Background information
Are we commercialising pets too much? This is what the animal ethicist says
by Darina Schweizer
"Health insurance" for dogs and cats: why you should insure your pet
21.12.2023
Translation: machine translated
You and your loved ones are insured, your car is insured, as are the rest of your possessions ... and your pet? To be honest, I haven't even considered the topic of pet health insurance yet. It's high time to change that.
Health insurance, liability, household contents, fully comprehensive cover ... we insure and protect ourselves for all we're worth. In other countries, this can sometimes take on absurd characteristics, or have you ever heard of chest hair insurance? Pet health insurance, on the other hand, doesn't sound so absurd. Actually. This is because very few pets have health insurance in Switzerland, as an animal ethicist recently told our editorial colleague Darina Schweizer.
I'm a pet owner myself. When I have to go to the vet, I reach into my pocket and wallet without hesitation. Until recently, I had never even considered the topic of pet health insurance. Why not, and why do so many people feel the same way? I would like to get to the bottom of this in an interview with Anina Lutz. She is the co-founder and managing director of Calingo Insurance, a young Swiss company that offers accident and health insurance for pets.
Source: Anina Lutz
Anina, we have four cats at home that are very dear to us. However, we haven't really thought about having them insured against illness. Do you hear this often?
Anina Lutz: Absolutely! In fact, many pet parents don't even realise that there is health insurance for their furry Family members. However, rising vet costs and the growth of pets in our households is leading to a greater demand for pet insurance. Pets have become more and more full-fledged Family members for us and people are increasingly willing to invest in the health and well-being of their pets.
In fact, I have the impression that pet health insurance has only really emerged in recent years. Is that true?
Definitely, it's only slowly becoming a topic here at home. It's a new topic for many pet owners.
How diligently do the Swiss currently insure their pets?
With an extremely low insurance rate in Switzerland (less than ten per cent) and over two and a half million dogs and cats, we see a lot of potential. I also find it interesting to look at other countries. In Scandinavia and the UK, for example, practically all pets are insured. We expect this to develop in the same direction in Switzerland.
Source: Shutterstock / Yana Vasileva
Well then: Why should I take out health insurance for our four cats?
One of the main advantages of insurance is that it reliably ensures comprehensive medical care in the event of illness or an accident. This means that you don't have to worry about the costs involved. Nowadays, there are more and more treatment and therapy options to enable our pets to live a long and healthy life. Similar to health insurance for humans, pet insurance relieves owners of the financial burden of treating their four-legged friends so that they can concentrate fully on their recovery.
What benefits does Calingo provide if you take out insurance successfully?We have developed a health insurance policy for animals, just like the one for us humans. We cover veterinary costs, treatment costs and medication in the event of illness or accident. Complementary medical treatments such as physiotherapy or herbal medicines are also covered. Dental treatment is covered and you can even insure pre-existing conditions. We also cover the costs of a pet sitter if the owner has to go to hospital in an emergency or the veterinary costs abroad if you are travelling with your dog.Which animals can I take out health insurance for anyway? You can currently insure dogs and cats with us.Are there any restrictions? At Calingo you can actually insure all breeds and animals of all ages, we do not exclude any animal. You also don't have to submit a medical history, just put the insurance together online and take out the policy directly - no signature, no waiting, no paperwork.[[image:75558720 "Anina Lutz: «The Swiss insurance rate for pets is less than ten per cent.»" "Shutterstock / Ermolaev Alexander"]]How do you stand out from the crowd of different pet health insurance suppliers?There are actually not that many suppliers in Switzerland. In order to offer good customer service, you need well-trained and experienced employees, including veterinarians, who can process customer enquiries and veterinary invoices quickly and competently. We have developed the product together with veterinarians. Our product also stands out with modern and fair features such as a monthly cancellation right, a lightning-fast claims service and a constant premium. We are also currently working intensively on developing a comprehensive health platform.What do I have to imagine by this? This platform will go far beyond pure insurance and offer numerous additional services. These services include round-the-clock telemedicine, professional nutritional advice, a digital medical record for the pet and subscriptions for healthy and sustainable pet food. Our aim is to help pet parents give their pets a long, healthy and above all happy life. (I conducted the interview with Anina Lutz from Calingo out of genuine interest, because the topic of pet health insurance was new to me. It could also have been a managing director of another supplier such as Epona or Animalia. Digitec Galaxus has no cooperation with Calingo and nothing to gain from insuring your pet there.) I'm now certain that our four cats will be insured. Which supplier is still open. What about you? Do you also insure your dog or cat? Or have you already done so? Let me know in a comment.Titelfoto: Shutterstock / megaflopp
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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