| Tomorrow On Today: What We're Looking At For Monday
Bonnet's won't do this Easter Sunday. It's more like an Easter tuke. The tulips and lilies are shivering from the Midwest, to the South and the Northeast. Tomorrow we'll tell you how much longer we'll have to live with this cold snap. Modern Day Titanic
We showed you the images of the cruise ship sinking off the coast of Greece on Friday. While a French father and daughter remain missing, the captain is blaming currents that caused him to run aground. Tomorrow we'll talk to some Americans who were aboard that ship. Little Family, Big Hit
Tomorrow we have the Roloff family in studio. They are the family from TLC's show, Little Family, Big World. The family is here to tell us about their latest season. Pet Insurance
With the ongoing pet food recall, many pet owners are now considering insurance for their four-legged friend.
Dallas-based Direct Pet Health to acquire assets of First Pet Life
DALLAS Direct Pet Health Holdings Inc. announced today the finalization and agreement to acquire certain assets of First Pet Life. Through this acquisition Direct Pet Health has acquired the insurance contract as well as the back end support of a trusted pet insurance company, enabling DPHG to start writing policies and generating revenue instantly. .
Pets Best Insurance Becomes the Exclusive Recommended Pet ...
BOISE, ID -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/03/07 -- The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) announced today that Pets Best pet insurance has received the exclusive endorsement as the pet insurance provider for the association, and its members. There are over 10,000 pet sitting businesses registered in the United States and well over 20,000 individual pet sitters operating as professional providers. In the United States, 63% of households have pets and 37% of pet owners consider their pets important family members. Over 70 million U.S. Households own dogs or cats and 45% of U.S. households own more than one pet. Consumer spending on pets has more than doubled from $17 billion in 1994 to an estimated $38.4 billion in 2006, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA).
Pet health insurer expanding to Denver
You know you live in a prosperous nation when you're handed a press release about the expansion plans of a health insurance provider - for dogs and cats. Not that I'm surprised. I've seen friends equip their dogs with sunglasses secured with an elastic strap, stick little baseball caps on their dogs' heads to shield them from the sun, feed their dogs beef-flavored bagels from Einstein Bros. on Saturday mornings and Frosty Paws ice cream-like treats for dessert. Whatever. It's their money. And really, it's kind of cute. Given this level of anthropomorphism and the vast number of dog owners in Denver, it shouldn't have been a surprise when Veterinary Pet Insurance, which bills itself as "the nation's oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance," announced March 19 that it is opening a claims processing center in Denver.
Pet health insurance gains ground in North America
Health insurance for pets and companion animals can be almost as confusing as human health insurance, but it also can come in handy - particularly for an animal owner whose companion develops a major medical condition. In the United States, only a small percentage of pet owners carry health insurance for their animals. Pet insurance is the topic of many articles in the popular press, though, and insurers are selling more policies as pet owners become aware of the option. The AVMA supports the concept of companion animal health insurance. In part, the AVMA guidelines on pet health insurance state: "The Association recognizes that a viable companion animal health insurance program will be important to the future of the veterinary profession's ability to continue to provide high quality and up-to-date veterinary service." The National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues just recently launched a new benchmarking tool regarding pet health insurance: "Do your clients know how to cushion a fall?" The tool asks veterinarians about the ways that they recommend insurance to clients, whether they have concerns about insurance, and how the financial constraints of their clients affect treatment.
Updated Advice From The Pet Health Council
The Pet Health Council (PHC) is launching a range of updated information leaflets, offering advice to pet owners. From guidance on buying pet insurance to facts about Toxocara, the leaflets are available to download from the PHC website.
The leaflets are a quick and easy reference for pet owners and those thinking of getting a pet, answering questions ranging from the every-day to the highly specialized.
The Pet Health Council is made up of veterinary experts and medical practitioners who contributed to and advised on the content of all the leaflets, presenting the latest in animal health.
Submitted by: Steve O'Malley
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One Cat Dies and One Survives as Pets Best Insurance Processes ...
BOISE, ID -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/22/07 -- One cat dies and one survives as Pets Best Insurance pays first pet insurance claims caused by tainted pet food that has been recalled. Angela Taylor of Southern California fed tainted food from the recall list of cat food to her two cats. Some time after feeding the tainted food, she noticed that her two cats, Choco and Chunky, appeared listless, were staggering and were drinking water excessively. As the symptoms became more pronounced, she rushed both cats to an emergency veterinary hospital last week. Sadly, shortly after arrival Choco died of kidney failure. Chunky made it through initial treatments and appears likely to recover though continued visits to the veterinarian and more treatments are required. "We love our cats and we have never experienced any medical issues in their short lives.
Animal insurance helps lower costs, gives peace of mind
If you break a leg, get a cold or are just feeling down, you would probably go to the doctor and rely on insurance to take care of some of the cost. But what if your pet gets sick?
Pet insurance is available to help defer the cost of animal care, and experts say coverage is becoming more common throughout the United States.
Lyndsey Chapman of Lawrenceville said shes had a pet wellness plan with Banfield pet hospitals for about two years for both her cats J.C. and Deuce.
One of my cats has kidney problems and has to go to the vet a lot, Chapman said. Vet bills can be really expensive, so this plan really helps.
Most pet insurance companies offer plans for dogs and cats, and some even offer protection for birds, rabbits, ferrets and reptiles.
Veterinary Pet Insurance, based in California, insures pets around the United States, including many in Georgia.
Pet Insurance: Silly or Smart?
Pet insurance has become one of the fastest growing industries in the country. Just a few years ago, there were only three or four pet insurance companies. Today, there are about twenty. It has been raining cats and dogs at the Colorado Avenue Veterinary Hospital. During the recent pet food recall, Dr. Kristin Ballotti saw her share of panicked pet owners. She said, "We have an awful lot of clients whose pets are their children and you need to give them the quality care." Now, insiders think pet insurance companies will cash in on the chaos. The pet insurance industry has been around for twenty years, but it is only within the last two that insurance companies started turning a profit. Paul Bias with SPCA Pet Insurance said, "As with human health insurance you can find yourself really up against the wall if you go without it where you're having to make a decision whether to keep your pet alive or not." The average plans run between $200 and $500, with prices varying on coverage and the animal's age.
Pets Under Cover
At least 16 pets are dead nationwide and countless others sickened according to the latest reports following a recall of about 60 million packages of wet dog and cat foods manufactured by Menu Foods.
Along with the devastating impact of having a beloved family pet face kidney failure, these pet owners are also faced with the staggering veterinary bills that come with treating such a serious condition. It's a double whammy of the worst sort.
"We've had a lot of calls and a lot of questions since the pet food recall started, and it really is a sad case of the unexpected happening to a pet," said Brad Iannessa, spokesperson for Veterinary Pet Insurance. "Who would think their pet is in danger from pet food? It's put a lot of people in the awful position of trying to choose between the best treatments possible and having to go with treatments they can actually afford."
Though many people aren't familiar with pet insurance, it's been around for about 25 years and is growing in popularity.
California Mayors Recognize Anniversary Of Pet Insurance In America
In a broad show of support for California-based Veterinary Pet Insurance dozens of mayors across the 'Golden State' have written letters to VPI congratulating the pet-centric company on reaching the historic milestone of protecting America's pets for a quarter of a century.VPI has also proclaimed April 7 as National Pet Health Insurance Day in commemoration of the company's very first policy issued on that day in 1982 to television's Lassie. As the nation's oldest and largest pet health insurance provider, VPI has received signed letters of congratulations from over 50 mayor's offices throughout California, representing a population of nearly four million people -- including those in Long Beach, South San Francisco, Anaheim, Burbank, and VPI's headquarters, Brea -- conveying gratitude to VPI for its commitment to helping make proper veterinary care affordable and empowering pet owners to make optimal healthcare decisions for their pets."Because we were founded and have our headquarters in California, we place tremendous value on the support we've received from our leaders in cities and towns across the state," said Dennis P.
Insurance for Spot and Fluffy
Catherine Walsh's first Scottish terrier had a deformity. He required years of treatment, which racked up astronomical veterinarian's bills. At one point in that process, Walsh remembers, someone at her vet's office mentioned pet insurance. It was too late for that dog policies don't cover pre-existing conditions. But after he died, Walsh of Buckingham bought another Scotty pup. And an insurance policy. They've been wonderful, Walsh says of her insurer, Veterinary Pet Insurance. It was cheaper to do it that way. Walsh is one of a growing number of people who are buying insurance policies for their pets. Last year, more than 17,400 Pennsylvanians held insurance policies for their pets through VPI, up 25 percent in two years. In Philadelphia, 1,655 people held VPI pet insurance policies last year, up from 1,550 two years earlier.
Pet Owner Says Pet Insurance May Have Helped Save Beloved Cat
SAN ANTONIO -- A local pet owner wishes he would have known about pet insurance before his cat, Stitch, died from renal failure after eating recalled pet food, he said. Instead, Frank Zavorski said he paid a hefty veterinarian bill to try to save his beloved cat to no avail. "I never knew about pet insurance," Zavaroski said. "I found out about it from a brochure at the vet's office." .
Goodbody Economic Consultants report says Irish health insurance ...
Goodbody Economic Consultants today published a report entitled, Improving the Regulation of Health Insurance, which provides a comprehensive review of current issues in the private health insurance market and also outlines a series of recommendations for corrective action which the consultants recommend are implemented with immediate effect. The report, commissioned by VIVAS Health, has been produced in order to contribute solutions to the range of factors which are creating the dysfunctional private health insurance market that currently exists in Ireland. The Goodbody report finds that the market is extremely uncompetitive primarily as a result of VHIs dominance. It is calling for the suspension of risk equalization payments until the VHI no longer has a position of dominace and is subject to the same regulation as its competitors.
The State Of Citizens
No crystal ball is needed to see the future of Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run insurance pool. It will be getting bigger, possibly much bigger, in coming months. The massive insurance reform bill passed during the legislative special session in January will let Citizens compete with private insurers for homeowner business in the state's windstorm area. It also allows Citizens to expand commercial coverage. Now, during the regular session, Gov. Charlie Crist and several lawmakers would like to see a Senate bill move forward that paves the way for Citizens to be a full-fledged insurer. In making a case for Citizens, the bill claims the state's economic health and public safety are at risk without affordable property insurance. Citizens will be moving far beyond its original concept as a market of last resort for home, condo owners and renters who couldn't find available policies from private insurers.
Small Business Health Insurance Pools Approved By House
Des Moines, Iowa - Making good on another promise outlined in their Plan for Prosperity, the Iowa House overwhelmingly approved a bill today to allow small businesses to pool their purchasing power to get better rates on health insurance for their employees.
"One of our top priorities this year was to help small business with rising health care costs and I'm pleased we've made progress today," said State Representative Dawn Pettengill, who helped craft the bill and managed it through the House. "Many small businesses struggle with rapidly rising health insurance costs or cannot even offer health care coverage because it will put them out of business. I believe the proposal we passed today will provide some relief."
House File 790 allows businesses with 2-50 employees to join a group health insurance plan through an association.
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