In this episode, I interview Darryl Rawlings, the CEO and Howard Rubin, the COO of Trupanion pet insurance company. We talk about their recently introduced program called Trupanion Express.

Darryl Rawlings Howard Rubin

Since pet insurance was introduced in the United States in 1982, it has operated according to a "reimbursement" model where pet owners pay their veterinarian and then file a claim seeking reimbursement for covered expenses minus the deductible and copay. Trupanion Express is an innovative alternative to the reimbursement model.

Using Trupanion Express, pet owners pay their deductible, copay and any other uncoverd expenses to the veterinarian when their pet is discharged from the hospital. Trupanion reimburses the veterinarian the balance of the invoice via direct deposit into the hospital's bank account oftentimes before the pet owner leaves the hospital. Since all this is done electronically, there is minimal paperwork or time involved in the process.

This has the potential of making pet insurance available to many pet owners who haven't been able to take advantage of pet insurance before because of having to come up with potentially thousands of dollars out-of-pocket in the case of a large veterinary bill. This could mean that more pets will get the care they really need without money being a limiting factor.

In Part 1, we discuss the development and vision for Trupanion Express and an overview of how it works. In Part 2, I'll talk with Dr. Kerri Marshall about the nuts and bolts of how it works in daily practice. Be sure to catch both episodes by subscribing to the podcast (link below). Be sure and check out previous episodes also.

Click to Listen; Right click to download episode

Relavant Links:

Trupanion pet insurance

Trupanion Express

Pet Insurance Toolkit

Subscribe to Podcast

Subscribe to podcast via iTunes

In this episode, I interview Stephen Ebbett, the President of Protect Your Bubble pet insurance company based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Protect Your Bubble is one of the newest entrants into the pet insurance industry and is somewhat unique in that pet insurance is just one of several types of insurance that they offer.

In this episode, I talk with Stephen about:

- His background before becoming the President of Protect Your Bubble.

- The ages of pets they cover.

- The details about their policy offerings.

- Coverage for behavioral conditions.

- Coverage for alternative therapies- Coverage of hereditary and chronic conditions

- Customizing policies by selecting among several deductibles

- Reimbursements according to what's usual and customary

- Wellness care coverage

- Medical record review for pre-existing conditions

Click to Listen; Right click to download episode

Items talked about in this episode:

Contact Protect Your Bubble at 1-855-792-7387 (1-855-PYB-PETS)

Pet Insurance Toolkit

Subscribe to podcast

Subscribe to podcast via iTunes

Steve Siadek is the Cofounder and COO of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Company. He kindly agreed to be my guest in this episode and talk about the company and it's policies.

We discuss:

- His background in business and why he got involved in the pet insurance industry.

- The Healthy Paws Foundation.

- The vision of the company.

- What ages of pets can be enrolled and what discounts they offer.

- Why they choose not to cover wellness care.

- Their coverage of hereditary conditions and any restrictions on coverage.

- An overview of the Healthy Paws pet insurance policy.

- Potential effects of no-limit policies on pet insurance premiums.

- Turn-around time from filing a claim and reimbursement.

- Medical records review for potential pre-existing conditions.

- Companies that are Healthy Paws sponsors or offer their policy as an employee benefit.

Click to Listen; Right click to download episode

Relevant links:

Healthy Paws website

Pet Insurance Toolkit

Subscribe to podcast

Subscribe to podcast via iTunes

In this episode, I interview Mike Hemstreet, the owner of the petinsurancereview.com website. In my opinion, it is the best pet insurance company review site available to pet owners.

We talk about:

- How Mike became interested in the pet insurance industry and what led him to start a review site.

- How the website has evolved over the years to include companies in the United States, Canada, and the U.K.

- How he evaluates reviews to make sure they are legitimate.

- How allowing comments helps enhance the accuracy of reviews.

- Why his website provides much more information to pet owners than even the Better Business Bureau website.

- How and why Mike changed his rating system of pet insurance companies to reflect possible recent changes a company makes to it's policies.

- Recent filters Mike has added allowing pet owners to filter reviews based on a company's rating, to include comments from pet owners or even the insurer.

- The ability to filter claims based on the breed of a dog or cat.

- Future plans to be able to filter claims based on the diagnosis or condition that led to the claim being filed.

Click to listen; Right click to download

Links to things discussed on the podcast:

Pet Insurance Toolkit

Merrick's blog post that led to an invite to Trupanion's sales meeting

Mike's video showing how to use his website

Pet Insurance Review website

Subscribe to podcast

Subscribe to podcast via iTunes

In this episode, I interview Dr. Jason Nicholas, the Preventive Vet about how pet owners can keep their pets healthy and happy while at the same time saving significant amounts of money on their pet's healthcare expenses.

We talk about:

- Information that will keep pets safe and healthy and save pet owners money.

- How the brand "The Preventive Vet" got started.

- The more preventable problems that veterinarians routinely see like drug overdoses, toxins (e.g.human over-the-counter or prescription medications, grapes/raisins, plants), pets who have been hit by a car, dog or cat fight wounds, heat stroke and others.

- How pet owners are often unprepared for the costs of treating some of these emergencies and how third-party payments like CareCredit or pet insurance can help.

- How and when to contact a veterinary poison control center - which ones are recommended, etc.

- Natural disaster preparedness for pets.

- Dr. Nicholas' Pet Safety Guides that teach pet owners how to pet proof their homes and yards.

- The importance that preventing pet behavioral problems has on the pet/human bond and on the quality and longevity of pet's lives.

Click to listen to podcast; Right click to download episode

Relevant links:

The Preventive Vet

CareCredit

Pet Insurance Toolkit

ASPCA Pet Poison Control Center

Pet Poison Helpline

Dr. Sophia Yin's website (veterinary behaviorist)

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Guide for pets

Home Pet-Proofing Guide

Subscribe to Podcast

Subscribe to podcast via iTunes