“Routine care coverage has been a popular and distinctive option of VPI Pet Insurance since it was added as a choice nine years ago,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, director of veterinary education for VPI. “The new Core and Premier Pet WellCare Protection plans will take routine care coverage to the next level, providing our policyholders with more flexibility and greater reimbursement for the veterinary services they use most.”

VPI’s Core WellCare provides pet owners with up to $250 in total annual benefits for $12 per month and its Premier WellCare offers policyholders up to $400 in total annual benefits for $22 per month. Both include benefits for physical exams, vaccinations or titers, heartworm testing, fecal testing, deworming, microchip identification, flea and/or heartworm preventive and routine diagnostics. The Premier Pet WellCare Protection plan includes additional benefits for urinalysis or kidney testing and dental cleaning or spay/neuter. VPI’s new Pet WellCare Protection will be offered as a rider to the company’s major medical plans.

Core and Premier Pet WellCare Protection are the result of extensive claims history research and input from numerous veterinarians and VPI policyholders. Based on this research, a significant aspect of the newly designed plans is reimbursement for two office visits per year. In addition, an increased reimbursement amount is available for microchip identification, which some communities now require as a means of tracking pets in order to return them safely to their owners. The new plans are also intended to increase ease of use by reflecting recent shifts in veterinary medicine. For example, as opposed to reimbursing for specific vaccinations, the Core and Premier WellCare plans feature one generous reimbursement amount for any selected vaccinations or titer tests, allowing the pet owner and their veterinarian to decide which preventive approach is best.

With two distinct products, pet owners also have the power to decide which WellCare option best meets their needs and budget. The new products are intended to provide optimal routine care coverage at every stage of a pet’s life. The Premier Pet WellCare Protection, which offers slightly higher reimbursements as well as benefits for kidney testing and spay/neuter or dental cleaning, is designed for pets that have not been spayed or neutered, pets requiring regular teeth cleanings, or older pets in need of additional care. The Core Pet WellCare Protection is intended to keep healthy pets healthy while still keeping routine care costs manageable.

“The Core and Premier WellCare products offer pet owners broader preventive coverage for their pets and flexibility in how to administer that coverage,” said McConnell. “These products were designed to save pet owners money and encourage regular preventive care, which is the most beneficial way to ensure a pet’s long-term health.”