Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review 2022

If you find it overwhelming to have too many choices, the simplicity of Healthy Paws pet insurance might be appealing to you. The company offers a single plan that covers accidents and illnesses with no annual or lifetime limit.

You can customize the amount you pay your vet upfront and how much the company will reimburse you, but otherwise, you’ll get a reasonably comprehensive plan without having to make too many decisions.

Healthy Paws is licensed to sell pet insurance in all U.S. states and Washington, D.C., but availability may be limited in Washington state.

Healthy Paws offers a single plan that covers accidents and illnesses for cats and dogs. There are no per-condition, annual or lifetime payout caps. The company doesn’t offer accident-only or wellness plans.

Healthy Paws pet insurance covers the following:

• Treatment, hospitalization and surgery for injuries and illnesses, including cancer.

• Diagnostic tests.

• Hereditary conditions.

• Congenital conditions.

• Prescription medications.

• Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic.

• Some dental conditions.

Your Healthy Paws plan won’t pay for the following:

• Exam fees for accidents or illnesses.

• Hip dysplasia treatment if your pet’s coverage started at age 6 or older.

• Routine dental care, or extractions or reconstructions due to dental disease.

• Prescription diets.

• Burial or cremation expenses.

• Wellness or preventive care, including spay and neuter surgery.

• Pre-existing conditions, including those that arise during the waiting period after you purchase your policy.

• Behavioral therapies.

• Experimental treatments.

• Breeding or pregnancy.

• Cruciate injuries to one leg if the other has previously had a similar injury. (This is known as a bilateral exclusion.)

Deductibles: Depending on where you live and your pet’s age and breed, you might have some or all of the following deductible choices: $100, $250, $500, $750 and $1,000.

Reimbursement amounts: There’s similar variation among reimbursement amounts, with 70% and 80% being the most common options we saw in our sample quotes. However, you may be able to choose an amount as low as 50% or as high as 90%, depending on your pet and location.

Coverage limits: There are no coverage limits on Healthy Paws plans.

Age restrictions: Pets must be at least 8 weeks old to be covered, and may be enrolled up until their 14th birthday.

Waiting periods: In most states, there’s a waiting period of 15 days for any accident or illness. If your pet is younger than 6 when the policy starts, there’s also a 12-month waiting period for hip dysplasia. (Pets 6 and up aren’t covered for hip dysplasia.)

Healthy Paws doesn’t offer any discounts.

Website: You can get a quick quote and buy a policy on the Healthy Paws website. Once you’re a policyholder, you can use the online portal to file and track claims, make policy changes and update your billing information.

App: Healthy Paws’ mobile app has similar features to the website, including the ability to submit claims, view policy details and change billing information. However, poor ratings in the App Store and on Google Play suggest that the app may not work well for all users.

Claims: You can file claims online, through the mobile app or by email. The company says most claims are processed within two days, though some take 10 days or longer. You can be reimbursed by check or direct deposit. If your vet permits it, Healthy Paws may be able to pay them directly.

Customer service: You can reach customer support via a contact form on the website or by calling 855-898-8991 on Monday through Saturday.

Here’s how Healthy Paws pet insurance stacks up against other popular plans.

Like Healthy Paws, in most states Trupanion offers a single accident and illness plan with unlimited coverage. Trupanion’s plan also comes with a standard 90% reimbursement rate, while Healthy Paws offers a range of reimbursement options between 50% and 90%, depending on your pet and where you live.

The primary difference between the two companies is how they handle deductibles. Healthy Paws charges its deductible annually, while Trupanion offers lifetime condition deductibles in most states. If your pet develops a chronic condition that needs treatment year after year, you’d only pay the Trupanion deductible once.

When it comes to coverage, there are a few minor differences. Healthy Paws covers alternative therapies in its standard plan but doesn’t cover behavioral therapies at all, while Trupanion offers coverage for both at an extra cost. Neither company covers exam fees or offers an option to pay for wellness care.

Healthy Paws has a 15-day waiting period for illnesses and injuries. Trupanion has a shorter period for injuries (five days) and a longer one for illnesses (30 days). Both companies offer quick claims processing with the option to pay your vet directly.

Healthy Paws keeps things simple with a single accident and illness policy, but Pets Best offers multiple plans and riders. With Pets Best, you can opt for an accident and illness plan or cover accidents only. You can also pick and choose whether your plan pays for exam fees or preventive care, neither of which is covered by Healthy Paws.

Standard Pets Best accident and illness policies cover behavioral consults with a vet, while Healthy Paws doesn’t. However, acupuncture and chiropractic care cost extra with Pets Best but are included with Healthy Paws policies.

Pets Best offers shorter waiting periods than Healthy Paws: three days for injury and 14 days for illness.

If you’re enrolling an older animal, Pets Best may be a better bet. It has no upper age limit, while pets must be enrolled by their 14th birthday to get Healthy Paws coverage.

Nationwide has two accident and illness plans. Its Whole Pet offering is similar to the Healthy Paws plan, reimbursing a percentage of your vet bill and covering a wide range of illnesses. Unlike Healthy Paws, it pays for exam fees when you visit the vet for an accident or illness. It also covers prescription diets and behavioral consults, which Healthy Paws doesn’t pay for.

Nationwide’s Major Medical plan works differently, with claim payouts based on a set benefit schedule per condition. Major Medical doesn’t cover as many scenarios as Healthy Paws’ plan, but it does offer wellness coverage as an optional add-on. Healthy Paws doesn’t cover any wellness expenses.

Healthy Paws’ two-day processing for most claims is significantly faster than Nationwide’s 30-day turnaround time.