How do pet insurance companies know your pet has a pre-existing condition?

There are 2 main considerations that determine whether a condition is considered as pre-existing condition: 

1. The dates that signs or symptoms of the condition first appeared – eg. noted down by your vet in your pet’s medical history; and 
2. Whether such dates were before or after the exclusion periods on your policy ended. 

A pre-existing condition in your pet is identified largely based on their medical history. This includes any signs, symptoms, or diagnoses of an injury or illness that occur before the end of your policy's exclusion periods. 

Traditionally, pet insurance companies don’t assess a pet’s medical history until it comes time to assess your first claim. This means that there’s often no transparency about pre-existing conditions until you need to make a claim. 

At Petsy, we offer a different approach. Instead of waiting until your first claim to find out if there are any conditions in your pet’s medical history that could affect your coverage, you can request a pre-existing condition assessment as soon as you start your coverage with us during your cooling-off period. This proactive approach helps you to understand what the policy covers and what it doesn’t, helping you manage your expectations and plan for your pet’s care. 

To form an accurate picture of your pet’s medical history, we'll request and compile all the histories from the different vet clinic(s) your pet has visited. Once all of your pet’s medical history is collected, it’s passed onto an Australian vet or vet nurse assessor to complete the assessment to determine whether any pre-existing conditions apply to your coverage. 

This process not only clarifies what your policy covers but also simplifies future claims. Having all your pet’s medical records on file means that claims can be processed more efficiently and smoothly, ensuring faster reimbursement for approved claims.  

If you choose not to complete this assessment at the start, we’ll collect your pet’s medical history at the time of your first claim.