Pet insurance in NJ is among most expensive in U.S.

Sometimes you just can’t win in the Garden State. Everything is so expensive. Even vet bills for your pet are outrageous here. According to CareCredit.com, New Jersey has the highest vet bills of all fifty states.

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So you tell yourself okay, well thank God for pet insurance, right? Then you find out New Jersey ranks in the Top 10 most expensive states for pet insurance premiums.

You can’t win.

MarketWatch Guides took a deep dive into costs for various breeds, various ages of dogs and cats and did comparisons of all states. First of all, did you know different breeds will have different health insurance rates? I didn’t, but I suppose it makes sense when you consider certain breeds are more prone to medical issues like hip dysplasia.

According to their research, the annual national average for pet insurance costs $720 for dogs and $384 for cats. It averages to $46 per month.

Yes, we are above the national average. When are we not?

New Jersey has the tenth most expensive health insurance for pets with monthly premiums for dogs averaging $68 and cats averaging $36. So that’s $816 annually for dogs (compared to the national average of $720) and $432 for cats (compared to the national average of $384).

In general, the Garden State costs 13.3% more for pet insurance. Yet it’s completely worth it. We’ve all heard the horror stories of vet bills in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Veterinary science has evolved to the point we can fix many more things and manage many more diseases in animals than in the past, but those advances come at a cost. Usually, people are so attached to their pets they are happy to pay to get even a year or two more of quality life for their pet.

If you want to dive deeper into the report you'll find it here. As far as what to look for when shopping for pet insurance Jen Ursillo has a must-read article that will help.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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