define the customer value provided by the pet insurance company of america

Pet Insurance Company of America Edna Benton founded the Pet Insurance Company of America (P.I.C.A.) three years after the death of her shetland colle, Priscilla. It seems that the 11 year old Priscilla developed heart and lung trouble and rather than spend the estimated $1,200 for treatment, she had Precis put to sleep Benton reasoned that since Americans are inclined to insure themselves and many of they possessions, they might also be inclined to insure their pets. Especially since pets are seen by many as an integral part of the family - in some cases more loyal, obedient and loving than certain family members. OUTHE Benton researched the concept of pet insurance and found there are in excess of 110 million dogs and cats in approximately 65 million households. She also found that Americans spend 15 billion dollars a year on pets for everything from air-conditioned dog houses, to designer clothing, to toys, to vacations and more recently, beefy flavored beverages and ice cream treats. Benton's research, including data collected from the American Veterinary Society. pet owners, and individual veterinarians, indicates that dog owners spend $95 per year on veterinary care while cat owners spend $78 per year. Benton also found that not only are' people's attitudes toward pets changing, but also that increasingly sophisticated and expensive medical treatments including chemotherapy, cataract operations and heart pacemakers are now available. The basic policies which are underwritten by the Black Hawk Data Group of Dallas, sell for $49 with a $300 deductible clause. For $00 por your the deductible falls to $100. Each policy insures the pet against catastrophic illness and/or accident Not covered are routine procedures such as examinations, office visits, inoculations and neutering The policies currently available only on dogs and cats, are sold only through veterinary offices with the veterinarian acting as an agent for P.I.C. A. Sales to date have been excellent with over 70,000 policies providing $3,000.000 of coverage on approximately 100,000 dogs and cats, Competition from two other firms is minimal in that the market is expanding by 20-30% per year, P.I.C.A., which is licensed in 47 states, expects to begin offering policies on pets other than dogs and cats within a year