- August 9, 2022
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Best Pet Insurance in Alabama (2022 Guide) – MarketWatch
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In this article: Top Pet Insurance Companies | Types of Pet Insurance | How To Choose | Conclusion | FAQs | Methodology
Whether you’re playing with your pup at Remy’s Dog Park in Birmingham or cozying up with your cat at home, you’re always looking out for your furry family member’s health and safety. Enrolling in a pet insurance policy may bring you peace of mind that you can afford veterinary treatment for your pet in case of injury or illness.
To help you choose the best provider, we at the Home Media reviews team compared and analyzed the top pet insurance companies in the nation. We then evaluated the best Alabama pet insurance providers from Huntsville to Montgomery based on their plans, deductibles, waiting periods, coverage limits and more.
Here are Alabama’s seven best pet insurance companies, based on our research:
Highlights:
Coverage: Lemonade offers one accident-and-illness plan that covers veterinary care costs related to sickness or injuries. Most accident-and-illness policies, including Lemonade’s, cover diagnostic testing, hospitalization, surgery, emergency care, prescription medications and more.
Elective procedures, cosmetic procedures, dental care and behavioral treatments are excluded from coverage. Lemonade (like all pet insurance providers) does not cover preexisting conditions, which are illnesses or injuries of which symptoms were present before coverage began. Conditions that arise during the waiting period — 14 days for illnesses and two days for accidents — are also excluded.
With Lemonade, you can extend your basic coverage with add-ons for preventive care, physical therapy, dental illness, end-of-life care and vet visits for a nominal monthly fee.
Average premium price: Below are average costs of Lemonade pet insurance premiums for 4-year-old, mixed-breed dogs and cats in Montgomery, Ala., with different deductibles, reimbursement rates and coverage limits
Get a quote: Get a free quote for your furry family member with Lemonade’s online quote tool.
To learn more: Lemonade Pet Insurance review
Highlights:
Coverage: Spot is our choice for the provider with the most customizable plans. Spot offers pet owners an accident-only or accident-and-illness plan with multiple options for deductibles, reimbursement rates and coverage limits.
The accident-only plan covers costs for your pet’s broken bones, bite wounds, sprains, toxic ingestions and more. The accident-and-illness plan covers all of the above, plus illnesses and conditions including cancer, infections, diabetes and heart disease.
Spot also covers exam fees, alternative treatments, behavioral therapy and microchipping in its standard plan, which other providers do not typically offer in their base plans. In addition, Spot offers a preventive care add-on at two levels: Gold, which covers up to $250, and Platinum, which covers up to $450 in various routine care services.
Average premium price: Using Spot’s online quote tool, we determined its average monthly accident-and-illness premiums based on 4-year-old, mixed-breed dogs and cats in Montgomery, Ala., with varying coverage limits, reimbursement rates and deductibles:
Get a quote: Visit Spot’s website to get a free, customized pet insurance quote.
To learn more: Spot Pet Insurance review
Highlights:
Coverage: Trupanion provides one comprehensive accident-and-illness plan with no coverage cap and a 90% reimbursement rate. Customers can also choose the per-incident deductible they want to pay, with options ranging from $0 to $1,000. Unlike other providers with annual deductibles, Trupanion’s per-incident deductible structure means you only pay a new deductible when your pet has a new illness or injury, rather than every year.
Trupanion’s plan covers treatments and services related to your pet’s accidents, injuries and conditions, including hospitalization, surgery, prescription medication and prosthetic devices.
Trupanion offers three add-ons to its standard plan: the Recovery and Complementary Care package, which covers alternative treatments; the Pet Owners Assistance package, which covers costs for incidents outside the vet’s office, such as reward money for missing pets; and a breeding add-on, which covers illnesses, injuries or emergencies connected to breeding or birthing for dogs and cats.
Average premium price: To give you an idea of the monthly costs of a Trupanion plan, we averaged quotes for 4-year-old, mixed-breed dogs and cats in Montgomery, Ala., with varying deductibles:
Get a quote: Visit Trupanion’s website for a free insurance quote for your faithful companion.
Highlights:
Coverage: Fetch by The Dodo offers one accident-and-illness plan. As our pick for the best therapy coverage, Fetch uniquely covers therapies, treatments and conditions that its competitors don’t, including the following:
The customizable accident-and-illness plan offers pet owners three options for deductibles, payouts and reimbursement rates. Fetch does not offer an option for wellness or preventive care.
Average premium price: We gathered multiple quotes from Fetch and found that its premiums for older pets were higher than other providers’. Below are monthly cost averages from Fetch based on 4-year-old, mixed-breed dogs and cats in Montgomery, Ala., with varying annual deductibles, reimbursement rates and coverage limits:
Get a quote: Visit Fetch’s website and “fetch” a free pet insurance quote today.
To learn more: Fetch by The Dodo Pet Insurance review
Highlights:
Coverage: Embrace offers one accident-and-illness policy that covers diagnostic testing, medications, exam fees, surgical procedures and emergency care. Additionally, Embrace will cover treatment for conditions such as cancer, allergies, congenital conditions, dental trauma (up to $1,000 per year), orthopedic conditions, genetic conditions and more.
Although Embrace does not cover preexisting conditions, the provider will consider whether a condition is curable or not. For example, if your pet suffers from an illness before coverage begins but remains symptom-free for one year, Embrace will cover that condition in the future should it recur.
Embrace also offers a Wellness Reward plan that reimburses 100% of your pet’s routine care services such as vaccinations, grooming, microchipping, spay or neuter surgery, and flea, tick and heartworm prevention.
Average premium price: Below are sample monthly premiums from Embrace based on quotes for 4-year-old, mixed-breed dogs and cats in Montgomery, Ala., with different deductibles, reimbursement levels and coverage limits:
Note: Senior pets aged 15 years or older are only eligible for Embrace’s accident-only policy.
Get a quote: Fill out Embrace’s online form to get a free pet health insurance quote.
To learn more: Embrace Pet Insurance review
Highlights:
Coverage: Healthy Paws has one standard accident-and-illness policy that offers unlimited coverage, two reimbursement options and two deductible options. Coverage includes prescription medication, hospitalization, surgery and cancer treatment, plus congenital, chronic and hereditary conditions. Healthy Paws also covers alternative treatments in its base plan, such as chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture and hydrotherapy.
Healthy Paws does not cover preexisting conditions, including those that arise during the 15-day waiting period for accidents and illnesses. It also excludes hip dysplasia coverage within the first 12 months of enrollment. There is no routine or wellness care add-on available.
Average premium price: Health Paws’ monthly premiums for 4-year-old, mixed-breed dogs and cats in Montgomery, Ala., are as follows:
Note: If your pet is six years old or younger, Healthy Paws requires an exam from a licensed veterinarian for your plan to take effect.
Get a quote: Retrieve your free Healthy Paws pet insurance quote.
To learn more: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance review
Highlights:
Coverage: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance lets pet parents choose between the Accident-Only Coverage Plan and the Complete Coverage Plan. The accident-only plan is best for those who want coverage for emergencies, accidents or unexpected injuries, such as broken bones, cuts and bite wounds. The Complete Coverage Plan is comparable to an accident-and-illness plan and covers hereditary conditions, behavioral issues, cancer, hip dysplasia, infections and more.
ASPCA offers a preventive care add-on at basic and premium levels. Preventative Basic provides up to $250 annually and covers a wellness exam, deworming, dental cleaning and a rabies vaccination. Preventative Prime provides up to $450 annually and adds coverage for flea and heartworm prevention, a spay and neuter procedure, urinalysis, a blood test and more. The standard plan and preventive add-ons exclude coverage for preexisting conditions, cosmetic procedures and breeding costs.
Average premium price: Using ASPCA’s online quote tool, we got average pet insurance premiums for 4-year-old, mixed-breed dogs and cats in Montgomery, Ala., with varying deductibles and reimbursement levels:
Get a quote: Fill out ASPCA’s online form to get a pet insurance quote today.
To learn more: ASPCA Pet Insurance review
A pet insurance policy can bring you peace of mind that you’ll be able to afford your furry friend’s vet bills when the unexpected happens. Before enrolling, consider the policy aspects that are most important to you. We compared and analyzed Alabama pet insurance providers and found Lemonade to be the most cost-effective while offering multiple coverage options. For comprehensive, unlimited coverage, you may want to consider Healthy Paws or Trupanion.
Pet insurance costs and coverage options vary across providers, so we always recommend that pet owners obtain at least three pet insurance quotes to compare.
Here’s a quick comparison of the top pet insurance providers in Alabama:
*Each provider’s monthly cost is based on accident-and-illness policy quotes we obtained for a 4-year-old, medium-size, mixed-breed dog in Montgomery, Ala.
There are two main types of pet insurance policies — accident-and-illness and accident-only. Many providers also offer a wellness plan as an add-on. Here are some additional details about each plan:
When researching policies, familiarize yourself with the following terms: annual coverage limit, reimbursement rate and deductible. Your annual coverage limit is the total amount your insurance provider will pay out in claims per year. Your reimbursement rate (or level) is the percentage of a veterinary bill your provider will cover (e.g., with an 80% reimbursement rate and a $200 vet bill, the provider will reimburse $160). Finally, your deductible is the amount you will have to pay before your provider begins reimbursing you.
Deciding on a provider for dog or cat insurance can be overwhelming. Before you officially enroll your pet, consider the following factors:
Pet insurance is worth it for the peace of mind it brings to pet owners. With pet insurance, you will never have to decide between getting your pet the necessary treatment and staying financially solvent. In fact, the out-of-pocket treatment expenses for the most common pet conditions surpass annual pet insurance costs.
Pet insurance policies will cover medications related to a covered accident or illness as long as a licensed veterinarian prescribes them. Standard plans do not cover preventive medications, such as flea and heartworm medicine. However, a wellness or preventive care add-on may cover preventive medications.
The monthly premium costs for pet insurance can range between $15 and $100 per month; however, these prices depend primarily on your pet’s age, breed and location. On average, dog insurance costs between $30 and $50 a month, and cat insurance costs between $15 and $30 per month.
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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