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Just three companies have made it onto our list of the best pet insurance companies for the last ten years—Healthy Paws Pet Insurance and Fetch are two of them. Each has certain features that set it apart from different providers and its own advantages that appeal to pet owners. With my comprehensive comparison, you’ll be able to choose the insurance that best meets your needs.
Table of Contents
  |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Star Rating | 3.5/5.0 | 4.7/5.0 |
| Best For | No-Cap Payouts | Puppies & Kittens |
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2003 |
| Customer Support Options | Phone, Email | Phone, Email, Live Chat |
| Underwriter | Chubb Group | XL Specialty Insurance Company AXIS Insurance Company |
| A.M. Best Rating* | A++ | A+ A |
| Demotech Rating* | Unrated | Unrated |
| Claim Processing Average | 2-15 Days | 6 Days |
| Can Reimburse Vets Directly | Yes | No |
| Payout Limits | Unlimited | $5,000 to Unlimited |
| Deductibles | $250 to $1,000 | $250 to $700 |
| Reimbursement Rates | 50% to 80% | 70% to 90% |
| One-Time Fees | No | $15 |
| Accident Waiting Period | 15 Days | 0 Days |
| Illness Waiting Period | 15 Days | 15 Days |
| Hip Dysplasia Waiting Period | 12 Months† | 6 Months |
| CCL Waiting Period | 15 Days | 6 Months |
| Enrollment Ages | 8 Weeks to 14 Years†† | 6 Weeks Or Older |
| Preventative Plan | No | Yes |
 | |
†Pets enrolled after their 6th birthday for Healthy Paws have plan customization restrictions, and hip dysplasia is excluded.
††Healthy Paws will not enroll pets older than 4 years old in NY.
Coverage Comparison
Healthy Paws and Fetch each offer one accident and illness pet insurance policy available in all 50 states. Plans cover new accidents and illnesses, including testing and treatment for the conditions. Both companies cover emergency care, surgery and hospitalization, specialized exams and specialty care, X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, rehabilitation, cancer, chronic conditions, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, prescription medications, massage therapy, and more. Neither insurer covers endodontic disease, holistic treatment, prescription food, pre-existing conditions, pregnancy, breeding, or unnecessary cosmetic procedures (e.g., tail docking, dew claw removal, ear cropping).
Both Healthy Paws and Fetch’s base pet insurance policies cover a range of conditions, including cancer, hip dysplasia, allergies, canine cruciate ligament (CCL) tears, chronic conditions, hereditary conditions, and congenital conditions. However, it’s important to note that if symptoms for a condition were present before enrollment or during the insurer’s waiting periods, the condition is not covered and will be excluded from the policy.
Both Healthy Paws and Fetch have a 15-day waiting period for accidents and illnesses. However, for hip dysplasia, Healthy Paws has a 1-year waiting period, while Fetch’s is 6 months. Fetch also has a 6-month waiting period for cranial cruciate ligament injuries. It’s also worth noting that hip dysplasia coverage is excluded for pets enrolled in Healthy Paws after their 6th birthday.
Healthy Paws and Fetch both cover non-routine dental treatment and injuries to the teeth, face, and jaw in their base pet insurance policies. However, Fetch offers broader coverage, including gum disease, endodontic disease, and developmental abnormalities. While Healthy Paws only covers tooth extractions resulting from accidents, Fetch covers them for both accidents and illnesses.
Fetch covers curable pre-existing conditions after one year, while Healthy Paws excludes them from its policies.
Fetch offers wellness coverage as an optional add-on to its insurance policy. These wellness plans cover routine vet visits and fees associated with annual exams, spay/neuter surgery, vaccines, dental cleanings, flea/tick/heartworm prevention, blood tests, urinalysis, fecal tests, and more. With a wellness plan, preventive care is included in coverage and eligible for reimbursement. Healthy Paws does not offer routine care coverage.
| Coverage | | |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Therapy |  | Base Plan |
| Complementary Care* | Base Plan | Base Plan |
| Wellness Care For An Extra Fee | | Add-On |
| Exam Fees | | Base Plan |
| Hip Dysplasia | After 1 Year | After 6 Months |
| Non-Routine Dental Treatment | Base Plan | Base Plan |
| Trauma To Teeth, Face, & Jaw | Base Plan | Base Plan |
| Gum (Periodontal) Disease | | Base Plan |
| Tooth Extractions | Due To Accident | Base Plan |
| Endodontic Disease | | Base Plan |
| Developmental Abnormalities | | Base Plan |
| Supplements | | Base Plan |
†Healthy Paws only offers hip dysplasia coverage to dogs enrolled before the age of six.
Premiums & Pricing
Insurers calculate premiums based on your pet’s age, breed, and location, as well as the plan coverage level you choose. Comparing Healthy Paws and Fetch quotes is difficult because Healthy Plans offers unlimited payout caps for all policies (Fetch doesn’t offer unlimited), and its deductible and reimbursement rate options vary based on the pet (Fetch offered all options for the sample pets I used).
Healthy Paws and Fetch each have an annual deductible. An annual deductible is helpful if your pet experiences multiple accidents or illnesses during the policy period (one year) because you’re responsible for paying the deductible once per policy period.
All Healthy Paws policies have unlimited payouts, so you won’t need to worry about reaching a maximum reimbursement limit. However, based on your pet’s information, you may have fewer plan customization options with a lower reimbursement percentage. Meanwhile, Fetch has payout options starting at $5,000 up to unlimited to help you select a premium that fits your budget.
Healthy Paws has no one-time fees, while Fetch requires a one-time enrollment fee of $15.
The monthly premiums for Healthy Paws and Fetch are displayed in the table below based on sample quotes. The different payouts, deductibles, and reimbursement rates are in the table’s footnotes. By providing several examples for each pet from each provider, I demonstrated how pricing can vary depending on plan coverage selection.
| Pet Details | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Bulldog | $82.87‡ | $70.52* | $68.99† | $71.46* |
| Labrador Retriever | $41.11* | $41.48* | $54.46†† | $37.83§ |
| Golden Retriever | $101.61** | $81.73* | $83.07† | $59.68‡ |
| Ragdoll Cat | $22.34¶ | $21.66|| | $26.29†† | $22.80†† |
* 90% reimbursement and $500 deductible; ** 90% reimbursement and $100 deductible; † 70% reimbursement and $1,000 deductible; †† 80% reimbursement and $250 deductible; ‡ 70% reimbursement and $500 deductible; § 80% reimbursement and $300 deductible; || 90% reimbursement and $400 deductible; ¶ 80% reimbursement and $500 deductible
To compare pet insurance costs, it’s best to obtain quotes for your specific dog. You can use our pet insurance quote form to request instant quotes from multiple companies.
Discounts
Pet insurance providers sometimes offer discounts to pet owners who insure more than one pet, bundle other insurance policies, are military or veterans, work as a veterinarian, work at an animal shelter, pay yearly, and more. Healthy Paws does not offer discounts to pet owners. On the other hand, Fetch offers:
- Up to 10% off for animal shelter adoptees and employees, corporate benefit plans, medical services pets, strategic partners, military, veterinary staff, and students
- 10% off premiums for Walmart shoppers
- Save $25 or more when you pay quarterly or annually
- 10% off for AARP members for life
Customer Service & Reputation
It is easy to overlook customer service and reputation when shown an attractive policy quote, but these are two of the most critical aspects. When the time comes to make a claim, I want you and your pet to have the most straightforward and least stressful experience possible, though I truly hope you never have to.
When you call an insurer and never get your questions answered or problems resolved, it feels like you wasted your money, no matter how much you spend. Both companies provide phone and email support. Additionally, Fetch provides live chat assistance. If the plan you chose doesn’t work, you can cancel and get your money back within 30 days, thanks to the money-back guarantee offered by both insurers.
I looked through hundreds of Healthy Paws and Fetch customer reviews from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Yelp, and Trustpilot. Overall, Healthy Paws had higher customer ratings than Fetch. Both insurers are active online, responding to customers and resolving outstanding issues.
The most common complaints I read about Healthy Paws primarily involve pet owners having their policies canceled because their credit cards expired. Healthy Paws says it sends notices of upcoming cancellations via email and direct mail, but many customers say they never received any. Additionally, customers are dissatisfied with dental illness coverage.
However, Fetch’s customers have reported that their claims are deemed ineligible when they should be covered. Additionally, there are complaints of Fetch marking unrelated conditions as pre-existing. This has led to numerous negative online reviews from policyholders, prompting Fetch to readdress these issues. It’s also worth noting that as of September 2024, Fetch was upgrading its claims system, which has resulted in processing delays.
Claim Processing
Some pet owners’ decisions may be influenced by how long it takes an insurer to reimburse claims. While some can’t wait several weeks to get paid, others don’t mind holding out a little longer. Half of Healthy Paws’ claims are paid out in two days and overall it averages 2-15 days. The processing time for Fetch claims is currently 6 days on average.
Healthy Paws may be able to pay your veterinarian directly, saving you from paying a large upfront vet bill and then waiting for reimbursement. However, not all veterinarians offer this service, so ask your doctor if possible. Fetch does not have this feature.
Plan Coverage Options
Healthy Paws has unlimited payouts on all plans and plan coverage level restrictions based on pet enrollment age. On the other hand, Fetch has no set coverage options for pets enrolled after a certain age. Below are the available plan coverage levels for Healthy Paws and Fetch.
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pet Age | 5 years and under | 6 & 7 year olds | 8 years and older | 6 weeks and older |
| Annual Payout Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, Unlimited |
| Deductible Options | $250, $500 | $250, $500, $750 | $750, $1,000 | $250, $300, $400, $500, $700 |
| Reimbursement Options | 70%, 80% | 60%, 70%, 80% | 50%, 60% | 70%, 80%, 90% |
| Optional Wellness Plans |  | |||
| Accident-Only Plan |
Certain insurance companies provide pet insurance plans limited to accidents and cover situations involving unexpected physical harm. Plans that only cover accidents cover things like bite wounds, strained ligaments, and broken bones. Generally speaking, these plans are less expensive than accident and illness insurance. Fetch or Healthy Paws offers no accident-only plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions we get asked about Healthy Paws and Fetch. If you don’t see your question, reach out in the comments or check out our forums.
How Good Is Healthy Paws Insurance?
Healthy Paws’ underwriters have an A++ financial strength rating from AM Best, which is the highest possible. No other pet insurer I’ve reviewed has this high of a financial strength rating. Additionally, Healthy Paws has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Do Most Vets Take Fetch Pet Insurance?
With your Fetch policy, you can use any licensed veterinarian in the U.S. or Canada, including specialists and emergency clinics.
Is Healthy Paws Or Fetch Better?
Healthy Paws and Fetch have longstanding reputations and high financial stability ratings from their underwriters.
If you’re enrolling your furry best friend before they turn 5, Healthy Paws may be appealing with its no lifetime caps, which is often priced competitively with plans from competitors with lower payouts. However, enrolling your dog beyond five may result in coverage limitations.
On the other hand, Fetch covers gum disease, behavioral therapies, supplements, vet exam fees, and curable pre-existing conditions—all items that Healthy Paws excludes.
So that you can broaden your comparison, I’ve gone further into detail in my individual reviews of Healthy Paws and Fetch. Along with information on the most well-known pet insurance providers, my pet insurance comparison will help you easily see where companies differ.
Methodology
My team and I conduct extensive research on the most reputable pet insurance companies, analyzing customer feedback, policy changes, and industry trends. Our licensed insurance agent fact-checks everything, and we update our reviews year-round as insurers adjust premiums, coverage, exclusions, and customer service.
We rank each U.S. pet insurance provider using a 100-point scale, ensuring an unbiased breakdown of how companies perform in real-world claims.
Our Ranking Criteria
- Coverage & Exclusions (30%) – We analyze policies, exclusions, and age restrictions, rewarding companies with fewer coverage limitations.
- Pricing (15%) – We run thousands of sample quotes and factor in extra fees, discounts, and add-ons.
- Customer Service & Reputation (12%) – We review hundreds of customer experiences, assess the sign-up process, and evaluate claim support.
- Financial Strength (10%) – We examine A.M. Best & Demotech ratings to ensure companies can pay claims reliably.
- Customization Options (10%) – Providers with more deductible, reimbursement, and payout flexibility rank higher.
- Waiting Periods (5%) – Shorter illness & accident waiting periods result in a better score.
- Claim Processing (5%) – Companies offering fast reimbursements and direct vet pay score higher.
- Innovation (3%) – We recognize unique offerings and advanced technology in the industry.
Unbiased Pet Insurance Rankings: Putting Pets First
Unlike many review sites, we don’t sell rankings—every provider earns its spot based on real performance. Our in-depth comparisons help pet parents make informed decisions, while insurers use our reviews to improve their policies. We only recommend the best because that’s what our readers deserve.
Why Trust Canine Journal?
Canine Journal has been covering the topic of pet insurance since 2012, well before other conglomerates discovered the rising popularity of health care for our pets. Many of our authors have personal experience with pet insurance, including Kimberly Alt, who has been Canine Journal’s go-to author for pet insurance for over a decade, having written about nearly every possible facet related to pet insurance. Kimberly knows the subject so well that she can answer a breadth and depth of pet insurance questions immediately. And on the rare occasion she doesn’t know the answer off the top of her head, she can find it within minutes due to her extensive list of resources.
Kimberly also consulted with Michelle Schenker, Canine Journal’s in-house licensed insurance agent, for additional expertise, to ensure precision and give Canine Journal the authority to write about and assist readers in purchasing policies that are accurately represented. Together, Kimberly and Michelle frequently communicate with Healthy Paws and Fetch, which helps ensure accuracy and keeps them abreast of any changes.
