To sustain this free service, we receive affiliate commissions via some of our links. This doesn’t affect rankings. Our review process.
When a copperhead snake snuck up and bit Alyssa Singer’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 Vincent’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.
Pet Insurance Reviews
Pet health insurance has been a growing industry and a passion of our’s since 2007. We work hard to bring you unique, unbiased reviews by conducting research and getting customer feedback. Below are our top three picks for pet insurance reviews this year, including our review criteria and what you should know about pet health insurance.
Our dog insurance reviews are constantly being updated so be sure to check in regularly for new information. Awards are given each year to help you find the best dog insurance company for your needs.
| Best | Runner-Up | 3rd Place |
 |  |  |
4.65 / 5.00 |
4.55 / 5.00 |
4.30 / 5.00 |
| Read Review | Read Review | Read Review |
| Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website |
Finding the best pet insurance can be a daunting task. That’s why we’ve done in-depth research and spoken with real customers for each company to bring you our top three picks this year. Below are some items you may want to check out to learn more about this subject.
- Open our pet insurance quotes to see an example of who offers the lowest prices.
Free Quotes From Our Top 3
- See how others compare to our top three by reading about the rest of the pack.
- Read why you can trust our review process and learn why we are a reputable source.
- Become an expert on pet insurance yourself by learning more.
- View our infographic to see some surprising statistics and fun facts.
- You may want to open up our pet health insurance terminology list for an easy side-by-side reference.
Price Of Policy Rating
Pet insurance is unique in our reviews in that the price of each policy is unique to your pet, and is calculated based on a huge number of variables, including but not limited to your pet’s age, breed, location (i.e., where you live), health conditions, and so forth. Our “price of policy” rating is calculated based on a number of quotes we run in addition to common 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 Is Healthy Paws The Best Pet Insurance?
Yippee! Healthy Paws is our winner! Why is Healthy Paws the top pet insurance? The competition was stiff this year, but ultimately, Healthy Paw’s consistent prices took them to top dog status!
- Lots of Plan Options with No Caps – We were impressed that Healthy Paws offers four annual deductible levels ($100, $250, $500 or $750), three percentage options for actual vet bill payouts (70%, 80% or 90%) and there is no cap (per-incident, lifetime, or otherwise) on any of their claims.
- No Yearly Limits – Once you meet your annual deductible, all policy-covered incidents will be paid during that year, while most companies pay back after each incident deductible has been met. 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).
Coupon Code
Use this link and you will automatically receive up to a 10% discount. The actual discount varies based on individual state regulations. You can also visit our dedicated HealthyPaws promotions page to discuss current offers.
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 – Pet Best offers an “Accident Only Plan” to cover you in case of unplanned emergencies, but it does not cover 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 – They offer 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 they offer two wellness plans.
Coupon Code
Our readers have access to an exclusive PetsBest discount of 5% off BestBenefit plans for the first year! Just use this link to get started (Eligible in all states except AK, FL, HI and TN and does not apply to accident-only plan or wellness rider). You can also visit our dedicated Pets Best promotions page to discuss current offers.
Read our in-depth review of Pets Best
3rd Place: Petplan
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 | 4.30 / 5.00 | |
| Policy Coverage | | Visit Website |
| Customer Service & Reputation | | |
| Timeliness of Claim Payment |  | |
| Price of Policy |  | |
Why Is Petplan Our #3 Pick?
- Fully Customizable Plans with No Limits – Pet owners considering Petplan can create a plan to best meet their needs and budget with a choice of maximum annual coverage amount ($2,500 to unlimited coverage), annual deductible ($250 to $1,000) and reimbursement rate (70%, 80% or 90%). There may be even more options available to you through the call center at this number: 800-237-1123 (our exclusive 5% discount will be honored for this phone call as well).
- Good Customer Service – Petplan is among the best customer service options available in this industry, with 24-hour customer service via live chat, phone, email, FAQ, mail, and fax.
- The Policy is Crystal Clear – Petplan’s program gets points for clarity – they are very specific about what your duties are as a pet parent and what they do and don’t cover, so there are no guessing games involved.
- Expanded Coverage – Petplan covers advertising lost pets, losing your pet, cancelled vacation due to pet illness, etc., which isn’t something widely covered by competitors.
Coupon Code
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.
Read our in-depth review of Petplan
The Rest Of The Pack
Here’s a list of companies we include in our annual pet insurance reviews with the year they were founded:
- First: Healthy Paws 2009
- Second: Pets Best 2005
- Third: Petplan U.S. 2003
- 24PetWatch 2000
- AKC Pet Healthcare 2003
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance 1997
- Embrace 2003
- Figo 2013 (will be added to our review this year)
- Nationwide acquired VPI in 2014 and started selling pet insurance as Nationwide (VPI was founded in 1982)
- PetFirst 2004
- Trupanion 2000
New Entrants Are Not Reviewed
Many new pet insurance companies are popping up due to the popularity and high demand.
In the past, we have seen new companies enter the pet insurance space with extremely low prices. However, after some time in business and paying some claims these companies increase their prices 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 established company.
Because of this, we have decided not to review pet insurance companies that don’t have at least 5 years of experience (i.e., FIGO, founded in 2013, is right on the cusp). We feel that this gives companies time to establish a consistent pricing system and reputation, which helps us evaluate them better and gives customers a better idea of what to expect.
Why You Can Trust Our Reviews
Want to know how we come up with our winners and where we get our information?
Unlike some other sites, our reviews are conducted by writers and researchers who have no information about the monetary affiliation or relationships our site may have with any merchants discussed. We take great pride in this since our reviews are authentic, and you can trust us.
Some of the links you see are affiliate links. These links are added after the review is complete. What does this mean? It means that we receive a commission if you click on the link and buy. There is no price upcharge and the service offered is the same. This is how we can afford our continuous research on pet insurance comparisons so we can provide the highest quality and most up to date information for you.
If you’d like to learn more about how we complete our reviews and our business, you can read our review process.
Learn More About Pet Insurance
While understanding who the best pet insurance companies is important, maybe you still need to get up-to-speed on the basics. So, we created a pet insurance 101 guide for those who are looking to learn more. It 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
This helpful guide will give you a good understanding of your options when it comes to insuring your furriest family members.
Video: Benefits Of Pet Insurance
This video serves as a great introduction to dog insurance and the benefits of owning a policy:
Reasons To Get Pet Insurance Infographic
Our dog health insurance infographic shows pet statistics and average costs of medical expenses.
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 where 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 were not planning to spend, and most of us 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 four-pawed friends, not worrying about having to pay for unexpected medical bills.
Got more questions? Hit us up in the comments below.
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.
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):
——————————————————————————————–
Carrier, Annual Max, Reimbursement, Deductible, Premium/month:
——————————————————————————————–
*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)
——————————————————————————————–
* our current plan:
Pets Best $5,000 90% $200 $50.76 ($2 monthly installment included)
——————————————————————————————–
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.
—————————————————————
Provider/max/reimbursement%/deductible, Age: 6, 10, 15
—————————————————————
Primary policy
—————————————————————
PetsBest /$5k/90%/$200: 59.85, 127.37, 158.58
—————————————————————
Secondary policy
—————————————————————
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
—————————————————————
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…”
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!
My Cat was diagnosed with a benign hemangioma (basically a bloody non-cancerous tumor) on his toe and the hemangioma and the toe was completely removed. The vet considers him cured. Would insurance agencies still consider this a pre-existing condition even if non-cancerous, removed and considered cured?
Thanks!
If you are looking for routine dental cleanings to be included, you will probably want to explore adding a wellness component to your policy. Not every wellness plan has this coverage though so be sure to read carefully. We would recommend adding BestWellness to a PetsBest insurance plan. https://www.caninejournal.com/pet-wellness-plans/#pets-best
I created a spread sheet to calculate the costs, one of them being break even, for a 1k deductible and a 65% reimb @ $25 a month you would need to have a bill of around $1500, I can put that in the bank every year and in the 10-14 year life of my dog I would be willing to bet that the cost would be less. So to answer your question at this point if I was to pick a health ins company it would Be Embrace they are the only one that I found that could answer all my crazy questions in language that made sense and matched what was in their policy, and they don’t play games with the deductible, I will stay FAR away from Pets Best they flat out tell me one thing that is not in their policy and they kept answering with answers that had nothing to do with the questions to avoid it, what else is not in the policy but is required to maintain coverage?…
I would suggest speaking with Healthy Paws about what types of increases you should expect each year for your specific dog. Hopefully that will give you an idea of what you could be facing. Let me know if I can help you out in any other way! Good luck!
PS- ion the paperwork from the adoption agency it has a pre-existing skin issue that the vet has determined no longer exists will the condition ever be covered?
I can already see how hard Pets Best pushes to try to get that proof. We are in the process of our first (very simple) claim to try to get credit toward our deductible for <$20 of anxiety meds. PB wants everything but the kitchen sink from our vet/us. So now I realize, they have her full records, and let's say…if she has any future stomach issues, they'll use it against us that she saw a vet (the week before her coverage began) for being sick from eating poop in the woods. Even though I know any GI issues in the future are unrelated, they'll still say it's pre-existing.
Note that some of these companies don't allow repeat occurrences within 12 months, either. Like, if your dog gets an ear infection and it's covered once, then gets another one within 12 months, they'll deny it. I've read many, many comments to that effect.
Just be smart. Know what's in your dog's records, and think to yourself if it's honestly worth it to try to have Illness coverage. Look at it from the insurance company's eyes and try to imagine what they'll use against you. Do you really want to pay premiums for years, only to find out everything is "pre-existing" when the time comes to use your policy?
I think we're going to go with Accident-Only, and that's that.
I thought ‘pets best’ also had no annual limits? But do they have “limited lifetime coverage and per incident limits on claims”?
Does petbest coverage of hip displaysia after age 6 get reduced as well?
-Healthy Paws
-Pets Best
-Petplan
-Trupanion
-ASPCA/Hartville
-Nationwide
Pets Best does not have an age restriction for hip dysplasia coverage.
Some key reasons we think Healthy Paws is better than Pets Best:
1) Healthy Paws is highly rated and has been consistent with its underwriter. This shows its stability in pet insurance.
2) Healthy Paws offers good pricing for always unlimited coverage, which is what we recommend.
3) Pets Best’s underwriter is unrated, which is considered a higher risk. This makes us nervous a little.
Let me know if you have any further questions!
-Healthy Paws
-Pets Best
-Petplan plans to launch Petplan Pay+, which allows Petplan to pay vets directly but not until third quarter of 2018
-ASPCA/Hartville
-24PetWatch
-Trupanion
Embrace and Nationwide do not have the option to pay vets directly.
Thank you for all the great information. I love that fact that you are answering every comment too. very awesome!!
My Question: is there something wrong with Geiko/Nation Wide/Progressive? I am looking at Nation Wide right now and quoted me at 43 for emergencies and wellness. looks like Nation has their own through petinsurance.com where as Progressive runs through Pets Best.
regards,