The spiral in health care costs

It affects many different nations:

The American Pet Products Association estimates that Americans will spend $12.2 billion on veterinary care this year, up from $11 billion last year and $8.2 billion in 2006.

And this:

Pet health insurance is a booming industry, growing more than 20 percent every year, although only an estimated 3 percent of pet owners have bought policies.

First, at least at low levels of cost, relying on out of pocket expenditures isn’t controlling cost growth.  Second, the insurance is available to begin with, albeit with restrictions:

But like health insurance for humans, pet insurance can be complicated and highly restricted. Some policies will not cover older pets or genetic conditions that certain breeds are known to have, such as hip dysplasia in retrievers.

Others limit coverage to only one treatment per illness. So if your dog develops asthma, for instance, some policies will cover just the first trip to the vet although treatment will require multiple visits.

Is this what free market health insurance would look like for older humans?  The full story (1/20) is here.

Here is the pet health insurance blog.  September is pet health insurance month.  Here is a question I had never heard before:

Have you ever forgone health insurance for yourself to cover your pets?