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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).
Coupon Code
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.
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.
Coupon Code
Pets Best offers two discounts that you may be eligible for when you use this link:
- 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.
Coupon Code
Our readers have access to an exclusive 5% off a new FIGO pet insurance policy -just use this link to get started.
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:
——————————————————————————————–
*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.
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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!
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,
Thank you!
To answer your questions, yes, pet insurance companies do cover rescue dogs. Most companies require a vet visit within a specific time frame before coverage begins to help them determine the dog’s overall health. As for holistic vet care, I think you’ll find this comparison table helpful. It compares all of the best pet insurance companies and shows what each one covers compared to the rest. Let me know if you have any other questions!
–Healthy Paws: Healthy Paws has one bilateral-exclusion in its policy, applying to cruciate ligament problems. Your pet would be eligible for coverage for future cruciate ligament injuries if there had been no signs/symptoms with either leg before enrollment or during the 15 day waiting period. As your pet has sustained an injury to one of the cruciate ligaments prior to enrollment, Healthy Paws would not be able to provide coverage for any future treatment for the cruciate ligament on both the right and left leg. So Healthy Paws probably isn’t the choice for you since you want TPLO covered.
–Pets Best: From what I’ve read in the sample policy, it appears to have a 6-month waiting period for CCL tear no matter what. If symptoms were present AND you follow the guidelines and there are no symptoms for 18 months then it looks like it would be covered. So all that being said, if your dog went 18 months without any issues with the CCL tear, you could then sign up for Pets Best and it looks to me like it would be covered if he ever needed surgery. HOWEVER, I suggest talking this over with Pets Best before signing up and make sure that we are understanding it correctly.
–Petplan: Petplan says they will cover the other CCL if the first leg remains healed for 12 months.
–Embrace: Since knees are bilateral, that would be a preexisting conditions. So going with Embrace would not be a good option for your case.
As we always tell our readers, before signing up be sure to discuss this with your pet insurance company so it is clear what will and will not be covered. If there are any other questions you may have, please let me know and I can do my best to help!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. We want you to make an informed purchase decision that you’re happy with!
Let me know if you have any other questions or if you’d like help comparing two companies directly! Best of luck š
You can also look at our Pet Insurance Quotes page for sample quotes. According to our quotes from April 2017, Nationwide, FIGO and Healthy Paws were among the least expensive a couple times.
If it came down to those three companies being the least expensive for your dog as well within a few dollars, I would choose Healthy Paws. It has a history of great service and in the situation where your dog falls ill, the last thing you want to do is not have something covered that you thought should be covered.
Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!
With your least expensive option being Pets Best, I would say choosing it as your insurance company is a great route to go. As you mentioned, Pets Best is currently our #2 pick for pet insurance. So it is a good company in our eyes and we love that you’re able to get such a great, low monthly price. Please let me know if I can help you further!
Also, a lot of insurance companies don’t cover office visits for regular check ups. Banfield has wellness plans where they have unlimited office visits free of charge, vaccinations, heart worm medication, etc. Would it be best to just have the insurance and then the wellness plan on the side? Please advise.
There is a chance that your dog may need surgery in the future for the cruciate ligament tear. I recommend asking your vet how much the surgery would cost and starting to save a little each month, so if/when the surgery is necessary you are prepared financially. We do have this article, How Much Does Cruciate Ligament Dog Surgery Cost, which might be helpful too.
In regards to Banfield, I recommend you read this Banfield Review and be sure to look at the comment section too.
If you look at this comparison table, you can see which companies cover ACL Surgery and if so, what the waiting period is. However, you’ll also want to note that also included in the table is a row for Pre-existing Conditions, which no company has a checkmark for.
Ultimately, we always recommend that pet parents obtain pet insurance for their dogs the moment they bring them home. Let me know if you have any further questions!
If you do not have pet insurance yet, I recommend looking into Pets Best. From what we’ve read on Pets Best’s sample policy, it looks like there is a 6-month waiting period for CCL tear no matter what. If symptoms were present AND you follow the guidelines and there are no symptoms for 18 months then it looks like it would be covered. So all that being said, if your dog went 18 months without any issues with the CCL tear, you could then sign up for Pets Best and it looks to us like it would be covered if he ever needed surgery. HOWEVER, I suggest talking this over with Pets Best before signing up and make sure that we are understanding it correctly.
I Hate Petplan. They raised the rates on us as well as our dog aged…from 1500 a year to 4000! They said they had a new underwriter. Everything at that point was a pre existing condition so we couldn’t switch and just cancelled. They also charge a deductible per incident…the others have a yearly deductible. Canine Journal is getting a kick back with their discount links.
Purchasing pet insurance while your dog is 8 months old is the best time to purcahse the insurance. The monthly premium will most likely increase as the dog ages, but it will be at a much slower rate than if you purchased pet insurance for your dog when she’s 3, 5 or even 10 years old.
I suggest you take a look at our pet insurance coverage comparison table. The table shows what is and isn’t covered compared to other pet insurance providers. You’ll notice specifically that hip dysplasia is covered by Healthy Paws, however, there is a 12 month waiting period, which means your dog wouldn’t be covered with hip dysplasia until she is 20 months old. Most pet insurance providers have a waiting period for hip dysplasia but not as long. If this is a concern of yours, I’d recommend considering Pets Best, which only has a 14-day waiting period. Pets Best is our second pick for best pet insurance provider, so it is an excellent choice as well.
Let me know if you have any other questions about pet insurance. I want to make sure you are comfortable with your decision and have all your questions answered.
i work for a European company we manufacture an innovative dialysis equipment for small/medium size pets and we would enter the US market offering this new treatment NOT available now in the US. Dialysis for PETs is available now in the US, but, only for big size pet because vets are using human dialysis machines and these machines need a lot of blood to work, small/medium size pets have not enough blood to work with those human equipment
I am now kindly asking you, as far as you know, if PETs insurances health plans cover dialysis treatment and how much insurance pay for this treatment, i read a lot about this on the web, but, treatment prices are very high and we would help PETs owners offering a reasonable price treatment
i thank you very much for your attention at me and looking forward to read from you
kind regards
Francesco
Even though we could not keep your increase as low as we would have liked, our competitors premiums are historically higher overall than your premium with Healthy Paws. Our management team works hard to keep your premiums as low as possible, but there continues to be an overall increase in the frequency of high-value treatments performed by veterinarians.
Healthy Paws: If pet is older than 6 you must have vet exam within past 30 days for enrollment. If not, you must get one within 15 days for the new policy to be effective.)
Pets Best: No exam required to enroll.
Petplan: If there are no vet visits in the past 12 months, then you must take your dog to the vet in the first 30 days of the policy to start a baseline of health. If your pet is 6 years or older, this vet visit needs to occur within the 30 days before or after your policy start date.
There are also waiting periods for illnesses and accidents, which you can see in the table here. Below are the waiting periods for our top three.
Healthy Paws Illnesses 15 days; Accidents 15 days
Pets Best Illnesses 14 days; Accidents 3 days
Petplan Illnesses 15 days; Accidents 5 days
With all of this information, it looks like Pets Best may be a good option for you since they don’t require an exam to enroll. However, you will have to wait 3 days to take your dog to the doctor for an ACL issue. Before signing up with Pets Best we recommend checking with them on all of this information. We’d hate for you to sign up and not get what we thought you were signing up for. Please let us know which company you choose!
We do our best 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 (veterinary exam fee). Anyone visiting our website can see this information on our “Benefits, Coverage and Exclusions” page.
All claim decisions are based off of your pet’s medical records and the signs/symptoms that are noted by your veterinarian. Most pet insurance companies including Healthy Paws use a pet’s medical records and notes written by the attending veterinarian to determine if there are any pre-existing conditions which would keep us from approving a claim. Without being able to look at your Healthy Paws account, it sounds as though your veterinarian associated some of your pet’s conditions to a pre-existing condition and therefore, it was not eligible for coverage. We’re sorry your pet is ill and hope they’re feeling better,
Do all pet insurance companies work in the following way? Lets say your dog needs a x-ray Your vet charges $75. However, the pet insurance believes the reasonable cost is $65. From the $65 they will pay you 80% of that.
Thank you in advance,
Sue
I have received no e-mail with responses. I have seen a few responses. Thank you for your helpful site.
We always recommend getting quotes from our top three picks. It sounds like Pets Best may be the best option, but make sure to compare against other companies. Pets Best offers a wellness plan and covers older dogs. Before purchasing, make sure you have a clear understanding of what illnesses/accidents will not be covered for your dogs since there are some pre-existing conditions for them.
This table may be helpful for you to see what each company covers and you can compare them against one another. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I’m so sorry your pups are experiencing some health issues.
When you do your new audit and have any questions about Figo, please feel free to reach out to someone on our team.
Since adopting a dog last summer, I decided that I really needed to get with the program and get pet health insurance for all three of my pets (one dog, two cats). These reviews are an immense help! Thank you!
I know this is a dog forum, but I can’t seem to track down an answer to this elsewhere on line, I thought I’d ask here: I’m trying to find a plan for my cats that cover dental cleanings. Embrace seems to cover $400 (under their wellness reimbursement), but I just had a friend pay nearly $4000 for her two cats. Are there any other insurance options that cover that kind of procedure Thank you!
Did you friend pay $4,000 for two cats’ dental cleanings alone?! That seems a bit overpriced. Was there other work that was done as well?
I think there were extractions and such that they had to perform once they got in there, thus a high price tag. My cats are 7, so I’m worried that there will need to be a similar level of care done to them, once they are under. And the potential for a $4k price tag is a little overwhelming.
Thank you for all your advice!
I was thinking I would need an insurance that had a wellness plan, to help cover my cats’ teeth, including extractions. I was going to go with either healthypaws or petplan for my dog. I know that neither of those cover wellness, but do either of them (or Embrace) help with dental extractions? Do you know if any of the top 3 offer multi-pet discounts?
Thank you so so much for your help with this!!!
Here’s my thoughts:
Since you’d have to pay extra for the wellness plan from Embrace and extra for the non-routine dental coverage, I wouldn’t go with them. The price would most likely end up being higher. But be sure to run quotes to make sure my thoughts are correct.
Healthy Paws doesn’t offer a multi pet discount so you’d have to pay full price for each pet, which isn’t bad but you could get a better deal with Petplan since they do offer a multi pet discount.
I would probably have Petplan as my first choice in your situation. Petplan would give you a discount for the multiple pets and you could get coverage for the non-routine dental work and pay out of pocket for those yearly cleanings.
However, make sure that the extractions won’t be considered pre-existing. I’d hate for you to go to all this trouble to not have them covered. If there are any signs of dental issues on your cats’ records the insurance company most likely won’t cover the extractions. (That goes for any insurance company.)
And as always, run quotes for each of the top 3 companies to make sure my thoughts are in line with what is true for your situation. Who knows, it could be cheaper to go with Embrace and purchase the wellness plan in addition to the non-routine dental coverage!
Let me know if you have any other questions!
There is no signs of any dental issues, or distress on my cats’ behalf, just my own paranoia of knowing how these things go.
Thank you again so much! I will run all the numbers, but I am incredibly grateful for your assistance in this issue!
-If you have the Whole Pet with Wellness plan it reimburses 90% of your vet bill. This includes treatment for ACL related services with no waiting period, providing the ACL injury is not pre-existing.
-The Standard plan, Superior plan, Medical plan and Major Medical plan offer benefits for the ACL, as long as the policy has been in force for a minimum of twelve consecutive months and the condition is not pre-existing to the policy. Any ACL-related services within the first twelve months will not be covered per the terms of the policy.
However, I found in another section on VPI’s website the following:
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries Within First 12 Months of Coverage
The diagnosis, medical management or surgical correction of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage or rupture that occurs during the first 12 months of the policy is not covered. Diagnosis and treatment of ACL injuries after the policy has been continuously in effect for longer than 12 months may be eligible for coverage.
This is very vague and unclear in my opinion. So I decided to reach out to them. I just sent the message this morning and will make sure to let you know what I hear back. I’m not getting a good feeling about their ACL coverage. If they are guaranteeing that an ACL tear on the second leg is covered, I would request that they state that in the contract for you. Very clearly. However, it is still confusing.
In the mean time, feel free to take a look at this comment thread. It includes our top 3 picks and how they handle ACL tears.
In summary, if your dog’s other ACL was torn in that first year it would not be covered.
Let us look into this more so we can be sure we provide you the right answer. Stay tuned…
Healthy Paws says if your pet was showing any problems with the other knee before enrollment it is considered a pre existing condition. So HP will cover the other knee if you sign up today (with no knee problems in that other leg) and your GSD tears her other CCL in the future.
Petplan says they will cover the other CCL if the first leg remains healed for 12 months.
So between Healthy Paws and Petplan it sounds like Healthy Paws is the better option since there is no mention of a healing period like there is with Petplan (12 months). However, before signing up be sure to discuss this with your pet insurance company.
I have also contacted Embrace but am waiting for a reply. I will let you know what I hear back and if I find any other information about this.
In regards to your question, Healthy Paws has only one bilateral-exclusion on our policy, applying to cruciate ligament problems. Your pet would be eligible for coverage for future cruciate ligament injuries if there had been no signs/symptoms with either leg before enrollment or during the 15 day waiting period. As your pet has sustained an injury to the right cruciate ligament prior to enrollment, we would not be able to provide coverage for any future treatment for the cruciate ligament on both the right and left leg.
So going with Embrace would not be a good option for your case.
Unfortunately, compensation is a necessary part of operating a business. So we have chosen to receive affiliate compensation rather than ask our readers to pay . We have researchers, writers, editors, analytics, marketing, social media and content strategists to pay for all of their hard work. I hope you can understand our business process and please reconsider our reviews. We pride ourselves in being honest, unbiased and trustworthy to our readers. I hope you find a pet insurance company that works great for you and your pup!
If you’d like to learn more about our review process you can read about it here: https://www.caninejournal.com/our-review-process/
We’d love to hear about your experience with FIGO! Tell us what you love/hate about them.
This is the note by caninejournal above: “Use this link and you’ll receive a 10% discount. If for any reason the 10% discount doesn’t show up, add in the SAVE10 healthy paws discount code to make sure you get this web discount”.
1. I would never know if I truly would get the discount, but I used the link. I used the link, I got a $40.59 quote for my pet.
2. I did not use the link; i went straight to their website. I got a $40.59 quote for my pet. Same input; same output. Just did not use the link.
3. I started over; did not use the link, just went straight to the website, but not I entered the “save10” discount code. I got $40.59 on my quote.
4. I called the customer rep from Healthypaw to understand. I explained the above and got an answer. “Yes you are getting a 10% discount”
5. I said – “I’m sorry if I’m a bit skeptical, especially after what I’ve seen and shared with you. Let me try again. Same outcome.
6. I asked again: “Am I truly getting the discount? 10% is a good discount and I don’t want either caninejournal or healthypaw to mislead me”. The customer representative said – “yes”. I said: “well, maybe this is not the right plan for me”. I was not expecting a harsh reaction. I was hoping she would do something for me. She abruptly said – “We want to make sure we have happy customers. Good bye”. No other consideration or attempt to resolve the matter; talk to a supervisor or an apologize for my struggle; or doing something. Nope. She abruptly said that phrase and hang up right after. No time for me to say anything else. I thought that was rude. I noticed that caninejournal says in its review and I will quote: “They have great customer service”
5. I thought. Let me take a step further. Maybe Healthypaw got my email and the discount is linked to my email. Let me rule that out. I asked my wife to go straight to the website (no link from canine journal used); plus, she used her email (different email obviously); she entered a fake name of pet, not my pet’s name (just in case the quote was linked to my pet). My wife obviously, kept all remaining inputs the same: age, address, zip code, breed. Are you curious about the outcome? The quote came up at $40.59. Shocking.
6. I called again, and went to the prompts. I got Lisa. I did not even mention why I called. She said: I’m just the just the receptionist. Nobody is available right now. I can ask someone to call you back when they are done. I asked: “Can I wait on the call center queue?” She said: “no, that’s not an option”. I asked: “Am I calling during business hours?”. She said: “Yes”.
7. I thought: well, how can I not wait on the queue? It is not a call center? I’m sure I called the call center number on its website (1-855-898-8991).
8. It MIGHT be because today is Sat and not the cream of the crop is working on Sat. Don’t know. But, it is just another watch out on customer service.
9. So, bottom line: watch out on the discount note by caninejournal and also the discount that Healthypaw claims they offer. I’m offering all the details so you, consumer, can judge by yourself. I was hoping Healthypaw could reach me out and clarify this. All this happened between 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM EST. My quotes and contact info are there for the 27560 zip code. There won’t be a hundred people quoting at the same time for this zip code at the time indicated above. It will be easy to find my contact info. But I’m a bit skeptical. And it is unlikely that will come back to this forum just because I don’t do this very often. So, I won’t see any replies. Consumers, watch out. Cheers!
There are discounts on both Step 1 and Step 2 of HP’s funnel. On Step 1, HP communicates you’ll be receiving lifetime discounts and on Step 2 HP communicates the actual savings. Actual savings works out to be about a month free every year. If your discounts were showing up the same with and without the link/code then it’s possibly a caching issue.
I hope this helps and let me know if there’s anything else we can do for you!
Also, just to be clear there is no difference whether you click the link or not – caching is not the issue.
We wanted to do a little research to make sure we give you correct info on this one since we had never heard of anyone carrying two policies on their pet.
– When considering two insurance policies to cover the same condition usually one would have to be a primary insurance policy and the other would be considered secondary insurance. The primary would cover as much as possible under the policy terms and then the second insurance would ‘kick in’. Filing with both companies as the primary, for full reimbursement, would be considered insurance fraud! I would recommend checking with each company on how this situation would be handled under their policy terms.
– Both Petplan and Embrace use the same criteria when determining annual rate increases with premiums adjusted in future policy years based on veterinary inflation and age factors. Here are links to the information on Embrace’s criteria for annual rate increases:
o https://www.embracepetinsurance.com/after-you-enroll/renewing/aging
o https://www.embracepetinsurance.com/after-you-enroll/renewing/veterinary-inflation
o https://www.embracepetinsurance.com/after-you-enroll/renewing/pet-population-changes
– We have run sample quotes this week with Petplan for a medium mixed breed for 6 months, 2 years, 4 years, and 8 years to show how their premiums change based off of current data. (*5% online discount applied, using zip code 19073, bronze policy, $200 deductible, and 80% reimbursement) 6 months – $23.67, 2 years – $25.79, 4 years – $33.13, 8 years – $55.72.
As an aside, I have received quotes from almost all pet insurance carriers and I currently signed up for a 2 month free trial with Embrace. I received a quote from Embrace before signing up for the free trial. Once I received my policy for the 2 month free trial from Embrace there was already a price increase to continue the policy after the 2 month free trial than from my original quote. I called to see why and to see if they could adjust this to the original quote. On the plus side, there was really no hold time and the customer service rep was very friendly. She was going to look into this and I asked her to email me back. I was emailed promptly, maybe within 15 minutes and I was told that the original quote was only good if I purchased it within 24 hours and that the quote from my 2 month free trial reflects a projected increase for my state in September.
At this point this really has more of a feeling of a free trial with a bumped rate and that makes me feel uneasy about pet insurance. I did send a reply email to a customer service rep that evening, but I haven’t heard back so if I don’t hear something back on Monday, I’ll follow up and post. I will mention that the increase is not that much a difference $0.32 more per month, but it’s still a negative difference. My plan was to sign up for the free trial and immediately lock the original quote I received. I was just really surprised that the increase came with the free trial.
VPI has been criticized for low reimbursement rates and occasional customer service snafus, but I have had only good experiences and, on the whole, have been very pleased. Since they do not cover breeding dogs, and because the pet insurance field has expanded so rapidly with so many options, I will be looking elsewhere for more comprehensive coverage for our new puppy. The list published here is just one of the helpful articles I’ve found in doing my research.
In short, my advice to folks is three-fold: 1. Do your homework: get quotes from as many companies as you can and read them thoroughly; read reviews of those companies; ask questions of your friends, family, kennel clubs, vets, and – most importantly – the companies themselves (Do they have more than one plan available? Does your premium change or does the plan’s coverage change when your dog reaches a certain age? Are there breed restrictions or additional costs for things like breeding?) 2. Know your own limits: what can you spend monthly; what are you willing to spend in the event of an emergency; to what extent are you willing to treat your pet medically? and finally, 3. Know your pet’s limits (and be honest!): How active is your pet? What has his/her medical history been? Is his/her health likely to improve or become more complicated as s/he ages? What kind of shape is s/he in? If you can be honest and well-prepared, you’ll find a worthwhile solution.
This obviously has raised a red flag for me on pursuing PetPlan. It also raises questions of how this can be the #1 rated pick? Is this a truly objective article or funded by the companies? Are these unfounded concerns?
Thank you. We do a lot of work to make sure our reviews are unbiased and provide the best recommendations for our readers. I am not sure about the BBB ratings you found but the Petplan we have reviewed is also known as Fetch, Inc. and they are located in Philadelphia, PA. You can find their rating of A+ here: http://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/insurance-companies/fetch-incorporated-in-newtown-sq-pa-155937065 That being said, you are correct to do your research as company’s certainly change over time. I can tell you first hand that I have Petplan for my dogs and have been very happy with their help when I needed it. You can read the story of my dear Lily here. Good luck and keep us posted on your decisions. Thanks!
We had a similar experience as some other people: we were shocked (and really disappointed) to see the premiums for both dogs go up staggeringly after the first few years, and they have increased each year. The year I lost my job, we had to make some ugly choices, but making other sacrifices to keep pet insurance was the best. decision. ever.
Even with the jumps in premium…
Total premiums paid over the last 9 years= ~$2,100 per dog.
Reimbursement for non-ACL knee injury in 2012 = $2,000 for one dog.
Reimbursement for ACL knee injury in 2014= $2,000 for same dog.
The vet says that there’s a good chance the other ACL will need to be treated in the next year, because that’s just how knees work. But I am losing no sleep about it. If I met a Happiness Manager in person, I would hug them and maybe cry, because my dogs are healthy and I’m about to cash the reimbursement check that’s going to let me pay my mortgage this month.
Petplan is efficient, comprehensive, and doesn’t try to make medical decisions in place of the vet–they pay based on what a vet says is necessary.
We had a similar experience as some other people: we were shocked (and really disappointed) to see the premiums for both dogs go up staggeringly after the first few years, and they have increased each year. The year I lost my job, we had to make some ugly choices, but making other sacrifices to keep pet insurance was the best. decision. ever.
Even with the jumps in premium…
Total premiums paid over the last 9 years= ~$2,100 per dog.
Reimbursement for non-ACL knee injury in 2012 = $2,000 for one dog.
Reimbursement for ACL knee injury in 2014= $2,000 for same dog.
The vet says that there’s a good chance the other ACL will need to be treated in the next year, because that’s just how knees work. But I am losing no sleep about it. If I met a Happiness Manager in person, I would hug them and maybe cry, because my dogs are healthy and I’m about to cash the reimbursement check that’s going to let me pay my mortgage this month.
Petplan is efficient, comprehensive, and doesn’t try to make medical decisions in place of the vet–they pay based on what a vet says is necessary.