This content was reviewed by our licensed insurance agent, Michelle Schenker.
To keep the lights on, we receive affiliate commissions via some of our links. Our review process.
We pit two of the most popular pet insurance companies against one another and choose a winner between Healthy Paws and Pets Best. We explain our reasoning below but want to remind you that you should always get quotes for your unique pet and location. The price may play a more prominent role in your decision-making process if coverage is similar.
Visit Healthy Paws’ Website | Visit Pets Best’s Website
| Healthy Paws | Pets Best | |
|---|---|---|
| Policy Coverage | More Limited | Extensive |
| Customer Service & Reputation | Excellent, Stable | Good |
| Claim Processing Average | 2 Days | 7-14 Days |
| Price Of Policy | Highly Variable | Lower on Average |
| Plan Customizations | Restricted Options | Many Options |
| Overall Winner |  |  |
| Visit Website | Visit Website |
Policy Coverage
The table below shows precisely what Healthy Paws and Pets Best cover. Note: Both companies cover emergency care, surgery and hospitalization, specialized exams and specialty care, X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, cat scans, MRIs, rehabilitation, cancer, chronic conditions, euthanasia, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, non-routine dental treatment, and prescription medications. Neither covers pre-existing conditions, cremation and burial costs, pregnancy and breeding, or unnecessary cosmetic procedures.
| Healthy Paws | Pets Best | |
|---|---|---|
| Illness Waiting Period* | 15 Days | 14 Days |
| Accident Waiting Period* | 15 Days | 3 Days |
| Hip Dysplasia Waiting Period* | 12 Months†| 14 Days |
| CCL Surgery Waiting Period* | 15 Days | 6 Months |
| Behavioral Therapies | | |
| Alternative/Holistic Therapy | | |
| Wellness Care For An Extra Fee | | |
| Exam Fees | | Extra Fee |
| Underwriter | Westchester Fire Insurance Company/Chubb | American Pet Insurance Company Independence American Insurance Company (IAIC) (CA only) |
| A.M. Best Rating | A++ | Unrated A- |
*Waiting periods for Maine are as follows:
- Accidents - 0 days
- Illnesses - 14 days
- Cruciate Ligament Conditions - 30 days
- Routine Care - 0 days
†Healthy Paws only offers hip dysplasia coverage to dogs enrolled before the age of six.
Pets Best comes out ahead because it covers behavioral therapies, exam fees (with a plan upgrade), offers wellness options, and has shorter waiting periods for accidents and hip dysplasia. The biggest concern with Pets Best is that its primary underwriter is unrated by A.M. Best (a measurement of financial stability), which means it’s considered higher risk than a company like Healthy Paws, whose underwriter has an A++ rating from A.M. Best.
Another key deciding factor for you may be the age restrictions attached to Healthy Paws, which doesn’t enroll pets older than 14 years old. Additionally, Healthy Paws will not enroll pets older than four years old in New York. And if you choose to enroll your pet with Healthy Paws after their sixth birthday, you’ll notice plan customization restrictions and exclusions for hip dysplasia coverage.
Overall, we feel Pets Best has better coverage than Healthy Paws. However, if age restrictions, behavioral therapy and exam fee coverage, wellness options, and shorter waiting periods for accidents and hip dysplasia don’t concern you, then we recommend Healthy Paws because of its superior financial stability.
Policy Coverage Winner: Pets Best
Customer Service & Reputation
Healthy Paws has one of the best reputations in the pet insurance business. Healthy Paws led the pet insurance industry with positive changes and innovations in the past. It was the first company to offer unlimited claim limits and is known for its stellar customer service. However, Healthy Paws has merely maintained the status quo in recent years, while Pets Best introduced new options.
Pets Best has many negative reviews regarding a prolonged claim processing timeline. This is because Pets Best has received an influx of customers (due to its excellent coverage and low prices), which has caused an increase in claims. Unfortunately, Pets Best hasn’t been able to keep up with all the filed claims, which has delayed many repayments and caused some negative backlash from customers.
Once Pets Best gets a grasp on its claim processing, we could see it winning this category. But until then, Healthy Paws is the winner.
Customer Service & Reputation Winner: Healthy Paws
Claim Processing
Healthy Paws pays most of its claims within two days — among the fastest of all the companies we review.
Pets Best used to process claims in an average of eight or fewer days, but they’ve fallen behind over the last two years due to a higher volume of customers. Now, their averages are 7-14 days.
You may be able to have Healthy Paws or Pets Best pay your vet directly, so you don’t have to pay a hefty vet bill in advance and wait for reimbursement, but this isn’t available everywhere, so check with your vet to see if this is an option for you.
Claim Processing Winner: Healthy Paws
Price Of Policy
Healthy Paws requires no one-time fees or transaction fees, and Pets Best has a transaction fee of $2 for every payment and no one-time fees.
Your premium price quote is based on your pet’s details (age, breed, location, etc.). We recommend obtaining quotes from each company for your specific pet. You can also visit our pet insurance comparison quotes to see a few sample prices we’ve gathered.
However, remember that it’s always best to get quotes for your specific dog to compare what pet insurance could cost you. You can use our pet insurance quote form to get started.
Both companies have annual deductibles, which is important if your pet experiences multiple accidents or illnesses during the policy period (one year).
Price Of Policy Winner: Pets Best
Coupons
Healthy Paws
Use this link to take advantage of the best possible price and get a quote for your pet from Healthy Paws. You can also visit our dedicated Healthy Paws promotions page to learn more.
Pets Best
Pets Best offers the following discounts:
- 5% off for multiple pets
- 5% off for military members and their families
Use this link to take advantage of the best possible price. No promo code is needed. You can also visit our dedicated Pets Best promotions page to learn more.
Plan Customization
The major difference between these two companies in your ability to customize your plan comes down to age restrictions. While Healthy Paws has unlimited payouts for all plans, they do have some restrictions on reimbursement and annual deductible amounts, depending on your pet’s age at enrollment.
- Dogs and cats 5 years and under:
- 90%, 80%, and 70% reimbursement
- $100, $250, and $500 deductible
- Dogs and cats 6 and 7 years old:
- 80%, 70%, or 60% reimbursement
- $250, $500, or $750 deductible
- Dogs 8 years and older:
- 50% or 60% reimbursement
- $750 or $1,000 deductible
Pets Best offers a lot of customizable options with no age restrictions. Pets Best gives you the option of two annual payout options: $5,000 or unlimited. You can also choose your reimbursement level of 70%, 80%, or 90% and deductible of either $50, $100, $200, $250, $500, or $1,000.
Pets Best ultimately comes out on top because of greater flexibility to build your plan no matter your pet’s age.
Plan Customization Winner: Pets Best
What’s The Verdict?
This was tough to compare because we think Healthy Paws and Pets Best are both excellent pet insurance providers. It ultimately came down to Pets Best having better coverage, fewer age restrictions, lower pricing on average, and more plan customization options. If you didn’t find what you were looking for, our experts have gone in-depth with individual reviews of Pets Best and Healthy Paws so you can expand your comparison.
Overall Winner: Pets Best
Our experts have spent thousands of hours researching to bring you our comprehensive and frequently updated pet insurance reviews, including our top picks, along with details on each of the most popular pet insurance companies. So, if you want to know how other providers compare against one another, you may find this review helpful in your pet insurance search.
Tagged With: Reviewed By Insurance Agent, Vs
