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If your dog is hit by a car tomorrow, are you ready? Pet insurance is an essential for all responsible pet owners to make sure you are prepared financially to deal with any unexpected (and expensive) accident or illness. This is why we regularly review the top pet insurance companies to find out who comes out on top. This time, we’re putting our #1 and #3 rated insurers in the ring: Healthy Paws vs PetPlan to see which plan is a better value and the best fit for you and your pup. Not only do we compare each feature, we’ll give you an example (complete with pricing) to see how different scenarios measure up. So let’s get right to the overall winner, shall we?
Petplan vs Healthy Paws
To start off, these companies offer almost the same coverage. They both cover hereditary conditions and also chronic conditions. However, the chronic condition cannot be preexisting when you apply, and it cannot occur during the waiting period. Both companies cover hip dysplasia and alternative/holistic therapy, as long as a licensed veterinarian performs the procedures. Both companies include prescription drug coverage and a free 30-day money back guarantee.
So, with both companies offering so many similar great features and having great customer service reputations to boot, what really sets them apart? Read on but then be sure to run a quote with both of these companies to find out which can best serve your needs at the lowest price. Be sure to check out the chart below as well for more details on possible needs you may be seeking.
Winner: Healthy Paws
Healthy Paws is our top pick for pet insurance. Here’s what put them in the #1 spot this year:
- Unlimited lifetime benefits with no claim limits for all policyholders
- Most consumers report lower premium prices for similar coverage vs Petplan
- Slightly faster claim payment reputation
- Easy to understand contract with fewer number of exclusions
So, if your pet likes to get into trouble, is young and/or is accident prone, Healthy Paws may be the better pick for you in the long run because they offer an unlimited lifetime benefit* for all pets who enroll before age 6.
*This is a standard with their plan vs. Petplan which allows you to customize your premium based on your coverage.
Read our in-depth analysis of Healthy Paws
What About Petplan?
Petplan is our #3 pick for pet insurance. The main factors that gave Petplan a top spot include:
- Highly customizable plans/coverage, allows a wider range of premium pricing options
- Non-routine veterinary & emergency visit fees are covered
- No loifetime or per condition claims limit
If you are preparing for potential chronic issues down the road but don’t see any immediate reasons to be concerned about high vet bills, then you will save money at the vet’s office on exam fees, especially for low-cost chronic conditions that involve regular vet visits (e.g. ear infections).
Read our in-depth analysis of Petplan
When Does Pet Insurance Matter?
It is estimated that 6 million dogs and 6 million cats are diagnosed with cancer every year. See how Healthy Paws pet insurance has helped Baxter get much-needed cutting-edge treatment for his cancer.
Healthy Paws vs Petplan Side by Side
We find it’s often clearer to compare two companies side-by-side to see how they stack up. Below is a pet insurance comparison table to help show you some differences and similarities between Healthy Paws and Petplan.
| HealthyPaws | Petplan | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Ranking in our Pet Insurance Reviews | 1st | 3rd |
| X-Rays |  | |
| Blood Tests | | |
| Ultrasounds | | |
| MRI | | |
| Rehabilitation | | |
| Surgery | | |
| Hospitalization | | |
| Emergency Care | | 20% copay unless it's life threatening (covered at 100%) |
| Specialty Care | | |
| Pre-Existing Conditions | ||
| Check Ups, Vaccinations, Spay/Neuter, Teeth Cleaning | ||
| Non-Routine Dental Treatment | | |
| Hip Dysplasia | | |
| Chronic Conditions | | |
| Illnesses | | |
| Accidents | | |
| Hereditary Conditions | | |
| Congenital Conditions | | |
| Cancer Treatments | | |
| Diagnostic Treatment | | |
| Alternative/Holistic Therapy | | |
| Prescription Medications | | |
| Enrollment Fee | $25 | $25 |
| 30-Day Money Back Guarantee | | |
| BBB Rating | A | A+ |
| Unlimited Lifetime Benefits | | |
| Claim Limits | Unlimited | $2,500 - unlimited |
Healthy Paws Vs Petplan: Comparing Quotes
We found it super helpful to look at some examples of specific dog quotes for pet insurance but always keep in mind that every insurance quote is different based on your particular location, breed, age and more. So, to make sure you understand the price differences for YOUR PET, be sure to run a quote from at least two companies to compare and contrast pricing and what it will cover to make sure you are getting the most out of your policy. See how Healthy Paws and Petplan compare in the table below to help you make your decision between our top contenders. Keep in mind that pricing varies by pet age, breed, location, etc., so it may be best just to get a quick online quote from each company (use the links above to save some cash).
Dog – Yorkshire Terrier Pet Insurance Quote
Characteristics considered for these quotes:
- Age: 4 months
- No Microchip
- No Multi-pet Discount
- No Pre-Existing Conditions
- Residency in Columbus, Ohio (zip code 43205)
- Quote is from April 27, 2017
| Deductible | Reimbursement % | Annual Maximum | Price Per Month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Paws | $100 | 80% | Unlimited | $32.24 |
| Petplan | $100 | 80% | Unlimited | $43.10 |
| Healthy Paws | $100 | 90% | Unlimited | $37.77 |
| Petplan | $100 | 90% | Unlimited | $48.11 |
Other Pet Insurance Companies
Obviously, there are other pet insurance companies out there beyond our heavyweights. Feel free to see how they stack up against Healthy Paws and Petplan in our large pet insurance reviews article.
Do you have an experience with either Healthy Paws or Petplan you’d like to share?
Leave a Reply
8 Comments on "Healthy Paws vs Petplan: Who Comes Out on Top?"
I currently have Pet Plan and I have really not been happy with them. One of the main reasons is because more recently, they increased our deductible from $200 to $450, which is also per incident without notifying us of the change nor reducing our monthly premiums. We were quite surprised to find out that after our dog had to have a procedure done following a dog bite to his neck that because of the dramatic increase in the deductible, we would be receiving no reimbursement. At $450 per incident, I am starting to think that Pet Plan is really not worth the monthly premiums at all.
I have been highly considering switching to Healthy Paws after reading the reviews on this site. Some of the most intriguing aspects of Healthy Paws is that the deductible is annual, instead of per incident, which makes a massive difference compared to Pet Plan. I am surprised you didn’t mention that Pet Plan’s deductibles are per incident above, as it makes a huge difference.
I sincerely appreciate the information about all of these different insurance options. It looks like we are definitely going to need to move on from Pet Plan, which seems to virtually cover nothing and has now made it even more difficult with the new deductible that we didn’t find out about until we made a recent claim because they never notified us. Healthy Paws seems to be the best option, based on the pros and cons that you talk about in your review.
Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully, they will be much more helpful for both our pets and wallets!
All the best!
Hi Howie,
I’m sorry to read you are not happy with Petplan. I understand that you have experienced some changes in your policy that you do not find beneficial. In many cases we are able to address the concerns you have with the cost of the policy after reviewing in more detail all of the options available to you. Would you be willing to speak with us over the phone to discuss all of your options? Please email us at socialmedia@gopetplan.com your phone number and policy number and I will be sure to have a Petplan team member contact you to review your options.
I have an older dog (9 yrs.) who has never been insured. I want to get some now. Any thoughts on best price for older dog?
Great question Suzanne! This article has some sample quotes, but we always tell our readers to run quotes from our top three picks with their dog’s specific characteristics. At this time, Healthy Paws, Petplan and Pets Best are in our top three. You’ll notice the link I attached above in this comment has an area where you can put in your details to get a free quote from each company. Pricing can vary based on location, breed, age, pre-existing conditions, etc. I don’t know the specific details of your dog, but with your dog being 9 years old Healthy Paws would have some limitations. Dogs insured through Healthy Paws after their 8th birthday are limited to a 60% reimbursement and $750 annual deductible. If these limitations are okay with you, we recommend considering them. However, as I stated previously, we also recommend looking into Petplan and Pets Best. Petplan recently changed underwriters which has raised their prices for customers, so you may see in your dog’s quote that the price for Petplan is higher. Please let me know if you have any further questions and best of luck!
We are currently looking in to switching to Healthy Paws since our Petplan costs are increasing. The biggest difference for us is that Petplan charges a “per condition” deductible of $300 (it’s $48 per month if you’d like an annual deductible), and Healthy Paws has an “annual” deductible of $250 with much lower rates. Based on all of the reviews that I have read, I think we’ll be switching!
Just had to comment here because I just happened to mention it in a comment myself. I can’t stand that Pet Plan charges a hefty deductible per condition, which I am not sure if you noticed that they recently increased from $200 to $450 without notifying anyone. It seems virtually impossible to get reimbursement from Pet Plan and we have been with them for nearly two years.
Since we recently adopted a second dog (10-month-old Beagle mix), we are highly considering a switch to a different company that is more reasonable to have them both covered. I am personally thinking about going with Healthy Paws based on the things I am reading.
I hope it works out better for you as well. I will try to drop by with an update once we switch to let others know if it makes a significant difference and improvement.
Pet Plans new policies are annual deductible. I had them for both my goldens. Our older girl, was diagnosed with mammary cancer in July. At that time her policy had the per incident deductible, so that did bite us. The did how ever pay promptly, and the customer service was great. She has since passed away and we have another golden rescue. I am in the process of deciding to stay with Pet Plan or switch both dogs to Healthy Paws. Cost is about the same for either company. I sure wish I could switch my boy to the annual deductible at Pet Plan, but was told I have to wait until renewal. Decisions, Decisions
You can’t go wrong with either of those companies – Healthy Paws doesn’t have annual payout limits but Petplan has been around a bit longer so deciding between the two basically comes down to the best price for your given pet (breed and age).