What is a Per-Incident Deductible?
A per-incident deductible is an amount you must pay for every incident that you file a claim for before receiving any reimbursement for that incident. An incident is each individual condition, injury, or veterinary visit that your pet experiences. Each time you file a claim for an incident, you will first need to pay your deductible. Unlike other pet insurance plans with an annual deductible to meet, you will pay a deductible for each incident. Your deductible is “reset” for each incident rather than met once a year.
NOTE: Many pet insurance companies use an annual deductible, rather than per incident.
How Per-Incident Deductibles Work
A per-incident deductible means you need to pay a deductible for every incident you claim for.
For example, your pet may go to the veterinarian because they are vomiting, then later that same year need to be seen for a broken bone and again for diarrhea. This is a total of three separate incidents, which means you would have a per-incident deductible to pay three times. If your pet has a rough year and needs to be seen multiple times, a per-incident deductible plan could quickly become expensive.
Key Takeaways
- A per-incident deductible plan requires that you pay a deductible for every incident filed before you receive any type of reimbursement.
- Every injury, illness, or veterinary visit is its own incident or claim.
- Unlike an annual deductible, a plan with a per-incident deductible resets for every incident and needs to be paid for each incident.
