‘Waive’ goodbye to in-hospital excess fees with this insurer.
So, you’ve adjusted your monthly budget to accommodate your pet insurance premium, but what about the insurance costs that you don't see coming?
Unexpected excess payments for accident and illness claims can add up pretty quickly. That’s why, in this week's blog, you’ll get to know the benefits of having Oneplan’s handy Excess Buster add-on that will help you save big when it comes to any excess costs.
What is an excess, exactly?
An excess is an amount that you as the pet owner will have to pay into your insurer for every accident or illness claim you make (this is the amount that will be defined in your policy document). Basically, you will have to pay for the first portion of the accident or illness bill and the insurer will pay the remaining amount.
Discover: if you need to brush up on your insurance lingo, check out our crash course to get you up to date!
Normal excess charges with Oneplan
For illness and accident, in-hospital claims Oneplan’s play states that:
- Excess fees from month 1 to month 6 of your policy are 25% of the claim amount. The good news is that, from month 7 onwards, the fee amount will only be 10% of your claim.
- There is also something called a compulsory excess amount. This means that there is a minimum excess amount of R500. So, even if your excess works out to be less than R500, Oneplan will still deduct the full R500.
How does the Excess Buster work?
If you’re looking for a way to say goodbye to your animal pet insurance excesses when it comes to costly hospital bills, Oneplan’s Excess Buster is a great option for you. Oneplan’s Excess Buster is a helpful add-on which could save you hundreds of Rands in vet fees, medical bills and hospital stays.
Their Excess Buster ensures that you're covered for any payments towards the excess amount that you’d have to usually pay on each claim. This means that any in-hospital excess fees charged by Oneplan for pet accidents or illnesses (based on the excess amounts detailed in your Policy Schedule) will be waived - saving you a minimum of R500 per claim. Isn’t that great?
Their Excess Buster is available as an optional add-on that you would usually have to pay for separately each month, but what’s great about Oneplan is that this Excess Buster is automatically included in your policy when you choose to go with their Routine Care Plus optional add-on.
Why do you need an Excess Buster?
As a fellow pet parent, I know firsthand that you are always looking for new ways to save yourself from any surprising costs when it comes to pet healthcare expenses. Healthcare bills can be pretty hard on your budget and, if your precious pet is injured from an accident or contracts a serious illness, then the costs of your healthcare bills tend to skyrocket.
While having animal health insurance is a great way to ensure that you’re covered if these unforeseen events do occur, most pet parents forget to factor in the additional amount that they’ll have to pay in excess charges to their insurer for every claim.
Here are just a few examples of the costs you can expect when it comes to veterinary care:
1. Costs for illness:
Claims for unexpected illnesses can be as high as R15 000, and the required excess payout may hit your budget just as hard. For example, simply removing bladder stones can warrant a claim as large as R10 304.51. Treating a skin condition can be as expensive as R10 000.
2. Cost for accidents:
Accidents are the injuries that you didn’t see coming - such as your pet getting hit by a car, falling from a height or being involved in a fight with another dog.
The related vet bills for emergency care, hospital fees, surgery and medication costs can be pretty pricey, even with the help of an animal health insurance provider. So, even if your insurer can help you cover the claim amount, you’ll still have to pay a minimum of R500 in excess for each claim - which could really put a dent in your bank account.
The good news is that you can save yourself from the unexpected costs of pet healthcare with this awesome Excess Buster.
How much does this helpful add-on cost?
This is the part we have been wagging our tails over! For the Excess Buster alone, you’ll pay only R29 to R36 per month per pet. But, if you choose to go for their Routine Care Plus optional add-on from as little as R35pm, they will automatically include the excess buster for FREE. In this way, you’ll get even more routine care cover while still being able to save on excess costs at the same time.
Not sure why your pet needs routine care cover? Read more about the advantages of having routine care cover.
*Please note that these prices are reflective of the date that this article was written. For up to date pricing, please follow this link
The finer details
Here are just a few key points to keep in mind when it comes to Oneplan’s Excess Buster add-on:
- Keep up in mind that the Excess Buster will only cover you up to your policy limit. This is the max amount of cover for an excess charge on a claim, according to your plan’s specific policy.
- You also have an annual limit (the maximum amount Oneplan will pay for a claim for the year) outlined in your policy. I always encourage my readers to read their policy documents in detail so that they are fully aware of their plans’ exclusions and cover limits.
- The Excess Buster does not apply to their accident-only plans, but it is available with their other three affordable pet insurance plans.
- Oneplan does not cover excess amounts that occur before the addition of the Excess Buster to your chosen plan.
The bottom line is that choosing the Excess Buster add-on will save you hundreds of Rands in vet fees, medical bills and hospital stays in the long run. So, why not get on board with an insurer who is committed to providing reliable, affordable, animal-friendly pet insurance?
Get an instant quote from Oneplan today or chat to one of their friendly pet insurance team members here.
Until next time,