It was explained to me that young dogs are still considered to be risky to insurance companies. They might not have the risk of illness associated with old age, but are at higher risk of theft, behaviour issues, running off in traffic, eating stuff they shouldn’t etc. As a puppy owner, I can kind of see the logic here, although it’s annoying to pay more, my puppy is far more likely to get itself into bother than any of my friends chilled out mature dogs. Also some breeds are prone to certain illnesses and issues, so they want charge more to begin with for when it does occur if it’s likely it will. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
I agree with others that are saying that £35 p/m seems excessive. I'd probably try to knock them down on price with a bit of shopping around/ haggling. As for Pet Plan themselves, my German Shepherd was with them for his whole life and I always found them to be spot on.
With regards to insurers and vet fees, I did question this many years ago and was told by my vet that the reason for a hike in fees once an insurance claim is mentioned is because they'll normally add on any medication required (sometimes life-long) to the bill, whereas if Mrs. Miggins turns up with one of her 32 cats and needs expensive medication, but is not insured and only has her state pension to live on, the vet will advise her to shop online or source meds another way, as animal medication can usually be sought for much cheaper prices than the vet can charge, unless it's specialised in some way.
On the other hand, if you're going to be paying your insurance excess for a claim and your premium is already going to rise next year, then adding potentially £100s if not £1000's of medication costs is a sensible thing to do, rather than a con.
One thing I would finish on for those that say insurance is a waste of money; Unless you are cash-rich or have easy access to savings and don't need to worry about massive vets bills, then imo, insurance is an absolute must for a loved pet.
I would never want to be in this situation (which I'm certain happens every day);
'Well Mr. Jones, we have two options; option one is a specialist in London, who will look into Fido's mystery illness and symptoms, using the latest state of the art scanning equipment and treatment. This will cost £10,000 and would be covered by insurance. Option two is that Fido is put to sleep tomorrow morning and this will cost £160'.
Not many people can just lay their hands on 5 figure lump-sums...