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When a copperhead snake snuck up and bit Alyssa’s Doberman, Miles, on the muzzle, she didn’t think twice about rushing her pup to the vet. But the $600 vet bill stopped her in her tracks. Miles was fine after a dose of antivenom and some TLC, but Alyssa’s bank account is still recovering.
Melissa’s Bichon Frise, Fenway, needed not one but two knee surgeries to repair subluxated patellas, a relatively common orthopedic problem in the breed. Melissa ended up shelling out more than $4,000 to get Fenway back up and running again.
Looking back, Alyssa and Melissa wish they had considered pet insurance more seriously before their dogs experienced such costly vet bills. While both chose to move forward with shelling out the money for the expensive procedures, other parents don’t have this option.
Article Overview
Pet Insurance Checklist
Want to understand pet insurance? We’ve put together a checklist for you:
- Use our quote form widget to get free price quotes from several top pet insurance carriers. You can also open our pet insurance quotes to see examples of pricing.*
- See how others compare to our top 3 pet insurance picks by reading about the rest of the pack.
- Become an expert on pet insurance yourself by learning more.
- Read some surprising pet insurance statistics.
- Still confused? Get to know the pet insurance lingo with our terminology cheat sheet.
*You should expect annual increases on your premiums from any pet insurance company. These rates and increases will vary based on your location, changes in vet costs and more.
Price Of Policy Ratings
Get Free Pet Insurance Quotes
We calculate our “price of policy” ratings based on quotes we run in addition to reader and consumer feedback. Since the price for your pet may vary significantly from that of others for a given provider, we encourage you to get quotes from multiple companies.
1st Place: Healthy Paws
All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.
 | 1st | |
| Overall Ranking | 4.65 / 5.00 | |
| Policy Coverage |  | Visit Website |
| Customer Service & Reputation |  | |
| Timeliness of Claim Payment | | |
| Price of Policy | | |
Why Do We Consider Healthy Paws The Winner?
- Lots Of Plan Options With No Caps – Healthy Paws offers four annual deductible levels ($100, $250, $500 or $750), four percentage options for actual vet bill payouts (60%, 70%, 80% or 90%) and no cap (per-incident, lifetime or otherwise) on any of its claims.
- No Yearly Limits – Once you meet your annual deductible, all policy-covered incidents will be paid during that year, while most companies reimburse after you reach each incident deductible. So, if your pet is susceptible to trouble more than once a year or you just want to be on the safe side, this plan could be a good fit.
- The Best Customer Service – Healthy Paws has some of the best customer service reviews in the business.
- Low Premium Prices – Most consumers report lower premium prices for similar coverage (unlimited lifetime benefits with no claim limits).
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Read Our In-Depth Review Of Healthy Paws
2nd Place: Pets Best
All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.
 | 2nd | |
| Overall Ranking | 4.55 / 5.00 | |
| Policy Coverage | | Visit Website |
| Customer Service & Reputation |  | |
| Timeliness of Claim Payment | | |
| Price of Policy | | |
Why Did We Choose Pets Best As Our #2 Pick?
- True Emergency Only Option – Pets Best offers an “Accident Only Plan” to cover you in case of emergencies, but it does not include exam fees or specialty treatments. This plan has a $10,000 annual limit with a $250 deductible and 90% reimbursement, making it one of the least expensive options for pet insurance.
- Low Pricing – Pets Best was consistently among the least expensive pet insurance companies when we ran quotes.
- Customer Service Options – It offers live chat, phone, email, fax and FAQs to help answer your questions. We’re also impressed with its 24/7 Pet Helpline, which allows you to speak with a vet expert any time of day.
- Customizable Plans Tailored To What You Want – You choose what coverage you want to pay for instead of paying more for stuff you don’t want. Deductible options are from $50-$1,000, reimbursement is available for 70%, 80% or 90%, and it offers two wellness plans.
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- 5% multi-pet discount
- 5% discount for military members and their families
Read Our In-Depth Review Of Pets Best
3rd Place: Figo
All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.
 | 3rd | |
| Overall Ranking | 4.50 / 5.00 | |
| Policy Coverage |  | Visit Website |
| Customer Service & Reputation | | |
| Timeliness of Claim Payment | | |
| Price of Policy | | |
Why Is Figo Our #3 Pick?
- 100% Reimbursement Available – Figo is the only pet insurance company in our reviews to offer 100% reimbursement for claims. If you want your full claims covered, Figo may be the company for you.
- Low Pricing – Figo was consistently among the least expensive pet insurance companies when we ran quotes.
- Customer Service Options – You can reach Figo in many ways, including phone, text, live chat, email, fax, Facebook Messenger or Twitter.
- Fully Customizable Plans – Pet owners considering Figo can create a plan to best meet their needs and budget with a choice of maximum annual coverage amount ($10,000 to unlimited coverage), annual deductible ($100 to $750) and reimbursement rate (70%, 80%, 90% or 100%). Depending on the location and age of the pet, you may qualify for additional options including a deductible between $50 and $1,500 and/or a 60% reimbursement rate.
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Read Our In-Depth Review Of FIGO
The Rest Of The Pack
Get Free Pet Insurance Quotes
- First: Healthy Paws, 2009
- Second: Pets Best, 2005
- Third: Figo, 2013
- 24PetWatch, 2000
- AKC Pet Healthcare, 2003
- ASPCA/Hartville Pet Insurance, 1997
- Embrace, 2003
- Nationwide acquired VPI in 2014 and started selling pet insurance as Nationwide (VPI was founded in 1982)
- PetFirst, 2004
- Petplan U.S., 2003 (Petplan started in the UK in 1976)
- PetPremium, 2013
- Trupanion, 2000
Why Don’t We Review New Entrants?
In the past, we’ve seen new companies enter the pet insurance space at meager prices. However, after some time in business and paying some claims, these companies increase rates to make ends meet. This ends up hurting the customers because their premiums increase drastically — and if they submitted a claim, their pet now has a pre-existing condition. So, if they change providers, that condition will not be covered by another pet insurance provider. In the end, they may have been better off going with a different, more well-established company.
Because of these issues, we’ve decided only to review pet insurance companies that have at least 5 full years of national experience. We think this approach gives companies time to establish a consistent pricing system and reputation, which helps give customers and us a better idea of what to expect.
What Is Pet Insurance & Is It Worth It?
Still not sure whether you need or understand pet insurance? We created a pet insurance 101 guide, which includes:
- What Is Pet Insurance?
- How Does It Work?
- Why Do I Need It?
- What Does It Cover?
- How Much Is Pet Insurance?
- Is Pet Insurance Worth It?
- Real Reimbursement Stories
What Are The Benefits Of Pet Insurance?
This video is a useful introduction to dog insurance and the benefits of having a policy.
Pet Insurance Facts & Stats (Infographic)
To share this infographic on your site, simply copy and paste the code below:
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
For those of you still on the fence, you’re probably wondering what kind of common scenarios your pup might get into when pet insurance would apply. Check out our list of common dog health issues to get an idea. For example, removing lumps and bumps is one of the most common surgeries for dogs and can cost more than $1,000 each time.
That’s a lot of money that you weren’t planning to spend, and many people don’t have that amount of cash lying around. Insuring your pet can lift that weight off of you so you can focus on enjoying your time with your pets instead of worrying about having to pay for unexpected medical bills.
Have you had experiences (good or bad) with pet insurance?
Disclaimer: This website contains reviews, opinions and information regarding products and services manufactured or provided by third parties. We are not responsible in any way for such products and services, and nothing contained here should be construed as a guarantee of the functionality, utility, safety or reliability of any product or services reviewed or discussed. Please follow the directions provided by the manufacturer or service provider when using any product or service reviewed or discussed on this website.
This too puts me in a bind similar to Susan’s situation as I see so many bad reviews for other carriers. I almost narrowed down to Figo insurance but learned their so called “Elite” plan which initially described it as an unlimited plan actually isn’t as it is based on your location. In my location, there is a maximum of 20 K for the Elite option with also a maximum lifetime amount for the pet. 20K a year may seem a lot now, but surprisingly bills and costs can add up exponentially. A cat I know in just one month incurred over 10,000 dollars in medical bills! That is literally half the maximum annual allotment for illnesses on this so called Elite plan.
Anyone else experiencing these issues and are there any other plans out there that may be viable option?
I’ve looked into Petplan, Pets Best, Embrace, ASPCA, Figo, Healthypaws (which seemed to fit me the best if I didn’t have the issue outlined above), Nationwide.
1) What deductible is good to have for him at this age or at 9 years old? (I was thinking of going for the $1,000 insead of $500, because if nothing happens in 18 months, then it pays for itself with the money you save)
2) How much should I max out my coverage at (ex. figo has limits)? (Was really looking for a place that would have the average bills for his breed and age)
3) Reimbursement amount recommendation; kind of ties back to question #2 statistics. I was thinking of 80%, but then again, he may not need that high or maybe its too low at his age.
Would love any great recommendations and feedback.
Thanks,
Osc
1) The deductible is going to ultimately be up to you. If you choose $1,000, you’re going to be more responsible for vet costs until you reach the $1,000 limit. And if you go with $500, you’ll most likely have a higher monthly fee. It just depends on what your preference is: have the money spaced our more each month, or pay a larger amount to the vet until you reach your deductible.
2) We recommend unlimited claim limits or the highest amount possible. We’ve heard a lot of scary stories of pet parents signing up for $5,000 in claim limits and then exceeding that amount drastically because a dog experienced multiple illnesses or accidents in one year. Unfortunately, you can’t estimate what you will spend at the vet in a year, but signing up for unlimited claim limits can help keep you protected if your dog is making multiple appearances at the vet’s office for surgeries, treatments, etc.
3) Again, this is more what you’re comfortable financially. The lower the reimbursement percentage, the lower your monthly fee will be. The higher the reimbursement percentage, the less you’ll have to pay when you file a claim.
Let me know if you have any follow up questions I can help you with. Best of luck!
We apologize that our current customer service has not met yours or our expectations. We recognize that our hold times have been longer than expected recently. We have multiple call centers with the largest call centers based in the US and the smallest center in the Philippines, none of which work on any sort of quota basis. Our colleagues in the Philippines act as receptionists or operators, directing any concerns to our highly trained specialists if they cannot resolve them immediately. We value your feedback, and are actively communicating with all teams and trainers to continually fine-tune the customer experience.
We truly understand that no one likes any form of premium increase. Per you review, We know you haven’t had to file many claims and we hope that you never have to–this means your pet is healthy and accident free. Our management team works hard to keep our premiums as low as possible while still providing comprehensive coverage. New technology, advancements in veterinary treatments, and overall claim costs are taken into consideration when assessing our rates. Your monthly premium is going up because the increase in claim payments has been faster than the premium increases in your state. As a result, we need to increase the premium level for all pets in your state so you and your pet can have continued access to the best veterinary care. Rest assured, we will never penalize you with higher rates for making claims. All pet insurance companies, no matter how they market their benefits, will raise rates to keep up with the rapidly rising cost of veterinary care. We do our best to be transparent regarding annual premium increases by including this information on the “Frequently Asked Questions” page of our website. Give your baby a hug for us.
The Healthy Paws Team
Also, when I called to inquire about the increase and asked for a quote based on a higher deductible and lower reimbursement level, I received an email with even higher prices. When I called to inquire about the higher rates for less coverage, I was put on hold repeatedly by a woman who didn’t seem to know the answer to any of my questions. Ultimately she came back on the line and said a manager would get back to me in 48 hours. Very disappointing customer service when the rep can’t even answer a basic premium questions for an existing customer.
I’m looking around at other companies but honestly the reviews for all of them are terrible. Way too many complaints about claims being denied.
I think with my next dogs I will just put $100/month into a health savings account and forgo the pet insurance all together.
We truly appreciate we have been able to play a part in the care of your pets over the years. We know that no one likes any form of premium increase and that your pending increase is larger than normal. Our management team works hard to keep our premiums as low as possible while still providing comprehensive coverage. New technology, advancements in veterinary treatments, and overall claim costs are taken into consideration when assessing our rates. Premiums are determined based on the rates and rating rules filed and approved within each state’s Department of Insurance. These reflect the cost of treatment, advances in veterinary medicine, your individual pet’s breed, gender, age and other factors, in addition to the overall claims experience for the program within the region your pet resides. As a result, we need to increase the premium level for all pets in your state so you and your pet can have continued access to the best veterinary care. Rest assured, we will never penalize you with higher rates for making claims. All pet insurance companies, no matter how they market their benefits, will raise rates to keep up with the rapidly rising cost of veterinary care. We do our best to be transparent regarding annual premium increases by including this information on the “Frequently Asked Questions” page of our website.
In regards to the updated quotes, we’re assuming you went online to get a new quote versus going through your Healthy Paws Online Customer Center. The pricing for your current policy is per the rating plan approved by your state’s Insurance Department, and we are not permitted to deviate from those rates for existing policyholders. The quote you generated recently is the approved pet insurance product filing for NEW accounts only. Please try to adjust your policy via the online customer center and you should see a reduction in your premiums. If not, please send an email to the administrators of Canine Journal giving them permission to provide us with your full name and policy number. We’ll have a Customer Liaison Manager look into the issue and get back with you. We thank you for being a valuable member of the Healthy Paws Family.
The Healthy Paws Team
Here are some resources for you to check out about Embrace coverage and details:
Embrace Review
What Does Embrace Cover Compared To Other Pet Insurance Companies?
Let me know if you have any questions.
Before you sign up with the two companies, you will (a) need to decide who the primary insurer will be and (b) discuss your desire to purchase the other company’s insurance with that secondary company to make sure they offer it and to get a proper quote for it since it may be different from a standard policy. Most companies have different underwriters, with different policies so you will want to make sure that the two you sign up for will compliment each other and both work when another policy is in place with another carrier. Ask lots of questions of both companies to be 100% certain that you are getting what you want before you sign on the dotted lines.
Also, a friend’s dog (Maltese) had a recent episode of acute pancreatitis but it is cured now after (expensive) treatment and all tests came up normal. He is interested in getting his dog insured too, if another episode like this to happen in the future would it be covered? Sorry for the long questions, I am very confused about pre-existing conditions. If I would to sign up for insurance, will my contract be specific to my dog (e.g., if there are exceptions, they should be listed?).
First, let’s address your 5-year-old Yorkie. I hope he is recovering well and feeling back to normal. Regarding the IVDD surgery and whether or not it would be a pre-existing condition can vary; however, a ruptured disc would more than likely remain a pre-existing condition for all pet insurance companies. Your best chance would be to contact Petplan. Petplan covers curable pre-existing conditions after 365 days, a ruptured disc may be considered curable (you’d need to speak with them directly to clarify). You can learn more about Petplan in our individual review here.
As for your friend’s Maltese with a history of pancreatitis, I believe this would remain a pre-existing condition for all pet insurance companies. Pancreatitis spontaneously occurs and isn’t well understood by vets. Your friend can try to prevent reoccurrences, but there are no guarantees that they can completely avoid it.
Unfortunately, pre-existing conditions can prevent some illnesses, injuries and diseases from being covered by pet insurance companies. Our best suggestion, is to get your dog covered with insurance as early in their life as possible. I realize that your Yorkie has already had a pretty big surgery and it may not be covered if it were to cause issues in the future, but there is also a large list of other claims you could have covered for him in the future. The same goes for your friend’s Maltese. We advocate for pet insurance because it can prevent large, unexpected vet bills in the future.
Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck deciding. You can learn more about pet insurance and the top companies we recommend here. The article includes a comparison table of what each company covers, waiting periods and more.
It’s almost like if a dog breaks a leg and it is cured, all future broken legs would be considered pre-existing conditions. The other part of the process I’m confused, insurance companies seem to request medical history with the first claim rather than during enrollment. I would prefer to submit everything during enrollment so they can tell me if my dog has pre-existing conditions. I am afraid to have an issue in the future and be denied a claim cause of this poorly defined existing condition clause. Healthy Paws definition of pre-existing condition is enormously broad.
And the coverage was a fraud, they claimed a pre-existing condition when clearly the reason for the procedure was new.
Go to the Better Business Bureau website where you will see dozens of complaints, a 1 star avg reviews, and multiple comments calling for a lawsuit. I would sue them if I were in the same state, and win.
They claim the mouth isn’t covered, what else isn’t covered eyes?,ears, nose and probably whatever your dog has . I paid in about $1500 maybe they don’t start paying until you pay in $5000. Oh and don’t forget the $200 deductible and 20% copay.
My rating 1 star.
We’re never happy when we can’t cover a claim for one of our clients. We make every effort to be transparent throughout our website, during the enrollment process and in the policy documents available to each client in their online Healthy Paws account regarding the limited exclusions of our policy. Those exclusions are pre-existing conditions, preventative/routine care and the office visit fee. Anyone visiting our website can see this information on our “Benefits, Coverage and Exclusions” page.
Our complete accident and illness plan covers injury to the teeth if it is caused by an accident, including extractions and reconstruction of damaged teeth. Like some other pet insurance companies, our plan does not cover the regular dental care required to maintain dental hygiene for the pet. By making routine dental cleaning part of the pet parent’s financial responsibility, it allows us to offer a complete accident and illness plan at an affordable monthly premium. Our policyholders value comprehensive accident/illness coverage and unlimited benefits at reasonable rates, which is why they choose to assume the responsibility of paying for those costs.
The Healthy Paws Team
Thank you for taking your time and sharing the information. I am in the process of researching what pet insurance would be the best choice for me. I was leaning toward Healthy Paws but now… Very disappointed that they couldn’t even respond to your post.
Good luck!
The only hope is some provider is willing to step up as the primary, then Pets Best can works as a secondary. However, in that case, it would be a drastic change from my original idea (noted on December 23 above) of having the current Pets Best policy as the primary and have the following cons:
1) Higher upfront costs (doubling premium and deductible), say, on the order of $700/year or $7,000/10 years in a hypothetical scenario. This does not sound worth it from an insurance point of view; i.e., you could save that cost and take the risk and pay out of pocket if such a huge expense occurs.
2) Complicated claim process (more headaches, involving two providers). Now the primary is a new policy, which does not cover certain pre-existing conditions, which are probably the common occurring conditions at the moment and will have to be covered by the secondary policy.
Like you suggested on Dec 28, at this point, it does not seem worthwhile to get a second plan at all.
“Based on the medical records submitted, these are the clinical signs and symptoms of conditions noted by your veterinarian:
a) Suspect Allergies (Year/Date)
b) Medial luxating patella – grade II/IV bilaterally (Year/Date)
… if there is any condition that were to arise found to be related to allergies or knees, it may be deemed as pre-existing.”
On the positive side, they did not mark our dog’s periodontal/dental disease, which is considered curable.
2) Petplan’s medical record review is still underway – will take 30-40 days.
I’m just thinking aloud: guess such conditions could be considered very similarly by different providers, and thus Petplan could treat those as pre-existing as well, although their definition could differ slightly. At this point, perhaps it would make no sense to switch from our current Pets Best plan (unfortunately with a $5,000 annual max, no non-routine dental coverage) to a new plan (with high max and dental) any more, as such pre-existing conditions could be expensive.
Could somebody with more experience on medical record review comment or share your insight? Many thanks in advance.
1) Petplan covers curable pre-existing conditions after 365 days. So, for example, if the allergies aren’t an issue for 365 days Petplan may cover them after that time.
2) Petplan has pretty detailed dental coverage. If periodontal disease is an issue for your dog, you may want to see if Petplan will cover it.
Pets Best is an excellent provider to stick with, but it’s always good to look at your options in case you could get better prices or coverage. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights. My thoughts about your suggestion:
1) Allergies: all providers I talked to (Petplan included) said “allergies are considered non-curable and will be pre-existing for life”.
2) Looks like our best bet is to keep our Pets Best plan (with $5,000 annual max), and supplement it with some add-on or a secondary plan at a low premium (to keep the total cost affordable). Such options include:
2.1) Pets Best offers a cancer only plan, at about $15/month with a $8,000 annual max. But the downside is: cancer is not the only condition that can break your bank, and thus it seems very dicey to have this add-on. Maybe not worth it.
2.2) Enroll in a secondary plan with a different carrier, with an annual max about $15,000, but it’s not easy to keep the premium below $30/month, unless we raise the deductible to $500 and/or drop reimbursement level to 70%.
Here’re the quotes we got for a 6-year old, bichon-poodle mix, male dog (in San Jose, California):
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Carrier, Annual Max, Reimbursement, Deductible, Premium/month:
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*Quotes (as of Dec 23, 2018):
Figo $14,000 70% $500 $24.18 (add $4.85 for office visits)=> winner?
ASPCA $15,000 70% $500 $43.41
Petplan $15,000 70% $500 $48.32 (after 5% Caninejournal discount)
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* our current plan:
Pets Best $5,000 90% $200 $50.76 ($2 monthly installment included)
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If we take the above Figo option ($14,000 max), combined with our current Pets Best ($5,000 max), that will give a total of $19,000 annual max, which should be decent/sufficient, at a combined monthly premium of $24.18 + $50.76 = $75.
3) My specific questions are:
3.1) How would dual insurance policies work together?
(I do understand in principle, the two policies would complement, not duplicate, each other when it comes to claims/reimbursements, and the two carriers will talk to each other in this process. One policy can reimburse, within its coverage, what’s left unreimbursed by the other policy.)
3.2) How is the deductible calculated for dual policies? Can the same dollar amount paid count toward both policies’ deductibles? Or one needs to count them separately, say, $200 for Pets Best and $500 for Figo, and a total of $700 for combined dual policies?
Was wondering if anybody had similar experience of getting two plans and how it would work out in terms of both maximizing coverage and minimizing premium cost. Suggestions? Comments? Many thanks.
Thanks so much for your suggestion. Yes, we did check with Pets Best and discovered that (as I posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:17 am below) to increase our coverage beyond the current $5,000, we must start a new policy, which means unfortunately certain covered conditions under our current Pets Best plan will BECOME pre-existing conditions to be excluded from coverage under the new plan. In other words, we are stuck with the current Pets Best plan (a mistake made a few years back). This is the part of Pets Best that I don’t like, but have to live with.
If any claim under a Petplan policy is eligible for coverage or reimbursement by any other insurance, the Petplan policy shall be deemed excess insurance. Petplan requires the primary carrier’s Explanation of Benefits after they have assessed a claim to determine how much reimbursement may be issued under the Petplan policy.
While multiple policies for the same pet are not common, we are able to work this out with the other carrier to determine if Petplan coverage may apply to the condition/claim. It is important for pet owners to share with carriers when other insurance is in effect – the Petplan Claim Form has a section for policyholders to complete if other insurance applies.
After speaking with our Insurance Business Development Director, we have a concern with this. Petplan considers itself secondary to any other insurance that is in force. That means it will only pay after and only over and above what Pets Best does not pay. This would be fine if the premium reflected that – it doesn’t and there is no way for Petplan to give a discount for the primary policy. Another problem may arise if the Pets Best policy says the same thing (that if any other insurance is in force it considers it as excess). If that happens, then you could end up in a situation where neither carrier pays the claim.
We suggest reaching out to Pets Best and asking how it would handle another insurance being in force. If it would consider itself as the secondary insurance as well, we would not recommend getting a second insurance plan. We do not recommend getting a second insurance plan until you have something from Pets Best confirming that it would respond on a primary basis with Petplan being in force. Also, there would only be the primary coverage for the allergies and the knees since Petplan would exclude them as being pre-existing.
Let us know if you have any further questions.
Thanks for pointing this out. I asked Pets Best before and I believe they accept a secondary policy, but will double check tomorrow to see if they will act as the primary in this case and will report back what I find out. At the moment, I’m inclined to take Figo as our secondary, rather than Petplan which has ridiculously high premium, e.g., $174.70/month for $15k annual max/70% reimbursement/$500 deductible (for a bichon mix male dog at age 15), which is 3 times that of Figo. (Note this would be on top of what we will continue to pay Pets Best as the primary, and thus we cannot afford a high-premium secondary policy.) At the same time, I hesitate to take Figo because it’s a new provider, not yet being reviewed on Caninejournal. It would be very helpful to see your verdict on Figo soon, hopefully before I have to make a decision by January 2.
List below is a projected premium table (from online quotes, as of Dec 28, 2018) as our dog (bichon mix male) ages from 6 to 10 and then 15, where Petplan has the steepest rate increase.
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Provider/max/reimbursement%/deductible, Age: 6, 10, 15
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Primary policy
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PetsBest /$5k/90%/$200: 59.85, 127.37, 158.58
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Secondary policy
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Figo /$14k/70%/$500 (no vet fee): 24.18, 37.20, 51.68
ASPCA /$15k/70%/$500: 43.41, 78.14, 108.53
Petplan /$15k/70%/$500 (after 5% off): 48.32, 88.37, 174.70
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Just found two excess insurance policies could potentially work together. Here’s a quote from a Pets Best policy:
“This Policy is excess over any other valid and collectible insurance, whether: primary; *** excess ***; contingent; or on any other basis…
If you have other insurance that provides similar primary coverage or *** is also excess *** covering the same Covered Loss, our share of the Claim is the pro rata proportion that the applicable scheduled limit, or sub‐limit…”
I am also looking for secondary pet insurance, so I just wonder if you ever found the right combination for you or stayed with Pet’s Best? Thank you!
Figo is turning 6 years in two weeks. Would love to see your review on this young provider. They do have some attractive features and I’ll have to decide between Figo, ASPCA, and Petplan. It may sound stupid, but I had to enroll in Figo and Petplan to be eligible for their medical record review in order to determine which conditions are not covered. I also enrolled in ASPCA, which does not offer such a review. All three providers claim to offer non-routine dental coverage, which is the main reason for us to switch away from the current Pets Best plan (with $5,000 annual max) with no dental coverage whatsoever.
Today is my last day of 30-day trial for both. For our 6-year old bichon-poodle mix (12 lbs) in northern California, with unlimited coverage, $300 deductible, and 90% reimbursement, Figo’s monthly premium is $56.35, ASPCA’s $64.91, while Petplan’s $120.02 (even after the 5% discount from your link). One minor point: I did find Figo charged my next month’s premium on Day 24 of our enrollment, 6 days earlier than it’s supposed to be.
I understand Petplan and ASPCA are more established than Figo, which seems too young to have a track record to be compared with, but now that it’s almost 6 years old, it would be great to see your verdict on Figo. That would help me a lot with our decision. Thanks so very much in advance.
“The condition being claimed is related to progressive periodontal disease. Progressive periodontal disease and conditions secondary to periodontal disease are not part of policy coverage. Please refer to the “Exclusions Applicable to All Plans” section in your Policy Form.”
However, according to https://www.caninejournal.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it/#terms, “Non-Routine Dental” is covered by Pets Best. So I’m a bit puzzled by the accuracy of the info listed here. Can anybody clarify?
Thanks.
A. THINGS YOU MUST DO TO RECEIVE COVERAGE FOR
PERIODONTAL DISEASE:
1. For your Pet to be eligible for Periodontal Disease coverage,
your Pet must be free of any signs of Periodontal Disease prior to
the Policy Effective Date or during any Waiting Period. Beginning
at three years of age, your Pet’s teeth must have been cleaned
and examined under general anesthesia by a Veterinarian in the
thirteen months before the date of service for the Periodontal
Disease claim.
2. Any Periodontal Disease found during the examination
described in subsection (1) must be treated before Periodontal
Disease coverage becomes available for your Pet.
3. Pets younger than three years of age have no cleaning
or examination requirements, and will enjoy full coverage of
Periodontal Disease so long as there were no signs or symptoms
that pre-existed the Policy Effective Date or the expiration of any
Waiting Period.
B. WHAT IS COVERED FOR PERIODONTAL DISEASE IF YOU COMPLY
WITH SECTION 8.A., subject to the terms and conditions of this policy:
1. Endodontic treatment for canine and carnassial teeth.
2. Extractions.
I suggest checking your policy specifically and see what it says about the condition.
Thanks so much for your informative reply! I just dug out our policy (file downloaded: POL_IHC_5_PETS_PolicyBookletAnnualIllness_CA_v1.pdf). We are in California and have Pets Best $5,000 annual max plan for our five-year old bichon-poodle boy (he will be six in a few days).
The policy lists the following Items #23, #24 for Exclusions, without mentioning any of the conditions you noted above in order to obtain coverage for periodontal disease:
“23. Claims for teeth cleanings, except as provided under the Wellness Benefit if purchased. Gingivitis and progressive periodontal disease caused by the accumulation of tartar is not a covered expense.
24. Dental health care, however if injury to teeth is caused by an Accident, we do cover the cost of extractions of damaged teeth and of reconstruction of upper and lower canine teeth.”
We enrolled in the current Pets Best plan 2.5 years ago when our body was three. Had no idea then he would be prone to periodontal disease….
We are considering whether to switch to another plan with Pets Best or start with another company all over again. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Best,
Wayne
Thanks so much for reminding of pre-existing exclusions! In our case, in addition to the consideration of dental coverage, another motivation is to switch to a plan with no max, because our current Pets Best plan has a $5,000 annual max, which could be easily maxed out in the event that something serious happens. I called Pets Best today and was surprised to find out that even if we upgrade to such a plan within Pets Best, it would actually be considered as a new policy and pre-existing exclusion would apply. Our dog does have allergy, which is covered now, but would fall into this category to be excluded if we switch to any new plan (with the same or a new carrier).
Pets Best CSR also confirmed that they do not have any plan that covers non-routine dental (except for accidents).
Meanwhile, Pets Best offers a stand-alone Cancer Only plan, for ~$15/month ($200 deductible, 90% reimbursement), which can be purchased separately. Seems an option to consider, but cancer is not the only expensive condition that could happen to dogs (in our case, Bichon Poodle mix, 11 pounds). Other conditions like diabetes and knee problems would cost a fortune too.
I also called PetPlan. They do offer dental coverage for gum/periodontal disease, which is considered curable with no pre-existing exclusions! But they require a 1-year waiting period for this, which doesn’t sound bad. But again, if we switch, we would lose our current coverage for allergy. So far, allergy only costs a couple of hundred dollars a year (even without insurance), but gum disease cost $1,800 this year alone. So in principle, we would live with it if we trade dental for allergy coverage. But I’m not sure which one would be more expensive down the road, and was told allergy can stay forever.
It would be a hard decision. Neither one is ideal. Could go with two plans combined, but that won’t be cost effective either…
I’m trying to make a decision soon and take action before our dog turns 6-years old in a few days.
Any timely suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Thankfully,
Wayne
-Healthy Paws
-Pets Best
-Petplan
-24PetWatch
-AKC
-Embrace
-Trupanion
ASPCA/Hartville and Nationwide Pet Insurance do not have bi-lateral exclusions for CCL tears. However, I suggest double checking with both of these pet insurance providers before signing up with them to make sure we didn’t miss anything in the contracts that would exclude your dog’s right leg from coverage.
Let me know if you have any further questions!