Vets wont do direct payment from insurers?

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Bean04

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So we have a black lab who we insured with E and L insurance. We recently found a lump on the side of one of his pads on his foot. Took him to the vets who said it was a growth and that it was in the worst possible place for treatment as it would be awkward to sew up if removed. They decided that because it was in such an awkward place they would take a biopsy, send it off for analysis and if it was ok they would just leave it but if it is cancerous they would probably have to remove his leg. SO far I have paid £120 in anibiotics and they have said the biopsy will cost us £375 as well as whatever antibiotics and pain relief he needs, so around £700 in total plus removal of his leg if needed. I raise my concerns with the receptionist about the cost and told her that I do not have this kind of money to pay upfront. She said that she would ask the vet if he would be willing to do a dirrect payment from my insurance company. I recieved a voicemail message later that day to say that my insurance companies is one of the few companies that they will not accept a direct payment from and could I let them know whether or nnot I would still be bringing him in on Monday for his op as they would like it done asap incase it is cancer. SO now I am stuck. I have tried to be a responsible dog owner by taking out insurance, but because I dont have £700 to pay upfront plus more if extra treatment is needed it appears that I can not get my dog treated. So potentially my dog could have cancer and I have to just leave him untreated? I am so angry and just dont know what to do. I have tried other vets this morning but they all say the same. If anyoe out there is from Exeter and has been in this situation before and found a helpful vet, please please let me know! We love our dog so much and its killing me!
 
This is not unusual, my vets said that they would not take direct payment from Tesco (who are good payers, unlike E and L who do have a slightly off rep, my horse vet refuses to deal with them). I too would not be able to fork out for bill like that, hence insurance, so I am now with MoreThan who they do accept for direct payment.
 
I am so angry and just do not know what to do! I am stuck because I cant change insurers and technically they have done othing wrong as they have said that they will pay out for the condition, but the vet wont do it :-(
 
Bean04 said:
I am so angry and just do not know what to do! I am stuck because I cant change insurers and technically they have done othing wrong as they have said that they will pay out for the condition, but the vet wont do it :-(
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Make sure you have that in writing, find out time scales, and so on, your vet may send you a bill which is not payable immediately
 
Thats what Im hoping. Going to speak to vet tomorrow to see if I get written confirmation that they will pay out that he will do the op! :-(
 
Sadly OP E&L have such a rotten reputation you can't blame the vet. I have never had a vet refuse to go via the insurance BUT they always ask who I am insured with first and I know they have a list of insurers they are not willing to go direct to because of length of time and hassle of receiving payment themselves. Good luck
 
Yeah agree with others, e and l take months to pay out and often reject claims. What about borrowing the money from friends or family? Unfortunately insurance companies make a point of telling people they do direct claims but that's not to say the vet has to agree with it. Xxx good luck x
 
As you have found out, E & L have a really poor reputation. I would go in and try and speak to the vet and ask if it is possible to pay in installments. If you have been a good client in the past they may well do this, and hopefully if E & L do pay up reasonably quickly then you will have the funds to pay the vet before too long.
 
MurphysMinder said:
As you have found out, E & L have a really poor reputation. I would go in and try and speak to the vet and ask if it is possible to pay in installments. If you have been a good client in the past they may well do this, and hopefully if E & L do pay up reasonably quickly then you will have the funds to pay the vet before too long.
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^^ This is what I was going to suggest.
 
If this dog is a youngster ....and the growth looks like a small strawberry it is likely to be a hystiocytoma..this is self curing in a few weeks.If it makes you feel pro active paint it with Betadine daily.A foot is a common site for these,so if it is like this no need to get sucked into expensive fees..as for amputation!:eek::eek:
 
I'd be getting a second opinion too. My vets got so sick and tired of the insurance companies not paying the full bill (they literally pick and choose which bit of the bill they will pay so the vets have to provide a full breakdown of treatment rather than just a single invoice total) that they now have a sign up saying ' THERE IS NO NHS FOR ANIMALS' & 'NO CREDIT GIVEN SO PLEASE DON'T EMBARRASS THE STAFF BY ASKING' :(

I deal with a lot of people who are entitled to assistance from the PDSA who you used to be reliable to treat any injured or sick animal if you qualified but of late we have been getting distressed calls from owners who have been turned away, especially those with pedigree dogs. Despite assurance from their head office that they will treat any emergency if you qualify for treatment but it is far from the truth, we had a lady refused treatment for her dog that was bloating :eek: a condition that can kill a dog within hours. I have to admit I do wonder if the PDSA's new drive to reduce the number of on benefits people not owning pedigree dogs is a form of racism and is damaging to animals who are not at fault just because their owners have fallen on hard times.

Good luck with your vet I have one bitch I cannot insure because of age so I have a fund with the vet in case of emergency.
 
I had such an awful experience with E&L that I can't blame any vets for not dealing with them. l hope you are successful in getting your claim paid if you have to claim from them. I had to get as nasty as they were to me but eventually they did pay up.
 
Put on credit card. If E&L look like they aren't going to payout in time transfer balance to another credit card with 1 year interest free. ;)
 
Phoned E and L and they were brilliant! They told me that they would happily pay vet direct and contacted the vet to confirm this so he agreed to go ahead with treatment :-) My poor doggie now has a very sore foot :-(
 
Glad you had a good response from E&L and I hope they stick to their word! Unfortunately, as others have said, they don't have the best reputation and many vets don't want to get involved. At the end of the day, vets are a business - they may be animal lovers but equally they can't continue to help animals if they've gone bust due to giving treatment without receiving payment.
My vets are happy to do direct claims dependant on insurers. They prefer to have a proforma/pre-authorisation form but as my insurers (Axa) don't do that for procedures under £500, my vets were happy with me giving them permission to speak to my insurers to clarify if the procedure was likely to be claimable. I can't blame them for wanting to cover their own backs in terms of being confident the insurers will pay out!
 
My practice deals with people on PDSA petaid, the fast majority of them have pedigree dogs that amazingly they can afford to buy but then can't or more often won't pay when their animal gets sick, why not....... because that's someone elses problem to sort out, it's certainly not their responsibility!!

As part of the PDSA petaid they have to give a donation, they give such a minimal amount it's embaressing and they whinge and complain whilst doing it. Yet I bet they all have plasma tv's.

And then you have your genuine people that have fallen on hard times or OAP's that are so grateful to the PDSA for helping them and always give us much as they can afford. The PDSA does a blinking good job helping animals who are normally owned by idiots who arn't even the slightest bit grateful!!

Back on to the OP's original question, we won't claim direct through E+L either, their reputation goes before them!!!
 
Your policy is between you and your insurer, not the Vet and your insurer.

Its pretty standard policy that you pay the vet and the insurance pays you.
 
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