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Almost any kind of insurance is notorious for being difficult to decipher – from inclusions and exclusions to complicated deductibles and premiums. Trupanion, however, claims to set itself apart from the pack. Does Trupanion live up to its promise to provide a straightforward and transparent pet insurance experience? Or it is just hype to get your business?
Article Overview
Trupanion
Pros
- 90% reimbursement with no payout limits
- Offers optional benefits for additional expenses that cover acupuncture, physical therapy, hydrotherapy and behavioral modification training and therapy
- Hip dysplasia has no age restrictions
- BBB rating: A+
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Pet is covered in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico
Cons
- More expensive
- One-time $35 administration fee
- Policies have 5-day waiting period for injuries and 30-day waiting period for illnesses
- Up to a 20% increase in premiums from year to year (based on the state you live in)
- Pets aren't eligible for enrollment after their 14th birthday
- No wellness plan
- Does not cover exam fees
Key Features
- Underwriter: American Pet Insurance Company (same as Pets Best)
- A.M. Best rating: Unrated
- Trupanion has a per-incident deductible instead of an annual deductible; this means you’ll have to meet the deductible multiple times for every new emergency your pet encounters instead of one annual deductible, which means all claims go toward one deductible (annual deductibles are usually less costly to the policyholder)
- No exam period
- Pre-existing conditions defined by Trupanion:
- I. Illnesses or Injuries for which signs or evidence of their potential manifestation existed within the 18 months prior to the Policy Enrollment Date.
- II. Illnesses or Injuries masked or controlled by treatment or Medication at any time during the 18 months prior to the Policy Enrollment Date. SAMPLE 14 Medical Insurance for Your Pet – TRU 00001 (v09.201601) SECTION 9 CONTINUED
- III. Illnesses or Injuries that occurred or began within the 18 months prior to the Policy Enrollment Date and would have been observable or reasonably known to be present by You or Your Veterinarian or that are evidenced by the presence of typical signs, even if they are not noted in Your Pet’s medical records.
- IV. The Actual Cost of Treatment for the following if signs or evidence presented on either side of Your Pet during the period 18 months prior to the Policy Enrollment Date through to and including the 30 days after the Policy Enrollment Date: luxating patella, glaucoma, entropion, ectropion, elbow dysplasia, cataracts, prolapse of the tear gland of the third eyelid (cherry eye), and disease, weakness, instability, tear, partial tear or rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament.
- V. Hip dysplasia if there was any sign or evidence of the potential manifestation of the Condition any time prior to the Policy Enrollment Date or if the Condition was reasonably known to be present by You, even if not noted in Your Pet’s medical records.
- VI. Illnesses or Injuries that arise from a repetitive and specific activity that leads to medical or surgical treatment of Your Pet (e.g., ingestion of foreign materials and bite wounds) if the same or similar activity occurred two times within the 18 month period prior to the Policy Enrollment Date.
- VII. The Actual Cost of Treatment for any cutaneous or subcutaneous mass if cutaneous or subcutaneous mass(es) of the same type (determined by diagnostic testing or medical records descriptions) are present during the 18 months prior to the Policy Enrollment Date through to and including the 30 days after the Policy Enrollment Date.
- VIII. The Actual Cost of Treatment relating to intervertebral disc disease if there was any sign or evidence of the potential manifestation of it in any part of the spine prior to the Policy Enrollment Date or during any applicable waiting periods.
- No bilateral exclusions (a condition or disease that affects both sides of the body)
- Claim repayment is within 60 days and averages 14 days
- Must submit claims within 90 days of the treatment date via mail, email or fax
- Option to have Trupanion pay vets directly, so you don’t have to pay a hefty vet bill in advance and wait for reimbursement (not available everywhere but ask your vet, and they may be able to call to set up Trupanion Express)
- 30-day free look period (similar to a money-back guarantee)
- Continues coverage for a pet if its policy transfers to a new owner
- Customer service hours:
- Email, phone and SMS: 24/7
What Does Trupanion Cover?
| Covered by Trupanion | Not Covered by Trupanion |
|---|---|
| Illnesses | Exam fees |
| Injuries | Sales tax where applicable |
| Hereditary conditions | Wellness and preventive care (parasite control, spay/neuter, vaccinations) |
| Congenital conditions | Pre-existing conditions |
| Diagnostic tests | |
| Surgeries | |
| Hospital stays | |
| Medications | |
| Veterinary supplements | |
| Herbal therapy | |
| Prosthetic devices and carts |
Pet Owner Assistance Add-On Package
The Pet Owner Assistance package costs $4.95/month in addition to the core plan premium.
- Boarding fees in the event you’re hospitalized
- Liability coverage for third-party property damage
- Holiday vacation cancellation costs
- Cremation or burial for deaths due to an accident
- Advertising and rewards for lost pets
Recovery & Complementary Care Rider
The price of this plan can vary from a couple of dollars up to $30 and is in addition to the core plan premium.
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic
- Homeopathy
- Hydrotherapy
- Physical and rehabilitative therapy
- Behavioral modification
- Naturopathy
Is Hip Dysplasia Covered?
Trupanion covers hip dysplasia in its core policy. There is a 30-day waiting period, and it has an exclusion, which states the following.
Hip dysplasia (is covered) if there was any sign or evidence of the potential manifestation of the Condition any time prior to the Policy Enrollment Date or if the Condition was reasonably known to be present by You, even if not noted in Your Pet’s medical records.
Pricing Quotes
Trupanion has a set 90% reimbursement with the option of a $0 to $1,000 deductible and unlimited annual limit.
The cost of each policy is unique to your pet and depends on many variables, including your pet’s age, breed, location, health conditions and more. Below are some example monthly premiums for various pets from December 2018.
| Breed | Labrador Retriever | German Shepherd | Yorkshire Terrier | Mixed Breed Cat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 4 Months | 2 Years | 6 Months | 4 Years |
| Male/Female | Female | Male | Female | Male |
| Location | New York City (10005) | Los Angeles (90010) | Chicago (60604) | Miami (33114) |
| Reimbursement Level | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% |
| Annual Deductible | $200 | $200 | $200 | $500 |
| Price Per Month | $125.57 | $142.10 | $66.80 | $51.13 |
You can get personalized price quotes for your pet(s) from reputable companies when you fill out just 1 short form. You can also visit our Pet Insurance Quotes page to see how the cost of Trupanion stacks up against the competition.
Coupon Code
Use this link to get the best deal we can offer from Trupanion.
Waiting Periods
- 30 days: Illnesses
- 5 days: Injuries
- 30 days: Cruciate ligament events and hip dysplasia
Trupanion Customer Reviews
Positive Reviews
I have my dog Frosty insured with Trupanion for 5 years and never needed to file a claim until 4 weeks ago when he was diagnosed with a tumor on his spleen which had ruptured and caused internal bleeding and needed lifesaving surgery. The whole procedure came at $9240 which I had prepaid out of pocket and while waiting for the claim to be processed, I looked up some of the reviews online and got really worried. Fortunately my experience was different and very positive, the agents on the phone were very caring, understanding and knowledgeable and after about 20 days I received an email stating my claim was approved and 90% of the cost will be covered by Trupanion (minus the deductible). They also informed me the reason why it took 20 days to process was due to that being our first claim. Thank you Trupanion. – Tobias M., Yelp 4/24/2018
For years, I had my previous dog insured with Trupanion and I never had any issues with their coverage. I read my policy prior to enrollment (a common error I can see many people making when they complain about coverage). Prior to enrollment, my dog had about one UTI every year so I just never made claims for those. But when she developed a cancerous lung tumor, Trupanion was there every step of the way covering her care and allowing me to give her the best last 18 months I could. Over the 5 years I had her insured, there was never a dramatic premium increase and one year, her premium went DOWN! How often does that happen? They base their premiums on actuary data about pets with similar breed, age, and postal code so if the cost of care is high in your areas, you can see increases. I see it as a fair trade off for such comprehensive coverage at 90%. I have since gotten a new elderly dog a few months ago and a new kitten just a few days ago! Once again invested in a Trupanion policy for both of them. The dog I adopted came with some allergies and while I know those are pre-existing and not eligible for coverage, it is a comfort to me to know that Trupanion is there for us when we need them for future accidents or injuries. – Courtney P., BBB 4/7/2018
Negative Reviews
Kesa, I don’t have any questions. I have already wasted HOURS of my lunch breaks, weekends, and precious time on the phone with Trupanion to no avail. My concerns were trivial, but you dug your heels in and made this the worst experience in the many tough times. Unless there is anything you can do to repay me AT ALL, I will NEVER recommend your company and absolutely not waste another minute on the phone. There is no point with arguing when you clearly don’t want to help but just profit off technicalities that were not explained anywhere in your site or paperwork. Like I said in previous reviews, even my vet, a loyal recommender of Trupanion was very upset to hear of my experiences with you. You response was clearly a ploy to look decent and try to resolve issues; until I’m on the phone and you couldn’t care less. – Allison P., Yelp 4/20/2018
This pet insurance company is awful. They barely cover anything! My kitten had a toxic exposure and they wouldn’t cover calling animal poison control or her bath which was all necessary with the exposure. I was told that I would receive a call regarding the bath dispute, they never called, emailed me a new invoice with no explanation on anything. We use a different company for our older kitty and are switching back. Also you must pay a deductible for each different issue, not a calendar year! – Emily L., BBB 4/12/2018
Why Get Pet Insurance?
Need a better understanding of why you should consider purchasing pet insurance for your pup? Check out our video below.
Compare Trupanion To Other Leading Pet Insurance Providers
Trupanion’s policy choices are less complicated than many other pet insurance providers, which may be appealing for some consumers. Of course, this also means fewer options. It’s also on the expensive side compared to similar coverage from other companies, and its underwriter is unrated by A.M. Best.
Visit our Best Pet Insurance comparison to see a comprehensive review of the leading insurance providers for your four-pawed family members. See how Trupanion stacks up against the competition and if they’re the right pick of the litter for you.
Are you considering pet insurance through Trupanion?
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Here are the specifics: Our puppy had heat rash – denied due to allergies. Then he got pink eye from the neighbor’s dog – denied due to allergies. Then he got pink eye again from the same neighbor dog – denied again due to allergies. Then he had a puncture wound – that too was denied due to allergies. And then when I said I wanted to cancel and move to another company they threatened me that they will share their findings of allergies with the other company and it will always remain a pre-existing condition. When my dog has NO allergies to anything, ever. We feed him every kind of human food (except for the ones all dogs are not aloud like gapes, garlic, onions, etc) and all dog treats. He has never shown signs of allergies once, and the vet agrees he has never had allergies either.
I bought the insurance for peace of mind. I am thankful for this experience because now I have confidently canceled all insurance for our dog. I’ll be putting my monthly money into a savings plan to use for future vet bills. Possibly without this experience, I wouldn’t be so confident when future vet bills come up. I hope this honest bad review of how Trupanion is a scam will help future animal owners.
Future buyer suggestion – If you do buy insurance be sure to do it before you ever take them to the vet and don’t share any information on issues that arrived before the policy is out of the waiting period. That seems to be the only approach for them to not irrationally denying every claim. Good luck and I wish you the best with your little one.
Fast forward 5 years later and the dog has had a very healthy life so no new claims. He ended up with a foot infection from something he had stepped on and cut his paw. after all the treatment and medicine we were out almost $1000. No problem though we have insurance and Trupanion has our back right?, Wrong!!! Submitted the claim and waited the 30 days for them to make a determination and to my surprise CLAIM DENIED!!!! The reason, ha you’ll love this, this claim was also denied because once upon a time the vet noted he had redness in his ears(not an infection, just redness). The redness in the ears was in July 2014, infection in the paw August 2019. Called and spoke with Karin and she said it must be related to allergies so you can go through the appeal process again if you want to try to overturn it. WHA WHHAAAT!!! My dog possibly had an ear infection over 5 ears ago so now all skin related issues can not be covered, WHAT THE? They never contacted the vet or myself for clarification just seems it is policy to deny all claims then put the extraordinary burden of appeal on the customer to try to get reimbursement. Sound like a good company to you? I am no longer a customer of Trupanion and would recommend all others to be very careful before putting your trust in them like i did. If you do be ready for a fight with every claim.
The representative advised me to appeal and have the doctors code the visits as diagnostic evaluations. I did so and asked my veterinarian to send me an email as soon as this was faxed to Trupanion. I ACTUALLY RECEIVED TRUPANION’S DENIAL OF THE APPEAL BEFORE I RECEIVED OUR VET’S EMAIL. I called my vet to save the records and advised them to NEVER recommend Trupanion again. Trupanion took my $6000, but refused to pay for any diagnostic evaluations done in a doctor’s office. Attorneys: I recommend class action.
Horrendous, horrendous experience. Stay as far away as possible.
Take note if you have time read the article in the ny times about pet insurance its worth the read, its all a hoax, big money making opportunity for the insurance company. 10-20% of all injuries are really covered. We invested a ton on money into trupanion insurance to only be denied our claims. Take the money you were going to pay for insurance and put in into a pet emergency savings and you will come out way ahead. We would have actually had money left!
The monthly premiums may cost a bit more than other companies, but I tell you it is very well worth it. Trupanion is wonderful.
Working at a vet hospital myself, I’ve seen first hand how having insurance can make all the difference in what a family is able to do for their pet. Originally I bought the insurance for my older cat primarily, who was 8 at the time, and getting it for my then 2 year old cat was an afterthought. Mostly, I just thought I wanted to be covered “just in case” and to have things set up to avoid issues with pre-existing conditions (my older cat has asthma, which was pre-existing to our coverage). Man, I’m glad I did.
Two years later I find out in a routine dental that she has extra teeth with fused roots, which required a trip to a specialist. Then, a mysterious progressive weight loss turned out to be IBD—in a 4 year old cat. Enter in another specialist and way more money than I could have managed out of pocket.
My boss was so impressed at how Trupanion handled things that she made it part of our employee benefits package. A $0 deductible for 2 cats (now 5 & 11) runs $102 a month. It is more expensive than other plans, but I find it to be far more comprehensive w/o a need for riders. We had been paying about $70 a month for a $250/deductible, but now that it’s a work benefit, we’ve dropped it to zero.
The big difference between the plans I think is missed in this article is that Trupanion does it’s deductibles by incident/illness/injury. Once you meet the deductible for a single issue, you never have to meet it again. It does not refresh at the end of the year; so not really a “yearly” deductible as listed above. That, more than anything has been worth it for us in the beginning.
Did you get that? “Potential manifestations” gets them out of paying anything unless your dog was insured the day you got him and before he ever visited a vet’s office.
My schnauzer had been insured for a little over 3 years when he started having severe rashes on his abdomen. He couldn’t sleep they were so bad. He just cried. So multiple vet visits later, my dog was diagnosed with atopy, I actually met my $500 deductible, and I filed a claim for the first time. Trupanion ordered records from every vet my dog had visited and found two mentions of him chewing his paws and an ear infection in the year prior to coverage. (The ear infection was caused by his ear hair trapping moisture, and the vet clearly wrote that he was not scratching his ears.) Trupanion said these vet notations showed that his current abdominal atopy was a pre-existing condition.
I’ve had good experiences speaking with representatives on the phone before this point. There’s always someone available. But now that I have a legitimate grievance, representatives are unhelpful, and they won’t let me speak to someone in claims. There is no one available to explain how paw chewing from 4 years ago is definitively the same condition as his current abdominal atopy. But I guess they don’t have to be certain. They just need to find “potential manifestations.”
I have zero faith now that Trupanion will ever honor their contract. They’re engaging in deceptive business practices and protecting themselves with a sneaky policy. I’m going through the appeals process right now, so if I’m pleasantly surprised I’ll let update my review.
The only treatment that’s worked so far for my dog is an expensive immune modulator. Now I wish I’d just opened a savings account for him 3 years ago. I would have $1,500 dollars in there by now.