Some costs in owning a pet can be fairly easy to estimate, such as the cost of food. But possible pet medical costs are a large unknown. If your pet suffers an injury or illness, vet bills can unexpectedly run into the thousands of dollars.
Pet insurance is a way to protect against the potential financial shock of a pet who needs extensive or expensive medical treatment. But health insurance shopping is confusing and stressful. With so many options, the perfect match is hard to find.
While pet insurance plans have a common foundation of basic coverages, such as injuries and hereditary and congenital conditions, there are differences in benefits, prices and extras.
Here is a breakdown of the top plans and what’s so great, and no so great about them:
Figo
If you are worried about the coverage of unknown illnesses, emergencies or accidents, Figo offers full coverage for these types of expenses. They allow the use of any vet and have an app that provides 24/7 virtual vet visits and customer service. Based on your plan and premium, they may reimburse up to 100% of the vet bill. However, like many other plans, they do not cover routine or preventative care.
What They Cover:
- Hospital Stays
- Emergencies
- Diagnostic Testing
- Cancer Treatments
- Hereditary, Congenital and Chronic Conditions
- Vet Exam Fees available with additional Rider
What They Don’t:
- Wellness Visits
- Vaccinations
- Preventatives
- Deworming
- Parasite Diagnostics or Treatment
Healthy Paws
We like Healthy Paws because their plans start as low as $20/month with no limit on the number of claims you can make. Plus, you can visit any licensed veterinarian and specialists are also covered. However, they do not offer a wellness plan, preventatives are not covered and they restrict pets older than 8 years old to only a 60% reimbursement with a $750 annual deductible.
What They Cover:
- Accidents
- Illnesses
- Surgeries
- Prescription Medications
- Hospital Stays
- Emergencies
What They Don’t:
- Wellness Visits
- Vaccinations
- Preventatives
- Deworming
Trupanion
If you are worried about a hereditary condition that will require a lot of care, this plan is for you because Trupanion offers a lifetime per condition deductible, where you only pay a deductible if your pet develops a new condition. Once your deductible is paid, your policy pays out at 90% for anything related to that condition for the rest of your pet’s life. However, this can add up if your pet ends up with multiple conditions. Trupanion doesn’t offer any discounts and doesn’t offer new enrollments to pets over 14 years of age.
What They Cover:
- Accidents
- Illnesses
- Hereditary and Congenital Conditions
- Optional Behavioral and Alternative Therapy Coverage Additional
What They Don’t:
- Exam Fees
- Wellness Visits
- Vaccinations
- Preventatives
- Deworming
ASPCA Complete Plan
This plan doesn’t have any waiting period for preventative care, allows you to visit any vet and offers a multi-pet discount. However, unlimited coverage is not an option, preventative care riders work on an itemized basis and there is a 14-day waiting period for illnesses and accidents. People are lured into this plan because of the ASPCA name and affordable monthly premiums. Confusingly though, the policies aren’t managed by the ASPCA itself, but rather underwritten by the United States Fire Insurance Company and produced and administered by C&F Insurance Agency, Inc., a subsidiary of Crum and Forster.
What They Cover:
- Accidents
- Illnesses
- Hereditary and Congenital Conditions
- Behavioral Health Issues
- Alternative Therapies
- Microchip Implantation
- Preventative Care available with added Wellness Rider
Pumpkin
Their plans were built by vets for pets. They are one of the few that cover dental illness and offer optional preventative care coverage. They have fast and easy online claims processing and only a 14-day waiting period for all conditions, even knee injuries. And we love that they cover older pets who may be denied elsewhere and give a discount to multi-pet households. However, all this coverage doesn’t come cheap. Their premiums depend on age & breed as well as the deductible and annual limits you choose. Their 90% reimbursement may be worth it though.
What They Cover:
- 1 Annual Wellness Exam
- Vaccines (4 for puppies, 2 for dogs, 1 for cats)
- Fecal Test
- Heartworm Blood Test
- Prescriptions, including Food & Supplements
- Accidents
- Illnesses (including Dental)
- Hereditary and Congenital Conditions
- Behavioral Health Issues
- Microchip Implantation
What They Don’t:
- Routine Dental Cleanings
VCA CareClub
While this is not technically insurance, rather a preventative pet healthcare program, VCA CareClub can be a good compliment to any insurance that doesn’t offer preventative or wellness care benefits. It covers exams, wellness checks, vaccines and more for a monthly fee. Since puppies and kittens need to be seen regularly and receive a lot of tests and vaccinations, this may be a good add on for their first year. However, this plan is only good at a VCA location.
What They Cover:
- Wellness Exams
- Vaccinations
- Dental Cleanings
- Spay/Neuter
- Some Diagnostic Testing
What They Don’t:
- Accidents
- Illnesses
- Hereditary and Congenital Conditions
- Behavioral Health Issues
- Alternative Therapies
All pet parents want is for their beloved fur children to live long and healthy lives. While love and cuddles can only do half the job, hopefully this has helped you better understand what the top plans offer (and what they don’t) so you can pick the right one for you.
Use a plan not listed here? Have some pros or cons you want other pet parents to know about? Share in the comments!
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