Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

It depends. How old is your dog? How expensive is veterinarian care in your area? Can you pay out of pocket if an accident or an unexpected diagnosis is given to your dog? Vet bills for accidents and illnesses are in the thousands and most vets require payment up front.  

Things to look at when selecting pet insurance

-Coverage type: accidents only or accidents and illness

-Deductible, how much will you need to pay out of pocket before expenses are covered

-Coverage limits: yearly or lifetime coverage limit per condition or all together

-Exclusions: what isn’t covered

-Preexisting condition: how is it defined and does your pet have one

-Effective date and waiting period: does the policy start as soon as you sign up or is the effective date later, will you have to wait week or months to file a claim to cover an expense

-Renewal clause: does the company have the right to cut your pet off if she gets too old or too sick

-Prescriptions: cover short term ex illness, long term ex allergies, neither or both, will it cover prescription food 

-Premiums: how much will this cost you per month

How much does pet health insurance cost? It depends. The major factors are: the age of your pet, your zip code, deductible, and annual limit. To save you time, show you real prices, and in attempt to give you apples to apples comparisons, here are quotes from the top pet insurance companies with the following inputs: $500 deductible, $4,000 annual limit (unless otherwise noted), 80% reimbursement (unless otherwise noted) for 5 year old, 50 pound mixed breed spayed female in 40220. The quotes for Accident & Illness plans (quotes for other plans are included) range from $28.77/month to $63.59/month. Disclaimer: there are differences between what is covered and what is not covered. In general, the accident and illness plans cover accidents and illnesses only during the covered time period and do not cover pre-existing conditions, breeding costs, cosmetic procedures, or preventative care. I used the names of the plans that the company uses, ex: “Complete Coverage” is the name of the plan not my description of the plan. Many of these companies have preventative wellness plans that you can add on at an additional charge, and some will offer a discount if you pay for the full year at once.

These are in alphabetical order.

ASPCA: $11.09/month Accident-Only, $33.25/month Complete Coverage

Careplus by Chewy: $18.66/month Accident Only, $79.87/month Essential, $95.16/month Essential Plus, $117.90/month Complete (no annual limit)

Embrace: $48.79 Accident & Illness ($5,000 annual limit)

HealthyPaws: $53.53/month Value Plan, $74.21/month Signature Plan

Nationwide: $63.59/month Accident and Illness ($5,000 annual limit)

Pets Best: $28.77/month Accident & Illness ($5,000 annual limit)

Pumpkin: $36.25/month Accident & Illness ($5,000 annual limit)

Spot: $33.12/month Accident and Illness

Trupanion: $94.92/month (90% reimbursement and no annual max)

If you are like me, you don’t want to pay for something that you hope you never use so I added on a preventative wellness option for Mary that reimburses me for things I’m going to pay for including a wellness visit, rabies vaccine (required by law in my area), flea and tick prevention, and heartworm prevention, and a blood/fecal exam. When I adopted Mary in 2022, she got an elite plan with wellness I paid for a year in advance for a discount at a cost of $421.80. In 2023, the cost for the year was $452.33. For 2026, the cost is up to $720.57 for the year. Thankfully, she has not had an accident or illness and I have been reimbursed for her preventative wellness.

Now you have real quotes from the top insurance providers all in one place so you can make the best decision for your pup. Whether you decide to get pet insurance or not, I recommend creating a fund for vet expenses and contribute to it regularly. Please message me if you have any questions.

Sources: insurance company websites, links with quotes.