Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review
Healthy Paws offers good coverage and a solid value for pet owners. There aren’t caps on payouts and conditions such as hip dysplasia are often covered, although there are age limits and waiting periods.
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What we like:
Strong financial strength
| Monthly Premium | As low as $17 for cats and $27 for dogs |
| Deductible | $100 $250 or $500 |
| Reimbursement | 70%, 80% or 90% of annual costs |
| Age Restrictions | Minimum: 8 weeks Maximum: 14 years |
Pet insurance has many of the same features of health insurance for humans including an annual deductible and copays. With pet insurance, your policy may also come with waiting periods and limitations on coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Because policy terms can vary from one insurer to another, comparison shopping before choosing a provider and a plan is important so you can find the best pet insurance for your needs.
Healthy Paws is one company offering pet insurance. Healthy Paws receives high marks from consumers, and makes low-cost coverage options available, but there are also some downsides to be aware of. This Healthy Paws review will help you make the best decision on whether this coverage is right for you.
In this review:
- Benefits of Healthy Paws Insurance
- Downsides of Healthy Paws Insurance
- What Does Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Cover?
- How Much Does Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Cost?
- Where is Healthy Paws Insurance Available?
- How is the Customer Service for Healthy Paws Pet Insurance?
Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review
Healthy Paws is a top-rated pet insurance provider. The co-founders of the company met through their work at a no-kill animal shelter so there’s a true love for animals serving as a foundation for Healthy Paws Insurance. The company is an A+ rated insurer, and unlike many other companies, they don’t require a claim form.
Healthy Paws pet insurance may provide up to a 90% reimbursement level for vet bills, and the company offers a variety of insurance plans including:
- Dog and puppy insurance: Plans cover genetic conditions such as hip dysplasia, emergencies, injuries, and illnesses. Coverage includes chronic conditions, cancer, alternative treatment, prescription medicines, and specialty care.
- Cat and kitten insurance: As with dog and puppy insurance, accidents, illnesses, and genetic conditions are covered for cats and kittens. There are no lifetime caps or annual payout limits and claims are processed quickly.
Benefits of Healthy Paws Insurance
Some of the benefits of Healthy Paws insurance include low costs; coverage for hereditary and congenital conditions; and no caps on payouts.
The fact that there aren’t caps on payouts is one of the primary differentiators between Healthy Paws and other pet insurance companies. Other insurance companies may pay only up to a specified amount each year or per incident.
Healthy Paws also offers more comprehensive coverage than many competitors. As long as a pet is enrolled before the age of six, conditions that are hereditary and congenital may be covered.
For those covered through Healthy Paws, the plan structure is straightforward and it’s simple to submit necessary information for reimbursement because Healthy Paws doesn’t require a claim form. Everything can be managed online or using the company’s mobile app.
Downsides of Healthy Paws Insurance
While overall Healthy Paws is a good insurance provider, it’s not without potential downsides.
First of all, as with most pet insurance companies, there’s a waiting period. For accidents and illnesses, the Healthy Paws waiting period is 15 days. For hip dysplasia,there is a 12-month waiting period for pets younger than six. Plus, hip dysplasia coverage is not available for pets ages six or older at the time of enrollment.
If a pet is injured or gets sick during a waiting period, you won’t be covered. And, any resulting health problems are considered a pre-existing condition and are excluded.
>> Read More: Pet insurance with no waiting period
Exam fees aren’t covered with Healthy Paws either, and there are some customer service complaints about the company.
What Does Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Cover?
Healthy Paws covers a wide variety of different conditions including:
- Illnesses
- Accidents
- Hereditary and congenital conditions (limitations apply)
- Chronic conditions
- Cancer
- Diagnostic treatment
- X-rays
- Blood tests
- Ultrasounds
- Surgery
- Hospitalizations
- Prescription medicine
- Emergency care
- Specialty care
- Alternative treatment
Healthy Paws does not cover:
- Exam fees
- Pre-existing conditions
- Pre-existing cruciate ligament injury
- Preventative care (including vaccinations, flea and heartworm control, dental care, spaying and neutering, and anal gland expression)
- There’s no reimbursement for elective procedures, boarding, therapy, or behavioral modification or behavioral training
There are no caps or maximum limits annually, there are no lifetime caps, and there are no incident caps.
How Much Does Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Cost?
The starting monthly premiums cost around $27 for dogs and $17 for cats. Discounts are also available to lower Healthy Paws pet insurance costs. For example, if you are a member of AAA, you can receive a 10% lifetime discount.
You can get a personalized pet insurance quote on the Healthy Paws website to see what you might expect to pay monthly and what your reimbursement rates would be so you can decide if a policy is worth buying.
Where is Healthy Paws Insurance Available?
Healthy Paws is available in all 50 states.
How is the Customer Service for Healthy Paws Pet Insurance?
To contact customer service, you can visit the online Healthy Paws Customer Center. Using the online Customer Center, you can manage your policy, file claims, review the status of claims and update your billing information.
Healthy Paws is a paperless company, and all information is sent electronically. There is also a Healthy Paws Mobile App. And, with the Speedy Claims Payout process, you can take a picture of your vet bill and submit it online or through the mobile app. Healthy Paws promises that 99% ofclaims are processed in two days — and you can see the status of your claim in real time.
On the BBB website, Healthy Paws has an A+ rating, is an accredited BBB Business, and has an average of four out of five stars from customers. For the most part, customers seem really happy with the products and services available from Healthy Paws as well as with the customer care provided– although there are some outliers.
For example, one customer complained to the BBB because of increases in premiums each year. Other customers have described the customer service as problematic and complained of difficulty getting in touch with a customer service representative despite repeated attempts.
Bottom Line
If you’re searching for pet insurance, Healthy Paws may be a viable option for you. Healthy Paws stands out from competitors because of low monthly premiums and no caps on claims payouts. However, you should compare all your options to find the best pet insurance provider for your needs.
Ms. Watkins,
you obviously do not have a pet insured with this lousy company or you have never filed a claim when you call in you are outsourced to the Philippines and spoken to by an individual whose native languages Tagalog four months their website has apologized for lengthy claims processing times phone calls take 30 to 45 minutes to be answered. Policies with a 70% coverage and a $1,000 deductible require approximately $1,300 to meet the $1,000 deductible absolutely horrible further half or more of the claims I’ve submitted somehow did not get received when they did then comes the request send us all the medical records and somehow those don’t seem to get received either I finally threatened to fly to Bellevue Washington to put the claim forms and medical records in their hands my dog’s medical providers were tired of faxing and emailing continuously this company also just not pay the veterinarians bill so it’s discouraging you from taking your dog to the doctor when it’s Hill roughly 60 to 70% of Americans don’t have $1,000 in the bank and they sure don’t have an extra $50 after paying the escalating premiums that this company charges I suggest that you and everybody else on the planet Google consumer affairs and see the one point five star rating of this company so they are not misled. The company will defend themselves by saying that everything is in their paperwork. Most reputable companies charge $1,000 deductible and $1,000 meets that deductible most every pet ensure Paisa veterinarian in encourages the good health for your pet most insurance companies will answer the phone within a reasonable. Of time and I know of no other insurance company that’s answered thousands of miles away in the Philippines by people who primary languages other than English this company should be euthanized
This company has very deceptive business practices.
I first purchased the policy for our Cocker Spaniel last Sept when he was 4 months old. With $250 deductible and 90% coverage, the premium was $41.74 per month. Now one year later they premium was raised to $51.76 per month. That is a 24% increase!!!
To make matter worse, the same coverage for the same age and breed of dog would currently cost a NEW subscriber only $39.66 per month.
When I questioned this, they just gave me double talk saying if I cancelled and re-enrolled I would have to worry about pre existing conditions…
It is clear this company takes advantage of current clients.
DO NOT DEAL WITH HEALTHY PAWS, by the time your pet may actually need it, the premiums will have become unaffordable.