Pet health insurance is an important, but often misunderstood, strategy for managing health care and its associated costs. Properly utilized, pet health insurance provides pet owners with piece of mind that they are prepared for whatever eventualities lay ahead, and many times those eventualities are an unavoidable part of pet ownership. All pets are susceptible to some risks, whether they are genetic, environmental or associated with lifestyle, and insurance is an established and well-regulated mechanism for managing those risks.
An interesting paradox exists in that while most veterinarians would like pet owners to have appropriate insurance when faced with major pet expenditures, they often do not have the training or the time to discuss the relative merits of different insurance plans and policies with pet owners. Because of this, it can be difficult for pet owners to select appropriate policies, so they have the coverage that they want, when it is needed. That’s why this FAQ was created.

When considering pet health insurance, it is important to realize that there are a lot of products out there that might sound like insurance, but not all are. The main distinguishing feature of true pet health insurance is that it is provided by actual insurance companies, which are government regulated and provide consumer protections. These shouldn’t be confused with discount plans, which are membership groups that provide defined discounted veterinary services at certain clinics. These also shouldn’t be confused with payment/wellness plans, in which defined services are delivered for an agreed-upon fee by a veterinary clinic. There are also a number of financing options available to pay for pet health care. All of these can be useful, but pet owners need to be clear what constitutes insurance, and what does not.
Pet insurance is a contractual obligation for registered insurance companies to reimburse pet owners for expenditures covered in their insurance policy that have been provided by a veterinarian. It’s important that you know the advantages and disadvantages of these different options.

Few people are interested in exploring their own health insurance coverage, so reviewing coverage on any insurance policy is not likely anyone’s idea of a good time. However, it might be reassuring to learn that pet health insurance is not like human health insurance at all; it’s actually property and casualty insurance, typically purchased directly from the insurance company or acceptable distributors, often through an internet portal without dealing directly with any insurance agent. That’s right. For the most part, insurance agents are absent from most pet health insurance policy discussions, so no pressure on that front.
Pet owners decide what they want to have covered and select an appropriate policy, and the insurance company agrees to reimburse pet owners according to the terms set forth in the policy, charging a “premium” that has been authorized by the government authority to represent the “risk” they are accepting. In the most common scenario, the pet owner pays the veterinarian for services provided, and submits the bill to the insurance company for reimbursement, less any deductibles or co-pays specified in the policy. The reimbursement is often then received by the pet owner within a few weeks.

While pet health insurance is much less complicated than human health insurance, it’s still important to select a policy that is appropriate for one’s needs, from a company that can be trusted. The premiums that are charged for policies are usually a fairly direct reflection of what the insurance company intends to pay out in reimbursements, so in most cases, you get what you pay for. There are very inexpensive policies that only pay out in cases of catastrophe (e.g., a pet hit by car), to moderately-priced policies that cover most medical conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus), to more expensive policies that cover not only medical issues, but prevention and early-detection costs as well (e.g., vaccination, parasite control, etc.).
The amount of coverage is a personal choice, but the cheaper the plan, the fewer services are likely to be covered. The cheapest plans tend to be accident-only, and cover the one-time costs associated with a calamity. The most expensive plans tend to cover accidents, medical conditions, medications, therapeutic diets, and potentially also vaccination, spay/neuter surgery, and even dental cleanings. There are also a variety of polices that provide in-between levels of care. While having insurance of any kind in place is useful, it is important to be aware of what services are excluded from policies if pet owners are to make valid apples-to-apples comparisons.

All insurance policies define what is covered in the policy, and also what is excluded from coverage. The most common exclusion is for pre-existing conditions, problems that have been identified in the pet prior to the insurance policy taking effect. For example, if a pet has arthritis prior to being covered by insurance, it should be anticipated that the ongoing care of arthritis will be excluded from policy coverage. This is one of the reasons why it is so important that pets have insurance coverage from an early age, when nothing is considered pre-existing and the pet appears completely healthy. Ideally, coverage should be started by around 8 weeks of age to get the most benefit out of insurance, but insurance should be considered for pets of any age.
Some pet health insurance policies extend the concept of exclusion to conditions known or believed to have a genetic component. So, if a certain breed is known to be “predisposed” to certain ailments, coverage of that condition may be excluded in some policies. The best way to safeguard against this is to buy a policy that clearly states that genetic (hereditary) problems are covered by the policy, and to what extent. It should be expected that such policies are going to cost slightly more, but they are well worth it, since it can be disappointing to have insurance, only to learn that conditions you would most like to have covered won’t be covered. Similarly, some policies can appear cheaper if they don’t offer chronic care coverage. So, for example, if a pet develops diabetes mellitus during the policy term, it will be covered, but when the term next renews, the medical condition could be considered “pre-existing” and excluded from further coverage. Everyone wants to save money on insurance, but such short-term savings are rarely worth it. If at all possible, go with a company and a policy that will provide ongoing care for chronic and hereditary conditions, and not exclude conditions likely to occur in the breed being covered. Yes, you can save money by excluding more conditions, but why would you?

We do not make any representation about the policies available through this site since we are not an insurance company, but during our review process, we try to include policies that seem to provide coverage for accident and illness, chronic care, and genetic conditions – things that most pet owners expect to find in a pet health insurance policy. We don’t actually sell any insurance directly, but try to simplify the selection process; coverage is actually purchased directly from the insurers depicted, and we recommend that you carefully read the policy information provided by those insurers.
It is also important to realize that the price for the policies depicted is based on features such as place of residence, breed, age, and gender, so that is why this information is requested. The price of the insurance is quoted directly by the insurance company, and paid directly to the insurance company, and we do not add anything to the cost quoted. The price you see featured here is exactly the same as if you had contacted the insurance company directly.

Virtually all insurance policies have deductibles, which are set amounts of money that are “deducted” from the insurance reimbursement. Some policies have deductibles that apply per incident, while others might have an annual deductible, so that once that amount is reached, further deductibles won’t apply for the remainder of the term. Deductibles are meant to keep premiums affordable, by ensuring that pet owners have some stake in the process.

On the other hand, co-pays reflect the relative proportion of the covered amount to be paid for by the insurance company and the pet owner. For example, while there are a variety of possible co-pays, depending on what pet owners would like the premium to be, a typical co-pay may be that the insurance company will reimburse 90% (or 80% or 70%) of the covered amount, after the deductible, while the pet owner will be responsible for the remaining 10% (or 20% or 30%). If owners are prepared for higher co-pays, they will likely see slightly lower premiums, but they will be paying for a higher percentage of their pet’s care. Most policies reimburse on the basis of the veterinarian’s invoice for services provided, but some still reimburse on the basis of a benefit schedule, a catalog of fees for specific services. Policies that pay on the basis of the veterinarian’s invoice make it easier for pet owners to predict what their final reimbursement will be. In addition, most insurance policies do not cover items that are considered non-medical, such as tax, grooming, boarding, waste fees, etc.

While it might be possible to replicate coverage by pet owners making contributions to a pet-specific savings account each month, it is important to realize that almost no pet owners take this kind of disciplined approach to saving for a pet’s health care needs. In addition, it would take years to save enough funds to cover potential veterinary expenses, especially given that it is not possible to predict when those funds will actually be needed. Sooner or later, most pets are going to develop medical problems that require ongoing medical care and monitoring (e.g., arthritis), need a referral to a specialist, or have a mishap that requires a visit to an emergency clinic. For most people, having a pet health insurance policy is the best way to deal with those likelihoods. Without such insurance, it can be very expensive to provide the type of care that most pet owners would prefer.
When deciding whether pet insurance is worth it, pet owners might try to balance what they paid out in premiums against what they spent for veterinary care, but insurance really doesn’t work that way. When you ensure your home, you don’t consider it a waste of money unless your house goes up in flames, and the same is true of pet insurance. In a best-case scenario, hopefully you will never need to use your insurance, but it’s meant to be there if you do. Likewise, it makes no sense for pet owners to pay for an insurance policy for several years, and then cancel it because they really haven’t used the coverage yet. Insurance provides “peace of mind” for pet owners in addition to providing potentially outsized benefits. For example, a pet owner may have owned a policy for only a month and thus have paid little on the policy so far, but still be reimbursed for the total amount (less deductibles and copays) on the basis of the coverage provided. The purpose of pet health insurance is to have money available when you need it, especially for unanticipated pet care expenses.

Because there are so many things to think about when it comes to pet health insurance, it might be tempting to just do nothing and avoid the decision making altogether. This is probably not a good idea when it comes to a pet for which you have pledged your lifelong care. If you are independently wealthy, then you likely have the funds to provide the level of care you envision, but if this is not the case, then consider getting a pet health insurance policy for your pet, and do so as soon as possible, preferably by 8 weeks of age (before anything happens that would then be considered pre-existing). If your pet is older than this, do it now without further delay.
Give serious thought about what kind of coverage makes the most sense, and for many pet owners, that means seriously reflecting on issues like coverage of potential genetic and hereditary conditions, chronic care (provision of coverage beyond just the current term), and whether you want virtually all veterinary services covered or whether you would be satisfied with insurance covering accidents and illness, but paying for wellness and preventive care (e.g., vaccinations, parasite control, dental cleanings, etc.) on your own. However, the most important part is to “act” and to get pet health insurance in place as soon as possible…so that it is there when you need it. Follow the link on this site, provide some basic information that the insurers need to calculate your premium, and you’ll get an immediate quote that you can choose to accept and get your pet protected as soon as possible

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