Best Pet Insurance in North Carolina 2022 – MarketWatch

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The Tar Heel State is known for its intercoastal waterways, Piedmont regions and mountains, making it an excellent home for many adventurous dogs and cats. However, even animals that aren’t as active can enjoy relaxing in your Raleigh or Charlotte, N.C., house while you’re out and about.
Since your furry friend’s health is a top priority, finding the best pet insurance policy in North Carolina may be a smart investment to ensure your pet gets immediate care during an emergency.
We at the Home Media reviews team compared top pet insurers on affordability, coverage and a few other metrics to help you find the best pet insurance company in North Carolina.
 
Here are the top providers of the best pet insurance in North Carolina:
 
Coverage & Cost: Lemonade is our top pick for affordable pet insurance that covers your animal’s treatments, procedures and other costs related to accidents and injuries, such as outpatient care, cancer treatments, emergency care, hospitalization, diagnostic tests and more. However, it doesn’t cover behavioral treatments, pre-existing conditions, dental illnesses and elective procedures.
Optional Add-Ons: Lemonade offers add-ons for vet visit fees and physical therapy coverage in addition to preventative care coverage at two different coverage levels and price points. For around $10–$16 extra per month, Lemonade can help you pay for your pet’s wellness exam, three vaccines, a heartworm test, a fecal test and a blood test. For $16–$25 more, it’ll cover an additional dental cleaning and flea, tick or heartworm medication.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Here are some average prices for a policy with $5,000 of annual coverage, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate for 1- to 9-year-old pets in Charlotte, N.C.:
NOTE: Lemonade is currently facing a class-action lawsuit centered around its alleged collection and storage of biometric data, but we still consider it to be a reputable pet insurance company with competitive rates, a charitable focus and a quick quoting process. You can read more details in our Lemonade review linked below.
Get a quote: Use Lemonade’s online quote tool for a free quote on your policy.
To learn more: Lemonade Pet Insurance Review
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Spot’s pet insurance coverage is split into two coverage options for accidents only or accidents and illnesses. It pays for common veterinary services related to covered incidents in each plan, including exam fees and microchip implantation, but its exclusions include pre-existing conditions, elective procedures and pregnancy-related issues.
Optional Add-Ons: You can also add $250 or $450 per year for wellness care at an additional monthly cost.
Sample Monthly Premiums: To give you an example of how low your policy could be with Spot, we pulled accident-only quotes for dogs and cats in Charlotte, N.C., for a policy with a $2,500 annual limit, $1,000 annual deductible and 70% reimbursement rate.
Note: Prices for Spot’s accident-only plans don’t vary based on age and breed like they do with accident and illness policies.
Get a quote: Customize your Spot pet insurance plan by getting an instant quote on the company’s website.
To learn more: Spot Pet Insurance Review
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Embrace offers pet insurance coverage for costs related to accidents and illnesses, including chronic condition treatments, exam fees, dental procedures, prescription medications, cancer treatments, allergy testing, alternative treatments and more. It doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, cosmetic or elective surgeries, issues related to pregnancy or breeding and organ transplants.
Optional Add-Ons: If you want coverage for preventative treatments, you can purchase Embrace’s Wellness Rewards plan, which covers 100% of costs related to routine care, including vet visits, microchipping, grooming, teeth cleaning, anal gland expression and more. It comes with $250, $450 or $650 of annual coverage, depending on how much you need.
Sample Monthly Premiums: We pulled several quotes from Embrace for a policy that covers mixed dogs and cats of various ages in Charlotte, N.C., with a $5,000 annual limit, a $300 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate. Here are the averages we found:
Get a quote: Visit Embrace’s website to get an instant quote based on your zip code and pet’s details.
To learn more: Embrace Pet Insurance Review
 
 
Coverage & Cost: You can purchase the Accident-Only Coverage plan from ASPCA Pet Health Insurance for reimbursement on veterinary costs related to injuries and accidents, or you can buy the Complete Coverage plan for coverage on those accidents and other conditions, such as hip dysplasia, cancer, hereditary issues, general illnesses and more.
Optional Add-Ons: This provider doesn’t pay for your pet’s pre-existing health issues, elective procedures, spay or neutering and issues related to pregnancy or breeding. However, it does offer preventative care options for dental cleanings, wellness exams and vaccinations. You can buy the Basic plan with $250 of total annual coverage or the Prime plan with $450 of coverage per year.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Below are a few average premiums from our sample quotes for various mixed breeds in Charlotte, N.C., for the Complete Coverage plan with a $5,000 annual limit, $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level:
Get a quote: Enter your zip code and pet’s information into this online form for a free quote.
To learn more: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Review
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Fetch’s standard policy covers your pet’s treatments, procedures, exam fees and other costs related to accidents and illnesses, such as holistic care, dental procedures, telehealth calls, cancer treatments, rehabilitation and more. It doesn’t cover any pre-existing issues that arise before coverage starts, routine and wellness care or cosmetic and elective procedures, and it requires your pet to be examined yearly to remain eligible for coverage.
Sample Monthly Premiums: After pulling dozens of quotes, we found that Fetch’s prices for older pets can be considerably higher than many competitors, so it may not be best for older animals. Here are some averages from our quotes for 1- to 9-year-old dogs and cats in Charlotte, N.C., for a policy with a $5,000 limit, $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement rate:
Get a quote: Use this online tool from Fetch for a free quote on your pet’s policy.
To learn more: Fetch by The Dodo Pet Insurance Review
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Although Healthy Paws’ policies exclude office visits and exam fees, pre-existing conditions and hip dysplasia during the first 12 months of coverage, they pay unlimited costs for accidents and illnesses, which means you’ll never owe out of pocket beyond your annual deductible and copay. Unlike some pet insurance providers, Healthy Paws doesn’t offer any preventative care add-ons.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Below are some average pet insurance prices for 1- to 9-year-old pets in Charlotte, N.C. We selected a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement rate when those options were available.
Get a quote: Use Healthy Paws’ easy online tool to get a quote on your policy.
To learn more: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review
 
 
Coverage & Cost: Prudent Pet offers one of the most comprehensive pet insurance plans in the industry, the Ultimate Plan, which covers unlimited vet bills per year for most of your pet’s conditions, including injuries, hereditary conditions, hip dysplasia and more. It also reimburses you for a few extra items such as lost-pet advertising costs, vacation cancellation fees and mortality costs for burial and cremation fees. Embrace also offers the Accident-Only Plan, which covers $10,000 per year for costs related to accidents, and the Essential Plan for $10,000 per year for the conditions covered in the Ultimate Plan without the extra reimbursement benefits.
Optional Add-Ons: With each plan, you can add coverage for vet visit fees and wellness coverage at three different monthly prices and coverage levels.
Sample Monthly Premiums: Here are some pricing averages from quotes we received for the Essential Plan with a $250 annual deductible and 80% reimbursement rate for mixed animals in Charlotte, N.C., that are between 1 and 9 years old:
Get a quote: Use this online tool for a free pet insurance quote from Prudent Pet.
To learn more: Prudent Pet Insurance Review
 
 
Provider
Monthly Cost*
Waiting Period for Accidents
Waiting Period for Illnesses
Multi-Pet Discount
Mobile App
Lemonade
$17.42
2 days
14 days
5%
✔
Spot
$39.44
14 days
14 days
10%
✔
Embrace
$44.48
2 days
14 days
10%
✔
Fetch
$45.88
15 days
15 days
None
✔
Healthy Paws
$51.33
15 days
15 days
None
✔
Prudent Pet
$50.48
5 days
14 days
10%
✘
ASPCA
$39.44
14 days
14 days
10%
✔
*Each provider’s monthly cost is based on accident and illness policy premiums from quotes we received on 4-year-old medium-sized dogs in Charlotte, N.C.
 
 
There are two types of pet insurance plans offered by providers in addition to optional preventative care coverage. Here are more details about each plan:
 
 
When you’re shopping for your pet insurance policy, it can be overwhelming to know what factors are important. Here are a few things you should consider to help narrow down your choices, eventually landing on the best pet insurance provider for your specific needs:
 
 
Although pet insurance prices vary depending on your pet’s breed, age, species, gender and zip code, you can expect to pay between $20 and $100 per month for dog insurance premiums and between $10 and $40 per month for pet insurance for cats, based on the dozens of sample quotes we received in the state during our research.
In general, most medications that your pet needs to treat covered accidents, illnesses or other conditions are covered by your pet insurance policy, as long as they’re officially prescribed by your licensed veterinarian and have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Yes, pet insurance companies don’t have specified vet networks so you can take your pet to any licensed veterinarian in North Carolina for treatment and claim a reimbursement on the cost with your provider.
 
Pet insurance may offer both peace of mind and financial savings. While we recommend Lemonade for its overall affordability compared to most competitors, comprehensive coverage options and fast claims process, the other pet insurance providers we reviewed stand out for various unique features that may be more beneficial to you.
For example, Embrace has a Healthy Pet Deductible that can help reduce your out-of-pocket expenses after going multiple years without filing a claim. Additionally, Healthy Paws offers unlimited annual coverage, which is great for those who want maximum coverage at a reasonable price. We ultimately recommend getting quotes from at least three pet insurance providers to compare coverage and plan pricing in your area.
 
 
 
 
 
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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