Best Pet Insurance in Massachusetts of 2022 – MarketWatch

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We at the Home Media reviews team have spent hundreds of hours surveying pet owners, reading hundreds of customer reviews on third-party websites and analyzing top pet insurance companies on factors such as customer care, plan options and monthly pricing to help you choose the best pet insurance in Massachusetts.
Although your pet’s pre-existing conditions won’t be covered by pet insurance providers, purchasing a pet insurance policy can still be a great way to avoid expensive vet bills related to future incidents or conditions that may yet happen to your beloved companion.
When we surveyed 1,000 pet parents in the United States to learn more about common pain points of pet ownership, we found that only 25% have paid less than $200 for emergency vet visits for their dogs and cats, while 21% of respondents stated that they’ve paid more than $1,000. Considering those high expenses, pet insurance can be worth its monthly premium.
 
Here are our top picks for the best pet insurance in Massachusetts:
Provider
Monthly Cost*
Waiting Periods
Multi-Pet Discount
Mobile App
Lemonade
$22.68
2 days for accidents; 14 days for illnesses
5%
✔
Spot
$52.73
14 days for all conditions
10%
✔
Embrace
$46.80
2 days for accidents; 14 days for illnesses
10%
✔
ASPCA
$52.73
14 days for all conditions
10%
✔
Fetch
$59.93
15 days for accidents and illnesses
None
✔
Healthy Paws
$49.35
15 days for accidents and illnesses
None
✔
Prudent
$65.74
5 days for accidents; 14 days for illnesses
10%
✘
*Each provider’s monthly cost is based on accident and illness policy premiums from quotes we received for 4-year-old medium-sized mixed dogs in Boston.
 
Coverage and Cost: Lemonade offers a single accident and illness plan. It covers items such as diagnostic tests, procedures, cancer treatments, hospitalizations, broken bone repairs and prescriptions. The policy doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, cosmetic or elective procedures or behavioral therapy.
Add-ons: Lemonade has a preventive care add-on that foots the bill for a wellness exam, bloodwork, a heartworm test and three vaccines per year. You can also add individual vet visit, exam fee and physical therapy endorsements to your plan for an additional monthly fee.
Sample Monthly Premiums: The monthly premiums below are from sample quotes we obtained for an accident and illness policy with a $5,000 annual coverage limit, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Medium Mixed Dog
$18.27
$22.68
$29.03
$50.96
Mixed Cat
$12.25
$12.25
$16.77
$27.06
Note: Lemonade is currently facing a class-action lawsuit for its alleged collection of biometric data. After reviewing the suit, we still recommend it as a reliable and upstanding choice of provider based on its affordability, customizable coverage and charitable emphasis.
To Learn More: Lemonade Pet Insurance Review
Get a Quote: Enter your address and pet’s information into Lemonade’s online quote tool to get a free customized cost estimate.
 
 
Coverage & Cost: With Spot, you can purchase accident-only coverage to receive reimbursement for emergency incidents like injuries, swallowed objects and toxic ingestions. You can also purchase coverage for accidents and illnesses, including diseases like gingivitis, hip dysplasia, cancer, diabetes and more. Spot doesn’t cover elective procedures and pre-existing conditions that arise before the end of the 14-day waiting period.
Add-Ons: Spot also offers preventive care to help pay for treatments like dental cleanings, wellness exams, fecal tests, vaccinations and more. The Gold Plan comes with a total of $250 of annual per-item limits, and the Platinum Plan comes with a total of $450 annual per-item limits and includes a few more procedures, such as an additional vaccination and spay or neuter surgery.
Sample Monthly Premiums: The following monthly premiums are from sample quotes we received for accident-only policies with an annual coverage limit of $2,500, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Medium Mixed Dog
$23.51
$23.51
$23.51
$23.51
Mixed Cat
$13.13
$13.13
$13.13
$13.13
Note: Spot’s Accident-Only Plan’s premiums don’t change based on your pet’s age or breed, so it could be your cheapest option if you have an older pet.
To Learn More: Spot Pet Insurance Review
Get a Quote: Customize your pet’s policy by getting a quote from Spot on the company’s website.
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Embrace’s accident and illness pet insurance plan covers emergency vet bills related to accidents, illnesses and other conditions, such as hip dysplasia, chronic conditions, congenital conditions and cancer. It doesn’t cover boarding, alternative treatments or any pre-existing conditions that arise before or during the waiting periods of two days for accidents and 14 days for illnesses.
Add-Ons: You can add coverage for preventive care to your policy by purchasing the optional Wellness Rewards Plan, which reimburses pet owners for 100% of their bills related to covered routine care, such as microchipping, grooming, vaccinations and routine vet visits. You can choose between $250, $450 or $650 of annual coverage at three different monthly price points.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Here are some monthly premiums from sample quotes we received on policies in Boston with a $300 annual deductible, a $5,000 annual coverage limit and an 80% reimbursement percentage:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Medium Mixed Dog
$42.67
$46.80
$53.68
$72.03
Mixed Cat
$21.34
$27.51
$32.91
$42.93
To Learn More: Embrace Pet Insurance Review
Get a Quote: Get a free quote from Embrace by filling out this quick form online.
 
 
Coverage & Cost: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers two plans for reimbursement on vet bills for treatments, procedures, vet visits and other costs. The Accident-Only Coverage plan covers accidents, such as injuries, broken bones and bite wounds. The Complete Coverage plan covers everything in the Accident-Only Coverage plan in addition to illnesses, including behavioral issues, cancer, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions and more.
Add-Ons: This provider doesn’t cover breeding costs, cosmetic procedures, pre-existing conditions that arise before the end of the 14-day waiting period and preventive care, unless you add it on to your policy. It offers two levels of routine care coverage for things like wellness exams and vaccinations. The Basic plan comes with a total of $250 of coverage per year, and the Prime plan comes with $450 of coverage per year.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Below are some monthly premiums from our sample quotes on Complete Coverage plans for pets in Boston with a $5,000 annual coverage limit, an 80% reimbursement rate and a $250 annual deductible:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Medium Mixed Dog
$46.14
$52.73
$65.92
$105.47
Mixed Cat
$24.04
$28.04
$32.05
$44.06
To Learn More: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Review
Get a Quote: For a free quote from ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, enter your dog or cat’s information into this easy online form.
 
 
Coverage & Cost:Fetch offers one plan that covers both accidents and illnesses and unexpected vet bills or costs related to them, including dental care, behavioral therapies, imaging, rehabilitation, surgery, specialist treatments, prescription medications, cancer treatments and more.
The company doesn’t cover cosmetic procedures, preventive care or pre-existing conditions, and it stipulates a 15-day waiting period for accidents and illnesses.
Add-ons: Similar to Prudent Pet, Fetch offers coverage for a few extra items, such as vacation cancellation fees related to your pet’s covered conditions, lost-pet advertising and reward money and boarding fees if you’re hospitalized for more than four days and can’t take care of your pet.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Here are some sample monthly premiums from our quotes in Boston on policies with a $250 deductible, a $5,000 annual coverage limit and an 80% reimbursement rate:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Medium Mixed Dog
$41.31
$59.93
$89.05
$196.47
Mixed Cat
$20.16
$23.63
$35.15
$64.08
To Learn More: Fetch by The Dodo Pet Insurance Review
Get a Quote: You can fill out this form for a quick, free quote on a policy from Fetch.
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Healthy Paws offers one plan with unlimited annual coverage for costs related to your pet’s accidents and illnesses, such as cancer treatments, diagnostic tests, surgery, hospitalization, emergency care and alternative treatments. This means you’ll never reach a limit on vet bills that the provider agrees to pay, and you’ll owe only your deductible and copay out of pocket during a covered incident. Healthy Paws doesn’t offer any preventive care options, and it doesn’t cover elective procedures, exam or vet visit fees, behavioral treatments, spaying or neutering, hip dysplasia within the first 12 months of the policy and pre-existing conditions that arise before the end of the 15-day waiting period.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Here are some sample monthly premiums on quotes we received in Boston for policies with a $250 annual deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate when applicable:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
8 Year Old
Medium Mixed Dog
$39.61
$49.35
$50.55*
$77.40*
Mixed Cat
$18.52
$23.09
$23.65*
$36.01*
*Policies that cover pets older than 6 years of age come with lower reimbursement rates (50%–70%) and higher annual deductibles ($500–$1,000).
To Learn More: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review
Get a Quote: Click through Healthy Paws’ online quote tool for a free quote on your pet’s policy.
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Prudent Pet offers the Accident-Only Plan, which covers up to $10,000 per year for accidents, such as bite wounds, broken bones and injuries. The Essential Plan extends that accident coverage to illnesses and other conditions, such as cancer, growths, digestive illnesses, hereditary conditions and more. Prudent Pet also offers the Ultimate Plan with unlimited annual coverage caps, which means there is no annual limit to how much you can be reimbursed. This plan includes everything in the Essential Plan plus $1,000 for behavioral disorders, and it reimburses policyholders for lost-pet advertising costs, boarding fees, the replacement cost of a pet that’s lost or stray, mortality costs that cover cremation or burial of a pet and vacation cancellation fees due to a sick pet.
Add-Ons: You can also purchase an add-on for exam fees and preventive care with three different monthly prices and annual coverage levels of $210, $315 and $460. Covered routine care includes vaccinations, fecal exams, wellness exams and more, and each treatment comes with a per-item limit.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Here are monthly prices from sample quotes we pulled in Boston for Prudent Pet’s Essential Plan with a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate:
Animal Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Medium Mixed Dog
$53.89
$65.74
$83.51
$119.04
Mixed Cat
$32.32
$39.42
$50.08
$71.39
To Learn More: Prudent Pet Insurance Review
Get a Quote: Click through this online tool to get a quote from Prudent Pet for your animal’s pet insurance policy.
 
 
Whether you live in Boston or elsewhere in Massachusetts, consider purchasing a pet insurance policy from one of the providers reviewed above. Before purchasing a plan, think about your budget and coverage needs.
If you’re looking for a streamlined claims process and affordable coverage, Lemonade could be an excellent choice. Embrace is another top pick for pet parents on a budget. For highly customizable coverage, you may want to consider Spot, with its range of flexible coverage caps. Take a few minutes to compare quotes from multiple providers before locking into a policy.
 
 
Before purchasing pet insurance in Massachusetts, familiarize yourself with the different types of plans available:
You’ll also need to decide how much annual coverage you need in addition to your preferred annual deductible and reimbursement percentage for your pet’s policy. All of these customizable options impact your monthly premium.
The annual coverage limit is the amount your provider agrees to pay during one year of coverage. The annual deductible is the amount you owe out of pocket during a claim before the insurer reimburses you for the rest of the bill. Lastly, the reimbursement percentage — typically 70%, 80% or 90% — is the amount of your vet bills that your provider agrees to pay, while you pay what’s left.
 
 
Based on the sample quotes we received in Boston, we found that pet insurance in Massachusetts is a bit more expensive than many other states. However, the exact price of your monthly premium will vary depending on your pet’s species, breed, age, gender and zip code. We recommend comparing prices by getting custom quotes from a few different companies based on you and your pet’s specific information.
Yes. Since pet insurance providers don’t require direct relationships with veterinarians to process claims, and they instead process claims directly through the pet owner, you can typically file a claim on bills from any licensed vet in the U.S.
Yes. Pet insurance companies don’t cover your pet’s accidents and illnesses until after the waiting periods are over. Anything that happens to your pet before that date would be considered a pre-existing condition. While the industry standard for coverage waiting periods is 14–15 days, some companies like Embrace and Prudent Pet have shorter waiting periods for accidents.
 
Our review of pet insurance companies is based on in-depth industry research that includes reading hundreds of customer reviews, simulating the quote and purchasing process, speaking to representatives on the phone to assess the customer service experience and surveying 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage. We have scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements.
Here are more details about each factor and how they’re weighted:
We use our rating system to compare and contrast each company against key factors to help us determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. Additionally, we keep our research up to date and revisit our reviews on a regular basis.
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