A pet is a friend, a companion, and a valued family member. Its health and wellness are as important as those of any other family member. Pet wellness is an employee benefit that every organization should offer. Employees feel valued if their employers show value for their family, including their pets.

But before anything, differentiate between pet wellness programs and pet insurance. Pet insurance covers unexpected veterinary visits, such as diagnosis, treatment, and medications, when a pet falls sick. Wellness programs cover any routine vet care, including vaccination, regular checkups, dental cleanups, etc., which eventually help vets detect and prevent potential health issues.

Importance of Health Wellness Programs to Pet Owners

Pet wellness programs go beyond standard insurance coverage. Some of the reasons pet owners must get wellness programs for their fur babies include:

Health and Wellness Monitoring

It’s not easy to notice if a dog is sick until it reaches full-blown. Pets know how to hide their vulnerabilities. Without constant monitoring and wellness checks, the owner might not notice any abnormalities in the cat or dog. 

Health checks and monitoring are the easiest way to keep them healthy and happy. With a pet wellness program, monitoring pets’ health and ensuring their well-being is easy. And, a healthy pet means a productive employee.

Preventive Care

Pet owners need to take them for regular checkups and routine care, such as teeth cleaning, to keep them healthy. Preventive care helps discover potential health issues and address them on time. For example, teeth cleaning can help a veterinarian detect periodontal disease or gingivitis early on and provide appropriate treatment.

A wellness plan will help pet owners budget for preventive care and regular vet visits. This way, they won’t feel the pinch of paying for the visits out of their pockets.

Saving on Costs

A wellness program for pets saves on medical costs in the long run. It’s a wonderful program for spreading out the cost of planned vet visits. It also covers expensive procedures such as spaying and neutering. 

Having a wellness program also means the freedom to take pets to regular vet visits without worrying about where the money will come from. Without the wellness program, your employees will have to prepare money for every visit and may skip a visit if they don’t have enough. Having a wellness program also unlocks discounts and free visits.

Why Pet Insurance Should Include a Wellness Option

Some insurance providers also include wellness pet plans for an additional cost. You can choose standalone plans that include those not covered by the insurance. Or go for insurance riders that can offer discounts, reducing the original amount employees will have to spend on pet wellness benefits.

So, if you already offer pet health insurance coverage for your employees, there are valid reasons to include a wellness plan.

Routine visits: Pet insurance only covers pet treatment and not routine visits such as vaccinations and annual vet visits. Wellness plans are designed to cover the pet for non-routine healthcare expenses.

Curable preexisting conditions: Standard pet health insurance covers accident-only and will not pay for pre-existing health conditions that the pet may have. If the pet has a preexisting condition likely to be cured with time, the wellness program may cover it. 

Age limit: Some insurance coverage has an age limit for enrollment. Enrolling a senior dog or cat may be difficult as the options may be limited. A wellness program does not limitations based on the pet’s age, making it perfect for older pets who require regular checkups.

How Pet Wellness Plans Are Structured

Pet wellness programs follow structured claims and reimbursement processes that vary with different providers. The pet owner is reimbursed for the costs of routine and planned healthcare visits, such as vaccinations, annual blood checks, lab work, dental care, etc. These plans are meant for preventive care and do not cover accidents or illnesses.

Pet plans are all about critical preventive care aspects. In most cases, pet wellness programs come as part of insurance coverage and not as standalone coverage. In this case, employees will need to pay a monthly fee or premium based on the plan you’re offering.

Some things that a pet wellness plan does not cover include:

• Accidents
• Illnesses
• Pregnancy and breeding
• Injuries
• May not cover preexisting conditions

The Cost of Pet Wellness Care

Different factors determine how much pet wellness care costs. The first thing that determines rates is the provider and the coverage amount. The fees usually range between $10 to $20. If you add a wellness program to the standard pet insurance coverage, the total cost might range between $40 and $70.

Some health insurance providers offer wellness plan tiers. The basic tier ranges between $10 and $22. More comprehensive coverage that may cover things such as preventative care may vary between $20 and $40.

Add a Pet Wellness Plan to Your Employee Benefits Today

Pet wellness programs ensure that your employees’ furry friends remain healthy and strong. Healthy pets make their owners happy and more productive. Adding a pet wellness program benefits employers and employees equally because increased productivity means more work done.

If you’re an employer looking to add employee benefits, pet wellness is a good consideration. As a leading voluntary pet benefits provider, Pet Benefit Solutions gives employee pet owners peace of mind so they don’t have to worry about the cost of routine pet care.

Add a pet wellness plan as one of the voluntary benefits for your employees and get them to concentrate on work without worrying about how they’ll pay for that next vet visit. Contact Pet Benefit Solutions today to request a custom proposal that will keep your employees’ pets healthy and happy.