comprehensive benefit option,you would havecover for your pet’s regular and expected veterinary expenses like sterilisation, deworming, tick and flea control, vaccinations, dental scaling, microchipping and anal gland expression, subject to the policies limits and sub-limits. It would be imperative that the above be prescribed, dispensed, performed or administered by a registered veterinarian.
  
  
• Will my pet be excluded from coverage at a certain age?Never! With GENRIC Pet Insurance there’s no age limit to the cover provided as long as cover is incepted before the maximum entry age of 9 years. Your pet gets to enjoy the best treatment and care, even in their golden years. 

GENRIC Pet Insurance includes cover from accident or hospital only to fully comprehensive cover. With the escalating veterinary costs, this is a must-have for your fur-kids, and with a multiple pet discount is totally affordable! Ideally you want a comprehensive and affordable pet insurance product that is simple to understand with minimum exclusions. The important caveat is that you have cover in place from as early as possible and before any conditions or health conditions occur to avoid the exclusion of any pre-existing conditions from cover. Your pet is part of the family, so make sure that you have the means to take care of or any unexpected veterinary bills, ensuring their access to the best veterinary care and a return to full health,” concludes Candice.

GENRIC Pet Insurance is not a pet medical aid.

T’s and C’s apply. For more information visit https://genricpet.co.za/or www.arco360.co.za

GENRIC Pet Insurance is underwritten and administered by GENRIC Insurance Company Limited (43638).  GENRIC Insurance Company Limited is an authorised Financial Services Provider and licensed non-life insurer. Please note that Candice Hobday is not additionally remunerated nor does this article constitute as financial advice.