Most insurance policies are confusing. Unfortunately, pet insurance policies are no exception.
For example, with most pet healthcare coverage, you don’t know if the claim will be approved or denied until AFTER you’ve paid the bill out of pocket.
You can reduce the risk of a surprising denial if you understand the aspects of a policy before you buy it. We have outlined these in our pet insurance comparison chart for easy reference.
You can easily compare pet insurance plans from several top companies.
We’ve simplified each policy’s fine print and included vet-verified tips and warnings to help you choose.
We’ve also defined important terms you should know so you can compare pet insurance with confidence.
Need Pet Insurance?
FACT: Pet insurance pays up to 90% of vet bills when your pet is sick or injured!
Why Does Pet Insurance Cost Vary So Much?
When you start to compare pet insurance plans, you’ll see a wide range of price quotes.
Pet insurances base their price on factors like:
- breed
- age
- zip code
Each pet insurance weighs these factors differently which affects the cost. Also, prices vary by coverage.
Healthy Paws is our #1 Choice.
View Rates Now!
Pet Comparison Chart
Applies to all plans
Applies to some plans
Does not apply to any plans
- #2 Embrace
- #1 Healthy Paws
- #7 Nationwide
- #3 Pets Best
- #4 Pet Plan
- #6 Pet Premium
- #2 Embrace
- #1 Healthy Paws
- #7 Nationwide
- #3 Pets Best
- #4 Pet Plan
- #6 Pet Premium
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote (10% Off Today) | |
| Monthly Cost Basic Coverage | $48.22 Several limits | $51.58 Several limits | $57.07 Several limits | $38.00 Several limits | $46.71 Several limits | $71.64 Several limits | $37.28 No limits |
| Overall Score |
1.4
3.1
3.5
3.8
3.6
4.3
4.9
Monthly Cost Best Coverage$65.66
Several limits
$61.52
Several limits
$67.84
Several limits
$70.37
No limits
$53.37
No limits
$79.11
Several limits
$37.28
No limits
Tips & Highlights
Poor customer reviews
Low payouts
Flexible coverage
Reimburses veterinary exam fees
Offers accident-only plan
Applies deductible before copay to save you $
#1 customer rated since 2013
Vet-Verified Summary
Bad reputation with customers
Too many limitations
Watch out for deductibles
Watch out for deductibles
Low annual limit on base plans
Great coverage but expensive
Overall best coverage
AT A GLANCE
Choose your own vet
Injuries
Illnesses
Hereditary conditions
Congenital conditions
Prescription medications
Alternative therapies
Wellness option
Flexible deductible
Annual deductible
Choose reimbursement
Reimbursed per vet bill
No annual limits
No lifetime limits
No limits per condition
Covered for life
No upper age limit
Discounts available
Read reviewRead reviewRead reviewRead reviewRead reviewRead reviewRead review
*Quotes based on 1-year-old, male, medium-sized mixed breed dog in California zip code 90017 as of January 1, 2019
Healthy Paws is our #1 Choice.
View Rates Now!
Pet Insurance Comparison Chart: Important Definitions
Annual Limits
A maximum amount of money you can be reimbursed every year. Some pet insurance policies have them; others don’t.
Benefit Schedule
A rundown on the amount of reimbursement you’ll get for specific conditions or treatments. Some pet insurance companies reimburse you according to a set benefit schedule instead of covering a percentage of the actual vet bill.
Co-Pay
Percentage of the vet bill you pay out-of-pocket. If you have a 90 percent reimbursement level, your co-pay is 10 percent of the vet bill.
Real Cost Savings from Healthy Paws Clients
Samson
Healthy Paws saved his parents
$4,310
Samson tore his ACL in a lively game of fetch. After surgery and rehab, Samson is back to his playful self and never turns down a game of fetch!
Congenital Conditions
Health conditions your pet is born with. They can be hereditary or passed down genetically. They can also result from abnormal development before birth.
Not all pet insurance plans cover congenital conditions. Not all congenital conditions are immediately apparent and may show signs sometime after birth.
Deductible
Amount of money you pay out-of-pocket before your pet insurance coverage kicks in.
Exclusions
List of conditions or limitations on your coverage. Read them carefully, as they vary widely from policy to policy.
Hereditary Conditions
Disorders or diseases your pet inherits genetically, often referred to as breed-specific conditions since they tend to affect certain breeds of dogs and cats.
Not all pet insurance plans cover hereditary conditions.
Incidents
“Incident” refers to the specific condition for which your pet is being treated. “Per incident” and “per condition” mean the same thing.
Lifetime Limits
A maximum amount of money you can be reimbursed over the lifetime of your pet insurance policy.
Reimbursement Level
Percentage of the vet bill the pet insurance company reimburses you after you pay your deductible.
The reimbursement level determines your co-pay. If you have a 70 percent reimbursement level, your co-pay is 30 percent of the vet bill.
Rider
Also called “endorsements,” riders are add-ons to an insurance policy that provide additional coverage at an additional cost.
Different companies may offer different riders, such as a prescription medication rider, complementary care rider, or breeding rider for pregnancy care.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Health issues that your pet has already been diagnosed with or shown signs of before your pet insurance plan becomes active.
Pre-existing conditions are not covered by any pet insurance plan.
Waiting Period
Set amount of time you’re required to wait after enrollment before your pet insurance policy becomes active.
Pet insurance policies may have different waiting times for different conditions and coverage options.
The waiting period for injuries and accidents may be as short as a day or two while other conditions may have a waiting period of several months.
Real Cost Savings from Healthy Paws Clients
Artemis
Healthy Paws saved his parents
$2,194
Artemis had a severe ear infection and needed to visit both the regular vet and a specialist, multiple times. After medication and a few follow-up visits, she recovered well and is now doing great!
Read More Pet Insurance Company Comparisons
- Embrace vs. Petplan
- Figo vs. Nationwide
- Healthy Paws vs. Embrace
- Healthy Paws vs. Figo
- Healthy Paws vs. Nationwide
- Healthy Paws vs. Pets Best
- Nationwide vs. Embrace
- Nationwide vs. PetPremium
- PetFirst vs. Healthy Paws
- Petplan vs. Healthy Paws
- Petplan vs. Pets Best
- Petplan vs. Petfirst
- Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws
- Trupanion vs. Nationwide
My dog is a lab-chow-terrier mix and is eight years old. I’ve noticed that she has slowed down and I want to make sure to take good care of her as she ages. The cost of pet care can be very high and I think that pet insurance is a great idea. I’ve been comparing insurance plans and this site has been extremely helpful.
Some of my requirements are a policy with a flexible deductible and no annual limits. After reviewing several plans, I have it narrowed down to Healthypaws and PetPremium. Healthypaws covers massage therapy and physical therapy, so I think that will be my best option.
Thanks for providing this great service, you made my decision so much easier!
Hey Jerry and thanks! for your kind words regarding our site. You are MORE than welcome. So, so terrific! to know it’s doing what we wanted: to help caring pet parents make best pet insurance decision. It’s our pleasure to help. Best o’ health to you and your doggie!
I like that PetsBest and Petplan don’t have a limit on age. My pitbull Wally is almost 14 years old. He’s in pretty good health, but I worry he will have something come up in the next few years. I think I will probably go with Petplan since there is no annual deductible.
Hi Scott, and cool! on looking into insurance for Wally. How wonderful he’s in good health at age 14, you must really be treating him right! Just a note on the lack of annual deductible from PetPlan. The policies still have a deductible, but it’s paid per condition instead of once each year. That means policy holders have to pay a deductible for every condition treated. It can still work out fine, just wanted to make sure it was clear. Thanks for comment and hugs to Wally!
I just tried to get a quote for a St. Bernard mix on PetPlan and they didn’t have that breed listed on their list! I sent them an email via their “contact us” page. Let’s see how long it takes them to respond.
OMG, I already got a call back from them – less than 24 hours! Way to go, PetPlan. 🙂
Three cheers for PetPlan responding so quickly – and thanks for sharing success tidbit, Julian! St. Bernard mix must be one neat-o dog. Also a unique one we’d say if not even on the list. Sounds like a fabulous pooch who deserves fabulous insurance. Way to be on it!