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Pet insurance is essential for all responsible pet owners. It prepares you 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 2 of our top-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.
Visit Healthy Paws’ Website | Visit Petplan’s Website
Policy Coverage
We find it often helps to compare 2 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.
| Healthy Paws | Petplan | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Ranking in our Pet Insurance Reviews | 1st | Not Ranked |
| Blood Tests |  | |
| MRI | | |
| Rehabilitation | | |
| Surgery | | |
| Hospitalization | | |
| Emergency Care | | 20% copay unless it's life threatening (covered at 100%) |
| Specialty Care | | |
| Exam Fees | | |
| Pre-Existing Conditions | ||
| Check-Ups, Vaccinations, Spay/Neuter, Teeth Cleaning | ||
| Non-Routine Dental Treatment | | |
| Hip Dysplasia Waiting Period | 12 Months | 15 Days |
| Chronic Conditions | | |
| Illnesses Waiting Period | 15 Days | 15 Days |
| Accidents Waiting Period | 15 Days | 5 Days |
| Hereditary Conditions | | |
| Congenital Conditions | | |
| Diagnostic Treatment | | |
| Behavioral Therapies | | |
| Alternative/Holistic Therapy | | |
| Prescription Medications | | |
| Enrollment Fee | $25 | |
| 30-Day Money Back Guarantee | | |
| Claim Limits | Unlimited | $2,500, $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $25,000 or Unlimited |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ |
| Underwriter | Westchester Fire Insurance Company/Chubb | XL Specialty Insurance Company |
| A.M. Best Rating | A++ | A |
| No Exam Required to Set Baseline for Pet's Health |
As you can see, Petplan covers behavioral therapies and exam fees. It also has a shorter waiting period for hip dysplasia, which is why we think it has slightly better coverage than Healthy Paws.
Winner: Petplan
Customer Service & Reputation
Both Healthy Paws and Petplan have excellent customer service. Ultimately, it comes down to Petplan having a few more negative reviews from 2016 to 2017 due to a change in underwriters. This resulted in price increases for existing customers, and Petplan received an influx of negative feedback.
Since then, Petplan has bounced back, and customers have come to terms with their new premium prices, but we give Healthy Paws the nod here since it’s been more consistent in recent years with customer feedback.
Winner: Healthy Paws
Timeliness Of Claim Repayment
Petplan averages a 5 to 7-day claim repayment but allows up to 30 days. Healthy Paws repays 99% of claims in 2 days. We think Healthy Paws is slightly better here with a max timeline of 10 days, which is why it is the winner for this category.
Winner: Healthy Paws
Price Of Policy
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 3 companies to compare and contrast pricing and what each covers to make sure you’re getting the most out of your policy.
Characteristics considered for these quotes:
- Yorkshire Terrier, female 4-months-old
- No microchip, multi-pet discount or pre-existing conditions
- Residency in Columbus, Ohio (zip code 43205)
- Quote is from December 26, 2018
| Deductible | Reimbursement % | Annual Maximum | Price Per Month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Paws | $250 | 80% | Unlimited | $19.60 |
| Petplan | $250 | 80% | Unlimited | $36.26 |
| Healthy Paws | $250 | 90% | Unlimited | $24.41 |
| Petplan | $250 | 90% | Unlimited | $43.59 |
The quotes above are quite similar, but Petplan is less expensive by a hair. When we ran additional pet insurance quotes, Petplan tended to fall in the middle or toward the more expensive side, while Healthy Paws was consistently among the middle.
Winner: Healthy Paws
Coupons
Healthy Paws
Use this link and you will automatically receive up to a 5% discount. The actual discount varies based on individual state regulations. You can also visit our dedicated HealthyPaws promotions page to discuss current offers.
Petplan
Use coupon code CanineJournal to receive an additional 5% discount (10% total if you sign up online). Alternatively, if you call 800-237-1123 you will automatically get the additional 5% discount! You can also visit our dedicated Petplan promotions page to discuss current offers.
When Does Pet Insurance Matter?
It’s 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.
Overall Winner
In the end, Healthy Paws is our winner, but Petplan puts up a great fight with excellent coverage and possibly comparable prices (we suggest you run quotes for your specific pet). Although Healthy Paws is our winner here, we think if you choose Petplan you’ll be pleased with your experience as well.
Winner: Healthy Paws
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?
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Hopefully this helps someone else on the fence between PetPlan and other insurance providers. Choose wisely, as you can’t move from one insurer to another once you’ve had an issue without getting slapped with pre-existing conditions limitations.
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!
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.
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.