Correct, but thankfully that won’t be a surprise since it is evident when you are enrolling. It’s up to each pet owner to decide if that’s worth it.

In our case, a few hundred dollars per year to make ER visits financially bearable is a good value.

I don’t know about that. Both of my cats would be dead if not for pet insurance. One needed a $10k surgery this summer that I was able to afford because of my pet insurance. The other had $4k of surgeries the year before. Both instances my insurance covered 70%. Neither of my cats are much more than 5 years old, just bad luck with their health.

That makes sense, thanks!

Sleep Cycle

There are some alternatives that are usually affiliated with a religion. CHM is one such organization. Members all pay a recurring fee like they do with insurance, and all have access to the pool for their healthcare.
I have never used one so I cant speak to the efficacy, but it seems to answer your question.