FIND THE BEST PET HEALTH INSURANCE

An increasing number of pet owners are purchasing medical insurance for their pets. According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA), there are approximately 25 companies that insure over 4.8 million pets in the United States.

According to the NAPHIA State of the Industry Report 2023: UNITED STATES

• Total number of pets insured in 2022 was 4,849,540.
• 80.1% of insured pets were dogs and 19.9% were for cats.
• The average accident and illness premium for dogs was $640.04 per year (9.6% annual increase) and $387.01 for cats (12.9% annual increase).

Veterinarians and their staff may be LIMITED on how they discuss pet insurance with their clients because they are not a licensed pet insurance agent. For additional recommendations, the PET INSURANCE REVIEW website includes thousands of consumer reviews of the leading pet insurance providers across the U.S.

Be aware of third-party websites that compare pet insurance plans and provide listings of the “best pet insurance companies.” Our research shows that many of these sites may feature providers which are advertisers and are compensated on where and how companies appear on these websites — always read the site’s disclosures.

How to Compare Different Pet Insurance Plans

• Can the provider pay the hospital directly at time of checkout for eligible claims?
• Are claims paid based on the veterinary bill amount or by the provider’s benefit schedule?
• What type of deductible (annual or per-incident) is offered?
• What are the normal hours of operation for customer service support. Is 24/7 customer care available?
• What is the plans cancellation policy? In addition to fraud or non-payment can the provider cancel your policy for no reason?
• What is the maximum amount of money the provider will pay you: per-incident, annual, and or lifetime limit (payout limits)?
• Are optional preventive care plans available?
• Are alternative therapies covered such as hydrotherapy, chiropractic treatments, and low-laser therapy?

PET INSURANCE PROVIDERS

According to TODD NEMET, President of CARE for Pets™

• “Which pet insurance company you choose to protect your pet is very important. Over the last couple of years there have been many changes within the pet health insurance industry including some of the smaller insurance companies being acquired by a competing provider. In addition, many new providers (no track record on annual premium increases) have entered the pet insurance marketplace with very competitive premium prices. As they begin to pay claims, there annual premiums may substantially increase. Insurance companies do not cover pre-existing conditions. If you decide to change providers, your pets’ pre-existing condition(s) may not be covered.”

RECENT NEWS:

Nationwide Dropping 100K Pet Insurance Policies, Blaming High Vet Costs and Inflation (6.9.24)
https://www.pets.care/news/2024/06/nationwide-pet-dropping-100k-insurance-policies-citing-high-vet-costs/

• The age, breed or prior claims history of the pets will not be factored into which policyholders get dropped, Nationwide said.

Independence Pet Holdings Completes Acquisition of Pets Best (4.21.24)
https://www.pets.care/news/2024/04/iph-completes-acquisition-of-pets-best-insurance-services/

• Corporate holding company that acquired Pets Best owns several pet insurance brands including: Embrace Pet Insurance, FIGO, Pets Best, AKC Pet Insurance, PetPartners, Independence American Insurance Company, Pumpkin, Felix, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Pets Plus Us, and Independence Pet Group (IPG).

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