Pet Insurance

Pumpkin vs Healthy Paws: Side By Side Comparison With A Clear Winner

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Two spotted terrier dogs looking at each other off leash one is growling and they are standing in tall grass on a sunny day

Pumpkin Pet Insurance is quickly creating some buzz with its extensive coverage and plan customization options. But how does it compare against Healthy Paws, a stable pet insurance provider with a great reputation? We put them head to head to choose a clear winner for most pet owners.

We compare coverage, customer service and reputation, claim processing, pricing, and customizations and explain which company we think is better in most cases. But, remember that each pet and household budget varies, so obtaining quotes from multiple companies for your unique situation can help ensure that you get the best policy and price to meet your needs.

PumpkinHealthy Paws
Policy CoverageExtensiveLimited
Customer Service & ReputationUncertain, NewExcellent, Stable
Claim Processing Average5 Days2-15 Days
Price Of Policy (avg)HigherVariable
Plan CustomizationsRestrictedRestricted
Overall WinnerBrown checkmark (Yes)
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Policy Coverage

Policy Coverage Winner

The table below shows precisely what Pumpkin and Healthy Paws cover.

Both companies cover emergency care, surgery and hospitalization, specialized exams and specialty care, X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, cat scans, MRIs, rehabilitation, cancer, chronic conditions, euthanasia, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, non-routine dental treatment, and prescription medications.

Neither covers pre-existing conditions, cremation and burial costs, pregnancy and breeding, or unnecessary cosmetic procedures.

PumpkinHealthy Paws
Illness Waiting Period*14 Days15 Days
Accident Waiting Period*14 Days15 Days
Hip Dysplasia Waiting Period*14 Days12 Months†
CCL Surgery Waiting Period*14 Days15 Days
Behavioral TherapiesBrown checkmark (Yes)
Alternative/Holistic TherapyBrown checkmark (Yes)
Wellness Care For An Extra FeeBrown checkmark (Yes)
Exam FeesBrown checkmark (Yes)
UnderwriterUnited States Fire Insurance CompanyWestchester Fire Insurance Company/Chubb
A.M. Best RatingAA++

*States are slowly adopting a Model Law for pet insurance. This Model Law attempts to standardize each state’s regulations, which includes a standard for waiting periods that all companies must follow. Waiting periods for California, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Washington, Rhode Island, and Maryland are as follows:

  • Accidents – 0 days
  • Illnesses – 14 days
  • Cruciate Ligament Conditions – 30 days
  • Routine Care – 0 days

†Healthy Paws only offers hip dysplasia coverage to dogs enrolled before the age of six.

Pumpkin Pet Insurance comes out ahead because it offers coverage for behavioral therapies, wellness items, exam fees, and alternative/holistic therapy. Pumpkin also has shorter waiting periods for hip dysplasia. Otherwise, the two have nearly identical waiting periods (14 days as opposed to 15 days).

Pumpkin’s underwriter has an A rating from A.M. Best (a measurement of financial stability). This means that it is considered slightly less stable than Healthy Paws (which has an A++ rating) regarding the dependability of claim repayment. Additionally, Healthy Paws has been in business for 11 years longer than Pumpkin, so it has more experience paying out claims.

Ultimately, Pumpkin is the winner of this category because it provides more thorough coverage and excludes fewer health conditions; however, this is a close race due to Healthy Paws being in business longer with a strong customer experience reputation (read more below).

Customer Service & Reputation

Customer Service & Reputation Winner

Pumpkin is new to the pet insurance space, starting up in 2020. And from the customer reviews we’ve seen, there are many complaints regarding pricing, cancellation difficulties, lengthy claim processing periods, and more. It can take years for a company to stabilize its performance and pricing, and it appears that Pumpkin is still working through these challenges.

Meanwhile, Healthy Paws has one of the best reputations in the pet insurance business. It introduced many things to the industry, including being the first company to offer unlimited claim payouts. However, in recent years, it hasn’t led the charge in innovation.

The majority of Healthy Paws’ complaints center around its customers’ misunderstanding of what is covered and excluded in their policy. Unfortunately, this is common among all pet insurance companies, so we encourage you to read your policy in its entirety before signing up.

Claim Processing

Claim Processing Winner

Pumpkin states it processes claims in five days on average. This is much shorter than the previous 2 to 4 weeks it had been. The majority of companies average fewer than ten days. Healthy Paws pays 50% of its claims within two days but overall averages 2-15 days.

Healthy Paws also offers an option to have them pay your vet directly, so you aren’t required to pay a hefty vet bill in advance and wait for reimbursement. However, this isn’t available everywhere, so check with your vet to see if this is an option for you.

Price Of Policy

Price Of Policy Winner

Healthy Paws has no one-time enrollment fees or monthly transaction fees. Pumpkin has a monthly transaction fee of $2 but no one-time sign-up fee.

Your premium price quote is based on your pet’s details (age, breed, location, etc.). We recommend obtaining quotes from each company for your specific pet. You can also visit our pet insurance comparison quotes to see a few sample prices we’ve gathered. 

Healthy Paws almost always came out less expensive than Pumpkin in the quotes we’ve run. However, remember that it’s always best to get quotes for your specific dog to compare what pet insurance could cost for you. You can use our pet insurance quote form to get multiple company quotes when you complete this one-quick form.

Coupons

Pumpkin

Pumpkin offers the following discount:

  • 10% off for multiple pets

Use this link to take advantage of the best possible price. No promo code is needed.

Healthy Paws

Use this link to take advantage of the best possible price and get a quote for your pet from Healthy Paws.

Plan Customization

Plan Customization Winner

One of the significant differences between these two companies is the plan customizations they offer. Pumpkin offers several customizations, so you can adjust your policy to fit your budget.

  • Annual payout options for dogs: $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, and unlimited
  • Deductibles: $100, $250, $500, and $1,000
  • Reimbursement: 80%, 90%
  • Add-on wellness plan is available for preventative care

On the flip side, Healthy Paws offers fewer customizations. They have unlimited payouts for all plans and some restrictions on reimbursement and annual deductible amounts, depending on your pet’s age at enrollment.

  • Dogs and cats 5 years and under:
    • 90%, 80%, and 70% reimbursement
    • $100, $250, and $500 deductible
  • Dogs and cats 6 and 7 years old:
    • 80%, 70%, or 60% reimbursement
    • $250, $500, or $750 deductible
  • Dogs 8 years and older: 
    • 50% or 60% reimbursement
    • $750 or $1,000 deductible

Overall, Pumpkin has more customization options than Healthy Paws, which may make it a better, more flexible fit for your budget.

What’s Our Verdict?

Overall Winner

In the end, Healthy Paws wins this comparison against Pumpkin due to its longstanding reputation, faster claim processing, and lower pricing. However, if you want coverage for your pet’s wellness-related expenses or more customization options, you may want to consider Pumpkin.

If you didn’t find what you were looking for, our experts dig even deeper into each company in our individual reviews of Pumpkin and Healthy Paws.

Our experts have spent thousands of hours researching to bring you our comprehensive and frequently updated pet insurance reviews, including our top picks, along with details on each of the most popular pet insurance companies. So, if you want to know how other providers compare against one another, you may find this review helpful in your pet insurance search.

Methodology

We review each U.S. pet insurance company to provide an unbiased breakdown of providers’ performance in real claim situations. We use a 100-point scale for each pet insurance company to rank them.

Our In-Depth Research Includes:

  • Coverage & Exclusions (30%) – We scrutinize every policy from top to bottom and read all the fine print, carefully noting each exclusion. We factor in any age restrictions, required add-ons for basic coverage, and whether a company is available nationwide. Insurers with fewer exclusions receive more points in this category than those with less coverage.
  • Pricing (15%) – We evaluate pricing by running thousands of sample quotes for dogs and cats of various breeds, sizes, locations, and ages. We analyze which companies charge extra fees and discounts and consider which companies nick and dime pet owners with add-on coverage. Providers with the lowest premiums, fewest extra fees, most discounts, and fewer add-ons receive more points in this category.
  • Customer Service & Reputation (12%) – We assess hundreds of customer reviews, scope out the sign-up process, speak with representatives, and factor in company history and years in the pet insurance marketplace to determine the points in this category. Companies with an easy sign-up process, highly rated mobile apps, multiple ways to reach customer service, positive consumer feedback, and a seamless claim filing process score high in this category.
  • Financial Strength (10%) – Insurance is only beneficial if you can count on reimbursed claims. Companies with at least five years of nationwide experience and high A.M. Best and Demotech ratings receive high remarks in this category.
  • Customization Options (10%) – We consider customizations available to adjust your coverage to fit your budget. Companies with fewer restrictions based on breed, age, location, etc., multiple plan options, and more reimbursement rates, deductibles, and annual limits earn the highest scores.
  • Waiting Periods (5%) – Providers with the shortest illness and accident waiting periods and fewer additional waiting periods for other conditions merit high remarks.
  • Claim Processing (5%) – We share our firsthand experience submitting claims with companies and examine how long it takes to be reimbursed. Insurers with a vet direct pay option and short claim processing averages earn the most points.
  • Innovation (3%) – We meet with company representatives to discuss changes related to the industry, their company, and their offerings. Providers offering unique, comprehensive coverage and utilizing advanced technology receive more points.

Unbiased Pet Insurance Rankings: Putting Your Pets First

Unlike many other review sites, we refuse to let pet insurance companies pay for the top spot in our rankings. Companies must earn their position in our comparisons by performing well in the marketplace. We also highlight each company’s pros and cons in light of their competitor’s strengths. In doing so for over a decade, we’ve helped pet parents make more educated decisions among the top pet insurance options. Pet insurance providers read our reviews, regularly check them for accuracy, and value our input to help create positive industry changes and better protect your pets. We only recommend the best of the best because it’s what our readers deserve.

Why Trust Canine Journal?

Canine Journal has been covering the topic of pet insurance since 2012, well before other conglomerates discovered the rising popularity of health care for our pets. Many of our authors have personal experience with pet insurance, including Kimberly Alt, who has been Canine Journal’s go-to author for pet insurance for over a decade, having written about nearly every possible facet related to pet insurance. Kimberly knows the subject so well that she can answer a breadth and depth of pet insurance questions immediately. And on the rare occasion she doesn’t know the answer off the top of her head, she can find it within minutes due to her extensive list of resources.

Kimberly also consulted with Michelle Schenker, Canine Journal’s in-house licensed insurance agent, for additional expertise, to ensure accuracy, and give Canine Journal the authority to write about and assist readers in purchasing policies that are accurately represented. 

Kimberly Alt

Kimberly is a writer and content strategist for Canine Journal, specializing in pet insurance consulting. She has written and edited professionally since 2010. In 2014, Kimberly began researching dogs and discovered her passion for pet insurance. She strongly advocates for insuring pets and knows insurance is a complex subject for most. Kimberly has read hundreds of pet insurance policies (including the fine print), ran more than 3,000 pet insurance quotes, engages in frequent discussions with pet insurer representatives, and conducts mystery shopping to gain an unbiased perspective and explain how companies differ and their strengths. Her passion is teaching others about the pet insurance industry and helping them make informed decisions for their pet insurance needs. Kimberly has a B.A. in Multimedia Journalism from Simpson College. She is a Dog Writers Association of America member, and her work has appeared in many brands, including The New York Times’ Wirecutter, Reader’s Digest, Forbes, People, Woman’s World, and Huffington Post. Kimberly is the parent of a rescue Coonhound mix, Sally.

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