Veterinary costs are a leading reason animals are denied necessary treatment; insurance that enables access to veterinary care is a significant welfare tool for companion animals.
The welfare of companion animals is directly connected to their owners' financial capacity to access veterinary care. Animals without insurance or financial reserves face delayed treatment or no treatment for conditions that are straightforwardly manageable. The gap between what is possible with modern veterinary medicine and what animals receive due to cost constraints represents preventable suffering at significant scale. Insurance and financial assistance funds are welfare tools as surely as any clinical intervention.