Companion Protect Pet Insurance Review 2022 – Investopedia

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Dr. Jamie Whittenburg is originally from Lubbock, TX. She attended undergraduate school at Texas Tech University and then spent years working as a veterinary technician in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area in both small animal and equine clinics before attending veterinary school. She graduated from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. Dr. Whittenburg then went on to pursue post-graduate training at Texas A&M University.
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Companion Protect
Our Take
Companion Protect is different from many pet insurance programs, offering coverage with no age-based premium increases and no waiting periods, but it's only available for pets adoped from eligible shelters.
$100 per-incident deductible
No waiting periods for most coverage
High upper age limit for enrollment
No premium increases with pet age
Must use an in-network veterinarian for direct payment
No coverage outside the United States
No wellness plans available
Companion Protect
Companion Protect is a novel pet insurance company that offers some great features that make protecting your pet easy.
Companion Protect is a pet health insurance company founded in 2015 and currently located in Overland Park, Kansas. Its plans are underwritten by Liberty Insurance Underwriters, Inc., located in Boston, Massachusetts. 
You can obtain a quote and purchase a Companion Protect plan online. Plans are available to customers living in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., though California residents may have different terms. Companion Protect only insures dogs and cats adopted from one of the company's shelter partners.
Although Companion Protect doesn’t have the most bells and whistles on its policy, it does have excellent waiting period terms. And since it pays in-network vets directly, you’ll only need to pay the $100 deductible for vet visits unless you see an out-of-network doctor.
Companion Protect only offers one plan, and it focuses primarily on care for accidents and illnesses.
Companion Protect takes a simple approach to pet insurance, with only one plan and no additional options like wellness coverage.
Wellness and preventive coverage can be a major expense. The Companion Protect plan will not cover most of these costs.
This plan is unique for the pet health insurance industry in that there are no waiting periods for coverage of most services, with the small exception of wellness exams, which have a six-month waiting period. Coverage is active upon enrollment for all accidents and illnesses.
To cancel your coverage, you can contact the company at (800) 304-9930 or provide written notice. If you cancel, any paid premiums will be refunded on a pro-rata basis.
There are situations the Companion Protect plan will not cover, including:
Companion Protect, like all pet health insurance companies, does not cover pre-existing conditions. Upon enrollment, the company will review your pet’s medical history to determine whether any pre-existing condition exclusions apply.
A condition may be considered “cured” and no longer pre-existing if there are no symptoms for a total of 12 months; contact the company for details on how pre-existing conditions may be treated.
Companion Protect will pay in-network vets directly, but coverage with other vets uses the standard reimbursement model: you pay the vet, and Companion Protect will pay you back later.
The company’s accident and illness plan is fairly comprehensive, with 90% reimbursement for accepted medical treatments (with 50% coverage for prescription food if necessary to treat an approved illness). 
The Companion Protect plan includes a $100 deductible per incident that must be paid by the pet’s owner. There is no annual limit to the coverage, but there is a $100,000 lifetime limit for each pet.
Companion Protect offers a variety of discounts, including:
Premiums can be obtained from the company with the Get a Quote tool on the website. Keep in mind that premium costs can vary greatly due to the species, breed, and age of your pet, along with where you live.
Companion Protect will pay in-network vets directly and the deductible is on a per-incident basis—these can be nice features because you’ll know the most you’ll have to pay upfront for a trip to an in-network vet is $100. Compare that to the reimbursement model, where you may have to pay a prohibitively large amount at the vet to even receive services.
If you use an in-network veterinarian, Companion Protect will pay the vet directly, minus 10% and the $100 deductible. If you use an out-of-network provider, you will need to file a claim for reimbursement and pay upfront.
To file a claim, you can submit the required information:
If in need of customer service, clients can use the live chat feature on the website or call Companion Protect at (800) 304-9930: 
The company may be reached via email at service@companionprotect.com.
Companion Protect pet insurance is underwritten by Liberty Insurance Underwriters, Inc., which has strong ratings from AM Best, an independent insurance rating company. AM Best gave Liberty Insurance an A (Excellent) rating in 2021, with a “stable” credit outlook. 
In our survey of 408 pet owners, most responses regarding Companion Watch were positive, but one customer wished there was an option to pay all vets directly. Another customer said the coverage gave them “peace of mind” knowing their pet was protected.
Pet health insurance presents you with many choices, and the situation can be confusing. We recommend first evaluating your pet’s and your family’s needs. There is a lot of variation between plans and the treatments and conditions they cover, and there are often many exclusions to the coverage.
If considering Companion Protect, you will also want to inquire with your current veterinarian to see if they are in-network with the company. Many consumers love the ease of direct payment and not being required to pay upfront.
Some of the most important things to understand before buying pet insurance are:
There are many great pet insurance providers—see our picks top picks in our list of the best pet insurance companies.
All in all, Companion Protect is one of the best choices for pet insurance covering only accidents and illnesses—but only if you adopted a pet from an eligible shelter. It has a plan that’s easy to understand with a high reimbursement level. If your veterinarian is in the company’s network, not having to pay medical bills upfront is a huge plus.
However, if you’re looking for coverage to help pay for preventative and wellness care, you’ll need to look elsewhere or purchase an additional policy from another provider.
Investopedia is dedicated to providing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of pet insurance companies. We rated 25 providers and collected over 2,000 data points, including information about plan options, company features, and fees and limits, to ensure that our reviews help users make informed decisions for their pet insurance needs.
Our full pet insurance methodology, including our data collection process and weighted data points, is available for review.
Companion Protect. "Sample Policies."
CrunchBase.com. "Companion Protect." 
Companion Protect. "Frequently Asked Questions."
Companion Protect. "Sample Plans." 
Companion Protect. "Learn about Companion Protect." 
AM Best. "Liberty Insurance Underwriters, Inc." 

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