On Friday, June 2nd, 2024, Koda, a Norwegian Elkhound puppy, slept, ate, and played in the yard.

To Koda, it was an ordinary day, but here at Pet Benefit Solutions, it was a celebration! Richard, Koda’s pet father, submitted the first claim in our newly upgraded, non-insurance Wishbone wellness plans, requesting reimbursement for Koda’s visit to the vet.

By Monday at 9:23 a.m., Koda’s preventative care claim had been reviewed and was ready for a $171.65 payment!

Better employee pet wellness

If you’re used to human health plans, you might assume that pet health insurance automatically includes preventative plans. However, pet insurance works differently than human health insurance, clearly separating accident and illness coverage from wellness benefits. Typical pet insurance covers sick visits to the vet, surgery, medicine, and hospital stays, while pet wellness plans cover preventatives, routine care, and screenings.

Employee pet wellness plans are usually available as riders on a standard accident and illness plan. Wishbone Pet Insurance, our traditional pet health insurance product, originally followed that model, offering two wellness options.

The routine care benefits met or exceeded industry standards. HR professionals and employees loved our signature service and ease of use. But we knew we could do better!

What if pet wellness benefits weren’t tied to an accident and illness plan? What if the cost wasn’t inflated by services that pet parents rarely use? What if the claims process could be even faster and smoother?

Now, it is!

Hello, Wishbone wellness plan upgrades

Wishbone wellness plans are a significant upgrade from our previous Wishbone wellness riders, featuring improved benefits, reimbursement rates, and usage limits. They are separate, non-insurance, pet preventative care products. They’re not riders. They’re not underwritten.

Most importantly, they’re now stand-alone plans. Employees can choose to enroll in a Wishbone wellness plan separately from Wishbone accident and illness coverage. They can sign up for accident and illness, wellness, or both, depending on their pet family’s needs.

After months of work, Wishbone wellness plan upgrades went live in May 2024. We welcomed Auggie, a 3-year-old mini-Schnauzer, as our very first enrollee in the new and improved plans.

It’s only been a few months, but we already hear terrific feedback from employers and brokers. “Clients are excited to get more reimbursements on their pet’s routine care,” says Kaylan Gallotta, Pet Benefits Account Manager. “Proper routine pet care can prevent common diseases, address health issues promptly, and ensure a higher quality of life. Wishbone wellness plans help employees make more routine vet visits for their beloved pets!”

Leading the pack in voluntary benefits

In a sea of voluntary wellness benefits, our improved Wishbone wellness plans stand out with innovative features:

• Stand-alone - Employees can access pet routine care benefits without being forced to enroll in an accident and illness policy. “We are one of the only carriers offering stand-alone options in the employee benefit group space,” emphasizes Diane Page, Vice President of Voluntary Benefits.
• Flat rate plans - What you see is what you get for every pet of every employee in every state.
• Easy to use - It’s simple for employees to enroll and manage their plans and payment options through their Wishbone landing page and online member account.
• Streamlined claims - Our newly expanded claims team handles all Wishbone claims in-house. Members submit their invoices online through their Wishbone member portal. If an invoice includes services for both accident/illness and routine wellness care, employees can submit just one claim.
• **Quicker payouts—**Wellness claims will be reimbursed directly into employees’ accounts via ACH, so they receive their money faster.
• No deductibles, waiting periods, or in-network restrictions. This was true for our wellness riders and still applies to our newly upgraded Wishbone wellness plans.
• Compliant - Wishbone wellness plans voluntarily comply with the NAIC’s new Pet Insurance Model Act. The Model Act protects consumers by establishing regulatory standards for the pet insurance industry.

Great value for employees

Besides being convenient and easy, Wishbone wellness plans also offer employees tremendous value. The stand-alone options can be a huge cost saver for pet parents, with two wellness plan levels that allow employees to only enroll in the services they want and need.

Wishbone wellness plan benefits are designed to maximize savings. Service categories are designed to be broad enough to include rather than exclude services. In fact, the maximum annual benefits payout is higher than any other competing plan. At up to $575 a year, that’s a 50% savings on routine care!

But what truly sets the newly upgraded plans apart is their alignment with real-life usage. We analyzed claims data and consulted with vets to determine:

• What services do pets use annually?
• Which ones are most impactful on pet health?
• How much do they actually cost?

For example, the Premium plan pays for two annual well visits up to $100 and three vaccinations yearly. Pet parents get robust benefits for those routine care basics.

“In most pet wellness plans, money is tied up in services people don’t use,” explains Sarah Falk, Vice President of Voluntary Benefits. “We restructured the plan and reallocated money for more common day-to-day or annual services. Employees can maximize this benefit year over year.”

Just the beginning

95% of our existing employer groups opted to offering our new plans to their employees, with over 1,000 pets already covered. This is wonderful news for the wellbeing of pets as our upgraded wellness plans hit their first open enrollment season!

Engaging employees with an accessible pet wellness plan is a crucial step towards better pet care now and in the future. “By providing employees with an affordable routine care plan, we aim to ultimately foster greater adoption of comprehensive pet health care,” explains Amy Crane, Vice President of Pet Benefit Solutions.

The COO of Pet Benefit Solutions, Rachel Ostreicher, agrees. “Introducing our upgraded Wishbone wellness plans required massive teamwork and dedication from our product, tech, marketing, claims, and support teams, but it was well worth it. Our enhanced wellness benefits now help more pet owners get the best possible care for their pets!”