The best pet insurance companies of 2022
Overview
Table of Contents
As all pet owners — excuse us, paw-rents — can attest, there’s nothing like coming home to a wagging tail or a purring, biscuit-making ball of fluff. That being said, there’s nothing as jarring as expecting to come home to said tail/ball of fluff, only to be greeted by a few wimpers accompanied by a limp, a puddle of vomit, or — even worse — unsettling silence.
When a pet isn’t acting like themselves, the last thing you want to be worrying about in the moment is how you’re going to pay for their emergency care. That’s why pet insurance plans exist: They cover your pet’s medical care in the case of an unexpected health problem so you don’t have to choose between your pet’s wellbeing and your savings account.
Deciding whether or not to sign up for pet insurance is an important decision rooted in both finances and emotions. Maybe you feel more comfortable putting away $30 or so per month as an unofficial emergency fund for your pet. Or maybe you'd rather gamble on the fact that the chances of your pet getting seriously hurt or sick are relatively slim, and wind up deciding that going sans insurance is worth the perceived risk.
What we recommend though, is that if you can afford a monthly premium between $10 and $50 but can't afford thousands of dollars in vet bills should a serious injury or illness pop up, pet insurance is a good choice for you.
If you do opt to go the route of pet health insurance, welcome! You’re in decent company: There were approximately 4.41 million insured pets by the end of 2021. That’s only a portion of the pet population at large, but a 27.7% increase in enrollments from the previous year. This growing marketplace is currently inhabited by about two dozen different pet insurance companies, and each insurance plan offers coverage with different perks for different pets and different budgets.
How do pet insurance policies work?
Pet health insurance plans operate similarly to those for humans in that they usually charge an annual deductible, require you to pay a monthly premium — which can range from as little as $10 per month to as much as $90 per month — and involve filing a claim for benefits after coughing up some out-of-pocket costs. And just like with human plans, you have tons of questions to ask a pet insurance company when you start shopping around for a policy: Do you want a plan that covers accidents, illnesses, or both? Are there waiting periods after your policy effective date? Are exam fees covered? And what if your pet isn’t a dog or a cat?
It's best to enroll your pet as young as possible — before they might develop any conditions that are excluded from coverage. If you decide to change your pet insurance company down the line, it likely won't cover treatment for any conditions your pet might have been diagnosed with while enrolled in the previous policy, so it's best to do your research, enroll young, and stick with one policy for your pet's lifetime.
Owners of older pets have to be especially inquisitive, as some plans don’t include coverage for chronic conditions and cancer treatments, or limit coverage after a certain age. (Oh, and spoiler alert: Zero pet insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions, and hardly any cover wellness exams, routine care, cosmetic procedures like tail docking, or dental visits unrelated to injuries.)
How much does pet insurance cost and how much do they cover?
Pet insurance prices vary greatly based on your area, your pet's age, their size, their breed, and their veterinary care history, so we've excluded prices from this list since they'll be different for pretty much everyone. Almost all of these options have quote calculators on their site though, so you can plug key information in to get an estimate.
We strongly recommend plans that have a reimbursement rate of 70% or higher, so you'll get more of your money back, and you'll also want to look into annual benefit limits, which is how much your policy will reimburse you during one calendar year.
Which pet insurance plan is right for you? We were wondering the same thing, so we decided to go hunt down a bunch of customer reviews and scour providers’ websites for the best values for various needs. Here’s what we found.
Healthy Paws
Best Choice Overall
The Good & The Bad
- No caps or limits
- Thorough coverage at a decent price point
- Claims are processed within a few days
- Doesn't cover routine care or exam visit costs
Why We Like It
Established in 2009, Healthy Paws offers comprehensive, affordable plans for dogs and cats of all breeds, covering new accidents and illnesses, chronic conditions, surgeries, cancer treatments, alternative and emergency care, prescription medications, and most genetic conditions (save for hip dysplasia, which commonly affects large dogs).
Under a Healthy Paws plan, you’ll be able to visit any licensed vet and get reimbursed on your choice of 70%, 80%, or 90% of your actual bill. This is relatively unique as far as pet health insurance plans go; most companies charge you based on what they think a treatment will cost, not its exact cost. Plus, you can set your deductible based on your individual financial needs.
Another thing that sets Healthy Paws apart from the rest of the pack: It doesn’t have any maximum caps on per-incident, annual, or lifetime payouts for its single plan, and 99% of claims are processed by its top-rated customer service team within two days — two days! — of a claim being filed. (You can do so conveniently on its mobile app or online.)
Head to the Healthy Paws website to get a free quote.
Details
Trupanion
No reimbursement required
The Good & The Bad
- Don’t have to wait for reimbursements
- Award-winning customer care team
- You pay for a deductible only when your pet develops a new condition
- Covers breed-specific conditions like hip dysplasia
- Coverage options for diagnostic tests, supplements, and more
- Covers congenital conditions
- No wellness care or exam fee coverage
- Your vet must have Trupanion’s app
- Some reviewers report rate increases for seemingly no reason
Why We Like It
Most insurance plans require filing a claim and waiting for a reimbursement for vet care, but not Trupanion. Instead, it operates around a “vet direct pay” policy that goes like this: First, your vet submits your claim during checkout, and then you pay your portion of the bill (which comes out to just 10% of the total cost post-deductible, since Trupanion covers the other 90%). Trupanion then pays the vet right away so you can get on with your life within minutes. Brilliant, no?
Included in Trupanion’s coverage are diagnostic testing, meds (including some prescription foods and supplements), hospitalizations, cancer treatments, hereditary and congenital conditions, prosthetics, and certain alternative therapies. There aren’t any caps on payout limits, and lifetime deductibles are applied per condition. (Rates for said deductibles are set by you, and you can change ‘em whenever necessary.)
Head to Trupanion's website to get a free quote.
Details
Lemonade
Best digital experience
The Good & The Bad
- User friendly app
- Add-on coverage options for wellness exams, vaccines, monthly preventatives, and more
- Puppy or kitten focused plans with extra options
- Offers bundle deals for pet insurance and home insurance policies
- Claims are processed almost immediately
- Not available in every state
Why We Like It
If you're looking for an easy-to-use pet insurance option, Lemonade is one of the most user-friendly picks on this list. Everything is done through the Lemonade smartphone app, and pet insurance claims are processed almost immediately — so you could be reimbursed by the time you leave your vet's office.
This is one of the few companies that offer add-on packages to cover preventative wellness care for your pet, including the cost of an exam visit, fecal tests, heartworm tests, blood tests, and vaccines. The Preventative Plus package also offers coverage for dental cleanings and monthly flea and tick preventatives. Lemonade currently only offers coverage in 37 states, so make sure your state is on the list before applying for a plan.
Deductibles start at $100 and go up to $500, reimbursement rates range from 70% to 90%, and annual benefits max out at $100,000.
Head to Lemonade's website to get a free quote.
Details
Nationwide Pet Insurance
Best For Exotic Pets
The Good & The Bad
- One of the few plans that covers avians and exotics
- Wellness coverage is an option for an extra cost
- Some reviewers say it sucks
- Premiums can increase as your pet ages
- Reimbursements can take multiple weeks
Why We Like It
Exotics and avians can be tricky to treat because they hide their symptoms really well. That makes a pet insurance plan all the more important for them. Enter: Nationwide Pet Insurance (formerly VPI).
Available for most birds, rabbits, reptiles, and other exotic pets, Nationwide covers accidents, illnesses, exams, lab fees, prescriptions, X-rays, surgeries, prescription meds, and hospitalizations at the licensed vet of your choice, with a 14-day waiting period after the policy effective date for accidents and illness. (You can also choose to add wellness coverage for additional $$$.) Its offerings get more restricted when it comes to pre-existing conditions (covered in certain cases), hereditary conditions (not covered), and cancer treatments (limited).
Unlike other popular pet insurance companies, Nationwide uses a per-incident deductible format ($50 per incident) rather than an annual deductible. It also revolves around a benefit schedule to determine your reimbursements as opposed to your actual vet bills. Each plan has a $2,000 maximum payout per incident and a $7,000 maximum payout per year.
Nationwide tends to be hit or miss among reviewers, racking up its fair share of complaints for shoddy customer service, slow reimbursements, and frequently denied claims.
Head to Nationwide's website to get a free quote.
Details
Embrace Pet Insurance
Best For Young Pets
The Good & The Bad
- Diminishing deductible for healthy pets
- Optional preventative care plan reimburses for everyday costs
- Only 12 months of vet history required for preexisting conditions
- Some reviewers report random jumps in monthly premiums
- Certain symptoms or diagnoses can limit coverage
Why We Like It
From its humble beginnings as a business school project, Embrace has turned into a robust pet insurance company that’s helped hundreds of thousands of pets. It features the pet insurance marketplace’s only diminishing annual deductible (you can shave off $50 for every year you go without a claim), giving you an incentive to sign up your pet while they’re young. It also offers its policyholders optional Wellness Rewards in the form of $250, $450, or $640 annual allowances that can be used for check-ups, vaccinations, microchipping, toenail trims, anal gland expression, and other services not covered by insurance. Plus, every policyholder gets access to a 24/7 pet helpline for expert advice and support.
Embrace’s pet insurance plans offer “nose-to-tail” coverage for exam fees, breed-specific conditions, cancer treatments, chronic conditions, mobility aids, and more, with annual benefits starting at 5,000 and going up to $30,000. There are deductible options ranging from $200 to $1,000, and reimbursement rates run from 70% to 90%.
Head to Embrace to get a free quote.
Details
Topics Pets
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
Jae Thomas is a Colorado-based Shopping Editor for Mashable. They specialize in pet tech, smart fitness gear, finding the perfect gift, and sourcing the top deals on shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Jae has worked at Mashable since 2020, where they've written countless deals roundups and product reviews. Before Jae came to Mashable, they received a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature from New York University and wrote food and lifestyle content for publications like Bon Appétit, Epicurious, The Daily Beast, Apartment Therapy, and Marie Claire.
When they're not testing products or writing about online shopping, you'll find Jae whipping up an elaborate meal, hiking, camping, or training their dogs, Miso and Dashi. Reach out to them on X at @jaetaurina or by email at [email protected].
