Small Business
Group Health Insurance for Your Veterinary Clinic
Updated on October 06, 2022
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It is incredibly important for you to make sure that you protect yourself with the right health insurance. There are many types of health insurance plans available, but you are going to likely need veterinary clinic group insurance.
As a veterinarian, it is your job to take care of animals, but you must make sure that you meet the needs of your clinic as a whole—including providing health coverage for yourself and your employees. Understanding and finding health insurance for veterinarians can be a complex process to navigate, but we’ve answered some of the most common questions about vet health insurance below to help you make an informed decision.
Learn more about why you may want to have veterinary health insurance for your practice and how it works.
What is Health Insurance For Veterinarians?
Veterinary health insurance is a type of small business health insurance that comes in many shapes and forms. In short, this is a health insurance plan that is designed to help you protect yourself and your employees against potentially catastrophic medical expenses.
Some of the areas that your vet health plans might cover include:
- Coverage for primary care visits
- Coverage for urgent care visits
- Coverage for mental health issues and substance abuse concerns
- Coverage for surgical procedures
- Coverage for visits to the emergency room
- Coverage for hospital stays
You need to think about the most prominent medical needs of your group, compare them to the coverage options provided by the different plans out there, and select the best one to meet your needs.
How is Veterinary Health Insurance Different?
If you are a veterinarian, your health insurance policy might be a bit different. Because you take care of sick animals, there is a chance that you might be exposed to an illness that can pass from animals to humans. Or, your health insurance plan might be different because of some of the testing chemicals and substrates that you work with.
Therefore, you need to read the fine print carefully. You need to reasonably think about occupational hazards to which you might be exposed. Then, you must make sure that your health insurance plan provides you with protection against those hazards. If you have questions about the specific types of coverage you need, our licensed insurance agents are available to help you.
Do Veterinarians Get Health Insurance?
In most cases, veterinarians should get health insurance, but it is important to think about how you go about the process of getting it. For example, if you are employed by a very large veterinary group, they may provide you with heavily subsidized health insurance plans, the same as any other employer.
But, if you are a partner in a group with a handful of other veterinarians, then you may need to negotiate for a group health rate with the rest of your partners and their employees as well. Then, you may get access to a few specific plans under veterinary clinic group insurance.
If you are practicing on your own, then you may need to purchase health insurance on your own, just as any other self-employed individual would.
How Does a Veterinary Health Plan Work?
Veterinary benefits really shouldn’t look that much different than benefits for any other individual, small business, or office. The staff of a small veterinary clinic require and deserve just as many privileges when it comes to health-care as anyone else.
As people who provide medical care to animals all day, the individuals in your small veterinary clinic know the value of having access to medical care through quality providers and facilities. So if the people of your veterinary clinic care for the health and well-being of the animals you care for, why shouldn’t they have the opportunity for invest in their health? Don’t let high prices bring you down—there are ways to get quality veterinary benefits for everyone in the clinic.
Veterinary benefits are definitely possible, even if you own, operate, or manage a small veterinary clinic with few staff and limited capital. Affordable options are out there for those willing to do some research. You can let eHealth do all the dirty work for you—get quick and easy quotes from different plans and companies, and enroll all on one user-friendly website designed with small businesses like your veterinary clinic in mind.
Below are some common types of health insurance plans that you can offer as benefits for veterinarians or other employees at your veterinary clinic. Keep in mind that you can offer more than one type of plan for everyone in the veterinary clinic to choose from, since this is a group plan.
Use this graph to understand, and help your veterinary clinic employees understand what each plan usually entails for them and any dependents they choose to add.
| Type of plan | Plan characteristics |
| Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) | Under a PPO plan, you can see any healthcare provider in the insurance company’s network, including specialists, without a referral. In most cases, you are not required to choose a primary care physician. You will typically have copayments for any non-preventive medical care you receive, and you may have an annual deductible. In some cases, you can go outside of the network for a higher copayment. Individuals who visit a specialist regularly may prefer this type of health insurance, since you won’t have to deal with getting referrals. This is also a great option if you have a doctor who you want to stay with, and you don’t want to risk paying completely out-of-pocket if he or she isn’t in the network. |
| Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) | HMOs are one of the most popular types of health insurance you can purchase. With this plan, an entire network of healthcare providers agrees to offer you its services, but you have to select a primary care provider (PCP) who coordinates all of your health services and care. HMOs usually offer coverage for most types of preventive care, including specialist visits, but in most cases, specialist visits can only happen with a referral from your PCP. Additionally, you will pay copayment fees for every non-preventive medical visit, and you may have an annual deductible. HMOs might have lower costs than some other types of major medical plans. HMOs are usually best suited for individuals and families that want to save money and don’t mind using a limited provider network. |
| Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) | With an EPO plan, you have access to all of the healthcare providers within the EPO network, including specialists. Whereas PPO plans may offer you some coverage outside of your network, EPO plans typically will not (except for emergencies). EPO plans can be suited well to individuals who don’t mind limiting themselves to providers within a network and who don’t want to coordinate their care through a primary care doctor. |
| Point of Service (POS) | POS plans are a hybrid of HMOs and PPOs. With a POS plan you will typically have to designate a primary care physician for regular check-ups and referrals. But you can also use out-of-network providers if you’re willing to pay more out of pocket; you’ll usually have a copayment and deductible as well. This type of plan is versatile, and can be right for people who are willing to pay a bit more for extra flexibility. |
| High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) | High-deductible plans cross categories. Some are PPO plans, while others may be EPO or HMO plans. This type of health insurance has a high deductible that you have to meet before your health insurance coverage takes effect. These plans can be right for people who want to save money with low monthly premiums and don’t plan to use their medical coverage extensively. HDHPs are often paired with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). If you contribute money to an HSA, you can buy an HSA-compatible health plan. Money contributed to an HSA can be saved on a pre-tax or tax-deductible basis to pay for qualifying medical expenses, including annual deductibles. |
* Every dental plan is different, so any individual plan you select may or may not cover any of the benefits listed above as examples. Be sure to read the official plan documents for any plan you choose so that you understand the specific benefits provided by that plan.
As a small veterinary clinic, there are plenty of options for your veterinarians and staff members. You can choose plans with fewer benefits, in order to make the group health insurance plan possible. At eHealth, we know that there’s no use in health insurance that you can’t afford, so there is a range of plans available for all budgets.
What Veterinary Health Insurance Is Needed: Sole Practitioner vs. Clinic
You should think carefully about the specific type of health insurance you need. If you are a sole practitioner, you might have more options available to you. You can select from just about any insurance plan on the market, but you may have to pay a higher rate because you are negotiating by yourself. If you are interested in getting health insurance for everyone at the clinic, you might be able to negotiate a group rate; however, you will only be able to choose from the plans included in the agreement you have with the health insurance company.
Veterinarian Health Insurance Pros and Cons
There are a few specific benefits of health insurance for veterinarians:
- You should get coverage for specific areas that might not be covered by a traditional health plan.
- You can protect yourself against potentially catastrophic medical expenses.
- You might be able to negotiate a lower premium for everyone in your clinic because it is vet practice-specific.
On the other hand, there are a few drawbacks as well:
- You might need to pay a higher premium for this type of protection.
- You might not have as many options from which to choose.
- There might be specific exclusions that you need to navigate.
Always clarify exactly what is included in your plan before you sign up for it.
How To Decide Which Benefits for Veterinarians Are Necessary
What type of plan and which benefits for veterinarians and other staff you should get will depend on your veterinary clinic or shelter’s specific needs—including employee count & demographics, state location, and more.
It may be a good idea to talk to the veterinarians and various employees at your veterinary clinic about what benefits matter most to them before making your final decision. Using their opinions might help guide which group health insurance plan is best for your small veterinary clinic.
How Can You Find Health Insurance for Veterinarians?
If you are looking for the best health insurance for veterinarians, you can use eHealth to help you find and compare plans. Additionally, you can speak with one of our licensed insurance agents for further help. We understand that vet health plans can be confusing and are happy to assist you through the process.