If you are a pet-owner, you might have considered various options for pet insurance. One popular option to look into is Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. They offer a variety of benefits, including quick turnaround on claims and no lifetime caps. This is a solid company that might be right for you and your pets.
 Learn More on Healthy Paws Pet Insurance’s secured website |
Average Customer Rating What we like: |
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| Monthly Premium | Approximately $35 for dogs and $25 for cats |
| Deductible | $100, $200, $500, or $750 |
| Benefits Limits | 70%, 80% or 90% of annual costs |
| Age Restrictions | As young as 8 weeks and as old as 14 years |
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Visit the Healthy Paws Pet Insurance website or get a quote for pet insurance |
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In this review, we’ll talk about the coverage information, the pros and cons, the costs, customer reviews, and everything else you will need to know in order to decide whether Healthy Paws Pet Insurance is the right choice for your family.
What We Like
In general, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance is a reputable company with good coverage for cats and dogs. One of our favorite features is that its price is very competitive; in fact, the value is among the best when it comes to the cost of pet insurance. Here are some of the things we really like about Healthy Paws:
- Annual deductible. Some pet insurance companies have you pay a deductible per incident, but Healthy Paws Pet Insurance has you pay only an annual deductible. This means that if your pet gets sick in January and you pay your deductible, you won’t have to worry about paying it again if he gets sick again in November of the same year.
- Travel benefits. If you live in the USA and you travel to Canada, your pet will still be covered.
- Quick claim processing. The company’s website says that they process 99 percent of claims in two days, which is excellent if you are counting on getting your reimbursement quickly. In addition, one of the options for reimbursement is direct deposit, making the process even simpler.
- No caps on annual or lifetime payouts. You will not have to worry about withholding care due to getting too close to your annual or lifetime maximum.
- Easy-to-use app. You can submit claims using the Healthy Paws app, which is very convenient for busy pet owners!
What We Dislike
Like all pet insurance companies, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance has a few features that we didn’t like as much, such as:
- Vet exam fees aren’t covered. This means that if your vet has a fee to evaluate your pet for an illness, that exam fee will need to be paid out-of-pocket even if the claim for the treatment is paid.
- Age limitations. If your pet is over age 6, he will need to see a veterinarian for a check-up prior to the policy being issued. In addition, if your pet is over age 8, you are limited in the type of plan you can pick as well as the reimbursement levels available. This can be a problem particularly for cats and smaller dogs, many of whom are really only into their middle age when they are 8.
- Waiting periods. You will have a waiting period for illnesses and injuries. In addition, there is a 12-month waiting period for hip dysplasia treatment, which can be an issue for those with young large-breed dogs.
- Hip dysplasia rules for older dogs. If your dog is over the age of 6, hip dysplasia will not be covered at all.
Coverage Information
What is or is not covered can depend on your specific policy with Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. With that being said, here is a general list of what is usually covered as well as what is not covered.
What Is Covered?
- Illnesses
- Accidents
- Hereditary conditions
- Cancer
- X-rays
- Blood tests
- Ultrasounds
- Surgery
- Hospitalization
- Prescription medication
- Emergency care
- Specialty care
- Alternative treatments
What Is Not Covered?
- Preventative care
- Wellness exams
- Behavioral treatments and medications
- Exam fees
- Spay/neuter surgery
- Pre-existing conditions
- Hip dysplasia in dogs over 6 years old
- Teeth cleaning
- Vaccinations
- Parasite control
How Much Does Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Cost?
Like all pet insurance companies, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance designs a price quote based on the type of pet you have, the age of your pet, where you live, and so on. Since we cannot give a price estimate for every pet, we entered the information of two hypothetical pets to see what the coverage would cost.
Our first pet is a 12-week-old large mixed-breed female puppy. The premiums for our hypothetical puppy are $36.50 per month. This plan has a $200 deductible and an 80% coverage amount.
Our second pet is a 3-year-old male cat. The premiums for him were $32.74 and the coverage amounts were the same.
Note that raising the deductible amounts and/or lowering the coverage percentages will lower the premiums in both cases. Also note that there is a $25 fee to begin coverage for all pets.
Discounts, Promotions, and Coupon Codes
While Healthy Paws Pet Insurance does not currently any specific discounts that are published on their website, there are discounts offered if your HR representative signs up your employer for a discount program for employees. In addition, their website says that certain membership organizations might offer a discount for the insurance plans.
Customer Reviews
If you are in the market for pet insurance, it is important to read through customer reviews to see what users like – and don’t like – about the company or the specific policies. We have chosen some positive and negative reviews to get you started.
Positive Reviews
Happy customers tended to appreciate the quick turnaround times and the ease of submitting claims through the company’s app.
I cannot express how fantastic Healthy Paws is. I’ve been their customer since 2012, when I first got my Shiba Inu puppy. Earlier this year, my vet found that he had two cracked teeth that needed to come out – needless to say, this was a stressful situation all around, but Healthy Paws made it easy to make the decision to go ahead with the surgery. Their staff was friendly on the phone when I called to be sure I was covered, and were careful to consider all the details to make sure I knew what to expect. They covered everything just as advertised, and even reimbursed me for test that were run for the surgery as part of the annual checkup when it wasn’t immediately apparent they were for the surgery. They paid my claim in about 36 hours, and even contacted me personally two or three days later to check on Tonka – no agenda, no other reason than to see how he was doing. They followed up faster than the vet. 🙂 – Laura K, 8/13/19, Yelp
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I bought a Healthy Paws plan when we adopted our pug from the shelter 3 years ago. What a blessing! He’s had some eye problems develop and we were able to see a specialist and get him surgery to try to restore some sight. They have covered 90% of his bills – better than my human insurance! The app is great for submitting claims and super easy to navigate. They are very prompt with reimbursements as well. Would highly recommend them to any pet parents. – Karen G, 7/15/19, Yelp
Negative Reviews
Unhappy customers of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance focused on long hold times on the telephone as well as rising premiums over time. Some also complained about unfair denials, which tends to be an issue with all types of health insurance (pet and human).
I’ve had the policy 4 years for 3 dogs. Every year they increased the cost by 10-15% and this year it’s 20% and I’ve only had a couple of claims over the years for only one of my dogs. And it was all small stuff. My dogs are 5, 5, and 4 years old so this is crazy. I’m probably just going to drop it altogether and save the money instead. Or get a cheaper supplementary insurance. It’s just unfair and impractical considering all the annual increases and all the things they don’t cover. – Dasha, 9/29/18, Consumer Affairs
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I finally got to speak to someone who was able to answer my questions on how to hopefully get my claims paid. It was 1hr 33 minutes before my call was answered. And an additional 17 minutes before I was able to get off the phone. All totaled…1hr 50min 2 seconds. And I still have to resubmit my claims. During the call the woman told me she has a lot of “pet parents” complain due to long wait times and slow or frustrating claim processing and that the people I had spoken to before today were no longer working there so Monday I will resubmit all of my claims to hopefully be paid. Then I will be running as fast as I can to another company. Ridiculous. – Tamara, 8/9/19, Consumer Affairs
The Final Verdict
We feel that overall, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance is a great choice for many people who want to be sure that their pets are covered. From no annual or lifetime limits to very quick and simple claim submission and processing procedures, you will likely find that this is an easy and convenient plan to work with. On the other hand, it seems that premiums might rise quickly and that customer service might be hard to get hold of.
It is important to do your due diligence in researching any pet insurance company that you plan to use to help protect your precious furbaby. To learn more about Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, you can go to their website and request a free quote. There’s no obligation, and you will be able to see what is covered as well as how much your monthly premiums will be if this is the company you choose.
