Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review – 2022 Coverage And Cost – MarketWatch

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Healthy Paws Pet Insurance has been around since 2009 and is a good choice for dog and cat owners looking for a comprehensive policy with unlimited annual and lifetime coverage caps.
Keep reading to learn about the company, its policies and how much coverage costs to determine if it’s the best pet insurance company for you and your pet.
 
+ Offers a 30-day, money-back guarantee with each policy
+ Has more than 12 years of experience in the pet insurance industry, which is more than many competitors
+ Covers alternative and chiropractic treatments, which are excluded by some competitors
– Has a 12-month waiting period for hip dysplasia treatments
– Doesn’t offer coverage for wellness or preventative care
 
Healthy Paws offers only one pet insurance plan that comes with an unlimited annual coverage cap and reimburses policyholders for procedures and treatments due to accidents and illnesses.
Covered conditions include:
…and more.
Healthy Paws also reimburses pet owners for vet bills related to treatments such as X-rays, blood tests, surgery, hospitalization, cancer treatments, emergency or specialty care, prescription medications and alternative treatments.
 
Most pet health insurance providers — including Healthy Paws — do not cover pre-existing conditions that occur or arise before or during the policy’s waiting period. Healthy Paws defines a pre-existing condition as “any condition or complication resulting from an illness that developed, or any injury as a result of an accident that occured prior to the pet policy effective date.”
Healthy Paws also excludes:
Since it doesn’t offer a wellness or routine care add-on, it also excludes preventative care treatments, such as:
For a full list of coverage, exclusions and policy limitations, we at the Home Media reviews team recommend reviewing Healthy Paws’ sample policy.
 
As long as your pet is under 6 years old, here are the customization options you can choose from to ensure you only pay for what your dog or cat needs:
Six-year-old dogs and cats qualify for a 70% reimbursement rate and a $500 deductible. Seven-year-old pets qualify for only a 70% reimbursement rate and a $750 deductible, and policies on pets 8 years or older are locked in at a 50% reimbursement rate and a $1,000 annual deductible.
 
A Healthy Paws policy depends on your pet’s age, breed and location. We recommend getting a free quote from Healthy Paws’ online quote tool for the most accurate rates.
Below are some monthly sample quotes for a Healthy Paws policy with an 80% reimbursement rate and a $250 deductible:
Breed
1 Year Old
4 Year Old
6 Year Old
9 Year Old
Labrador retriever
$45.02
$56.08
$57.44*
$88.03*
Medium mixed dog
$30.47
$37.95
$38.87*
$59.60*
Miniature poodle
$30.47
$37.95
$38.87*
$59.60*
Border collie
$24.35
$30.33
$31.07*
$47.63*
Mixed cat
$14.03
$17.49
$17.91*
$27.36*
Maine Coon cat
$25.95
$32.34
$33.13*
$50.58*
Persian cat
$21.33
$26.58
$27.23*
$41.54*
Abyssinian cat
$17.55
$21.33
$22.41*
$34.23*
*Policies that cover pets over 6 years old come with lower reimbursement rates (50%–70%) and higher annual deductibles ($500–$1,000).
 
As part of our research process, we read more than 100 customer reviews from Healthy Paws’ customers to get a sense of their satisfaction with their policies. Overall, Healthy Paws has an even mix of positive and negative reviews. Some customers are happy with the way claims are processed online, the monthly prices and the customer service, but typical complaints involve long wait times on the phone and considerable price hikes when renewing the policy.
Most of Healthy Paws’ negative reviews have official responses from the company in an attempt to solve any issues. However, when we reached out to Healthy Paws about the negative reviews, the company declined to comment.
Here are some Healthy Paws customer reviews from the Better Business Bureau (BBB):
“Very impressed with Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. Premiums are reasonable and claims are super easy using the app. I’ve not had any [pushback] at all with any of the claims I’ve submitted. My cat recently had surgery and Healthy Paws even followed up to see how he was doing. Very professional and thoughtful team!”
—Monica T.
“I started with them in 2018. My premium was $33 [per] month for my rescue dog. Rates went up every year. In 2021, I have noticed it is going to $68 [per] month. I tried [canceling] via phone in April, May, June and now they are still billing me in July. I am going to have to disable my credit card.”
—Lisa R.
“[Healthy Paws] pays exactly what is covered [in] our policy, and I’ve never had any issues. It’s so simple to snap a photo of the bill and submit it, and we get a reimbursement check within a week.”
—Barbara J.
“[Healthy Paws] pays exactly what is covered [in] our policy, and I’ve never had any issues. It’s so simple to snap a photo of the bill and submit it, and we get a reimbursement check within a week.”
—Barbara J.
“I enrolled my [four-month-old] healthy puppy with [Healthy Paws] two years ago, submitted every single document they asked for with doctors notes from her first puppy visit [until] now (multiple times as they always state they did not receive it) and they are constantly giving me run arounds.”
—Vanja M.
 
Healthy Paws is an ideal pet insurance provider for pet parents who want unlimited annual coverage caps at affordable rates. Healthy Paws might not be best if you have an older pet, since it doesn’t offer customizable policies for animals six years or older. We recommend Lemonade or Embrace as alternative pet insurance providers for your older dog or cat.
Because Healthy Paws’ prices can vary depending on your pet’s age, breed and location, we recommend getting a free online quote to see how much your monthly premiums will cost.
 
 
You can contact Healthy Paws by filling out a contact form on its website or calling 855-898-8991 during the following hours: Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST.
Yes. Like most other pet insurance providers, Healthy Paws has a waiting period for coverage. After enrolling in your pet’s policy, you have to wait 15 days before coverage for accidents and illnesses kicks in and 12 months for conditions related to hip dysplasia.
No. Healthy Paws doesn’t currently offer pet insurance policies for exotic animals. It only provides pet insurance policies for cats and dogs.
Yes. Healthy Paws requires medical records from a full physical exam by a licensed vet for your pet to be eligible for coverage. Dogs and cats under 6 years old need an exam within 12 months of the policy’s coverage start date, whereas pets 6 years or older need an exam within 30 days prior to coverage. If you adopt a pet from an animal shelter, the shelter may be able to provide recent medical records you can use when signing up for your policy.
Healthy Paws’ premiums will vary based on your pet’s breed, age and ZIP code. Additionally, some customization options that could help you lower your premium aren’t available for pets over 6 years old. Based on the sample quotes we received, you can generally expect to pay between $20 and $80 per month for your Healthy Paws policy.
Healthy Paws’ pet insurance policies are underwritten by Westchester Fire Insurance Company, a member of the Chubb Group, which is a global provider of insurance products that offers homeowners insurance, life insurance and pet insurance.
 
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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