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Evaluation of owners’ attitudes towards veterinary insurance in a specialty hospital
Author(s) -
Chaumet A. C. S. G.,
Rossi T. A.,
Murphy L. A.,
Nakamura R. K.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/jsap.13309
Subject(s) - medicine , specialty , family medicine , group insurance , actuarial science , nursing , self insurance , public health , business , health policy
Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and perception of veterinary insurance among owners’ at a small animal specialty hospital around a large urban city. Materials and Methods A questionnaire evaluated the prevalence and perception of insurance among owners at a small animal specialty hospital over a 2 month period. Respondents provided demographic information including age, sex, educational level and household income. Respondents without insurance were asked reasons for not having insurance, approximate cost of insurance per month desired and percentage of coverage of medical expenses they would want insurance to provide. Respondents with insurance were asked how they chose their current plan, how it affects their medical decisions for their pet and their overall satisfaction. Results Sixty‐seven (28.5%) owners reporting having insurance for at least one pet. Owners most commonly selected their current insurance plan based on online research (27, 40.3%). Fifty‐two respondents (77.6%) reported being satisfied with their insurance plan and 49 (73.2%) stated that would recommend their current insurance plan to a friend. Clinical Significance Insurance had a relatively high prevalence in this study group with most owners being satisfied with their current plan and would be likely to recommend it to a friend. The role of insurance in how it affects owner's medical decisions, care for their pet and interactions with veterinarians in companion animal medicine requires further evaluation.