If you’re in the market for a pet insurance policy, you’ve likely come across Nationwide during your research. Formerly known as Veterinary Pet Insurance, the brand offers a range of pet insurance options, including standard coverage and wellness care.
In this post, we’ll provide an overview of the company and what they offer in terms of pet insurance. We’ll also include some reviews of the insurer so you can get an idea of what other pet owners think about the coverage.
How Veterinary Pet Insurance became Nationwide
Veterinary Pet Insurance began in 1980 with the backing of more than 750 veterinarians across the United States and developed the first insurance just for pets. Two short years later, the company sold its first policy to cover Lassie, the famous TV dog.
In 2008, Veterinary Pet Insurance became part of Nationwide, one of the largest insurance providers in the world. Six years later, the company dropped the Veterinary Pet Insurance name and began operating under the Nationwide brand.
What kinds of pet insurance plans does Nationwide sell?
Nationwide offers a variety of pet insurance plans, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs. Here’s a look at the kinds of coverage that you can purchase from the company.
Major Medical
To put it simply, this is a standard pet insurance plan. It offers coverage if your furry friend needs exams, lab tests, or X-rays, as well as surgeries and hospitalizations. It also helps you reduce your vet bills if your pet has a chronic condition or certain hereditary conditions.
Pet Wellness
If you aren’t interested in the type of plan listed above, you could instead opt for wellness coverage. This type of plan helps you pay for routine care, including wellness exams and tests, vaccinations, and flea/heartworm preventative. It doesn’t offer protection for accidents and injuries. Interestingly, many providers don’t offer wellness care as a standalone product. It’s a somewhat unique offering on the part of Nationwide.
Whole Pet with Wellness
Finally, you can purchase a comprehensive plan that combines everything listed above. It’s certainly a more expensive option, but if you’re concerned about paying for unexpected medical bills and regular vet visits, it could be worth considering.
Besides the varying levels of coverage, another difference between these plans is the way in which you get reimbursed for your pet’s expenses. Under the Major Medical plan, each treatment that Nationwide/Veterinary Pet Insurance covers appears on a benefits schedule. This determines how much the company will reimburse you for each medical procedure (regardless of how much the treatment actually costs). But with the Whole Pet with Wellness plan, the insurer will reimburse you a set percentage of your bill after you’ve paid your vet.
If you’d like to get more details about Nationwide pet insurance plans, head over to the company’s website. There, you can check out the specific procedures that are included in each plan and receive a policy quote for your furry friend.
For more pet ownership tips and resources, check out the PetPonder blog.
