In the mid 1980's I was working towards a business degree from IUPUI's Kelly School of Business. I took a course that in some variation still exists today. We had to do a semester project that started with conceiving and presenting a business start up idea. Today it is a team project. Back then it was done individually. I remember it vividly because I was very excited about my entrepreneurial venture. Remember back then we didn't have computers-we used typewriters with correction tape. It's hard to imagine but we didn't have the Internet to use for research. We used the library and made phone calls. People actually answered phones and questions. So here was my idea and bingo, it absolutely is pertinent today. It barely existed when I explored it. . . . . . .pet health insurance. The idea came to me because I had just the day before class started taken two cats to the vet and was mortified by the expense of it. I thought, if people could be insured, why couldn't pets. My professor and fellow students thought I had a brilliant idea.

I had to research to find out if the concept already existed and then I had to do a survey to see if people would support the idea. Then I was required to find a knowledgeable professional to interview and share his/her opinion on the subject.

A big piece of the project was learning how to design and conduct the survey. There was no email. I couldn't just send it out to all my friends. I remember lurking on corners and chatting with people who walked their dogs. That was tough for me. Not everyone said they would buy into it but all thought it was a great idea and something to think about. My favorite part was interviewing my vet, Dr. Jim Hennegan, after hours at his clinic. I scored big there because to my surprise I found that he was a former President of the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association. From him I learned that my idea was not original. He told me of a company in existence for only a short time. He knew of no one who was yet insured but felt it was a good concept. He was very adamant that the only way it would work was if the vets themselves were not involved in any paperwork. He felt that all payment must be made directly to the insured as reimbursement. I called the company and got details. They had no competition that I recall. I learned a lot from that course and got an A. I had a great idea and if I had had the means and the funds I would have become that competition. But fast forward and here I am today decades later in the pet industry as a retailer.

Recently in my trade e-news there was a blog titled "Is Pet Health Insurance Really Worth it?" Lauren Swan wrote the blog and she mentioned how overwhelming the costs of a vet visit can be especially if you are a college student or a recent college grad still paying off loans. That's what threw me back remembering this class course project. She asks "So what should you do? Anyone with a pet understands that you can't just leave them to suffer. They have to be taken care of, but how on earth can you plan for an emergency situation? Two words: pet insurance." She shares the scenario of the cat owner who finds her cat ill and in pain from eating part of the carpet. There was surgery for a foreign impaction. She goes on to say "After the surgery, the owner learns that the cat needs follow-up care, which means going back to the regular vet 4-5 times in the next week to make certain all is well and that the kitty is healing correctly. The total charge for the entire situation comes out to roughly $4,000. No one ever expects to spend $4,000 in a week on a cat emergency, but it happens. While it is easy to say, "Well, if you're going to have a pet you should be prepared for these types of things," in reality, saving $4,000 is hard - $4,000 is a week-long vacation in Paris."

So, do I have pet insurance? Heck yes! And sadly we just used it last month as we had to make horrible emergency decisions about the end of life for our 12-year-old dog. I had heard too many of my customer's stories like the one just cited. We were facing a $3,000 surgery with tests and ultrasounds. In the end we opted not to have surgery due to her age and situation but I can tell you we didn't have to decide based on cost which would have been tough. Our premiums began at $35 a month and we started with her at 8 years old. They got higher as technology expanded and veterinary costs rose. But it was still more doable monthly than all at once. That is the nature of insurance. The deductibles weren't bad. It was very fair. I remember being at ease at that last hospital visit not panicking over costs. It was the last thing I needed to worry about. Swan's blog said the same thing. . . . . . "Many people who own pets will agree that pets are like family. They greet you when they come home, they love you and they look to you for support and care. When a vet tells you that your choice is either emergency surgery or euthanasia, trying to figure out if you have the money to save the pet is one of the worst feelings in the world."