I use Pet Secure (
www.petsecure.com), and I think I'm only paying about $40 a month for what I consider to be a decent level of coverage. Considering the wife and the kids and their attachment to the beast, the issue is that when the beast does need maintenance, we are almost certainly going to end up paying it. $95 a month at Pet Secure would get you what I call the "old lady" plan, the one that you would get for your ancient relative - all vet visits, shots, nail cuts, etc, are covered at that rate.
Maybe it would be better, as some suggest, to simply stash the cash away, but by that logic, people would all waive the damage waivers on their cars too, and really, most people don't. The reality is that treatment for a chronic condition in a pet is going to outstrip your cash savings quickly, if you are planning on keeping the animal for any significant amount of time.