Healthy Paws was founded in 2009 by Steve Siadek and Rob Jackson, who met through their work at animal shelters. Unlike other pet insurers, Healthy Paws offers unlimited payouts as standard on all its policies. Its no-limit policy means there is no cutoff to how much they will reimburse you for vet bills. Plus, Healthy Paws has a foundation that donates money to provide medical treatment to homeless pets.
Pets covered: Cats, dogs
Annual Coverage: Unlimited
Reimbursement: 50%-90%
Deductibles: $100-$1000
Waiting Periods: 15 days (12 months for hip dysplasia)
Age limits: Minimum age is 8 weeks. Maximum age is 14 years.
Customer Support: Email, phone
Healthy Paws is upfront about its rates. When its rate is not the best available—for older pets or difficult-to-insure breeds like Shar Peis and Rottweilers—it provides links to other pet insurers. Plus, Healthy Paws' benefits are unlimited so there are no caps on policies, something that is usually only included in competitors’ premium packages.
The main drawback is that the cost of examinations or consultations is not included. Most other pet insurers will reimburse you for examination costs. Pets over the age of 14 are also not covered.
Because Healthy Paws only carries one type of policy, coverage is the same for all pets and includes the following.
● Illnesses
● Accidents
● Hereditary Conditions
● Congenital Conditions
● Cancer
● Surgery
● Prescription Medications
● Emergency Care
● FDA-Approved Alternative Treatment
You can take your pet to any registered veterinary practice. However, notes that pets are covered only within the USA or Canada.
Like most pet insurance plans, Healthy Paws doesn’t cover the following.
● Pre-existing conditions
● Preventative or routine care
● Spay/neuter procedures
● Dental care unless caused by an accident
Unusually, it also excludes examination fees. This includes office fees, medical progress exams, consultations, and emergency examinations.
Hip dysplasia is excluded from coverage if you enroll your pet at age 6 or older.
Healthy Paws has one type of plan, and this includes unlimited payouts. There are no per-incident, annual, or lifetime caps.
Quotes obtained in July 2022, for a four-year-old labrador and an eight-year-old cat based in Colorado Springs. For the dog, with an 80% reimbursement and $250 deductible, the cost per month was $66.48. For the cat, with a 50% reimbursement and $1000 deductible, the price per month was $20.43
Note that prices are subject to change and will differ based on breed, age, and location-based zip code.
To be eligible for coverage, your pet will need to undergo a full physical exam by a licensed veterinarian.
For cats and dogs under the age of 5, Healthy Paws offers a choice of reimbursement options. For pets 6 and over, there are more limited reimbursement and deductible options.
(Note: In New York, pets over 4 years old are not eligible for new enrollment.)
All Healthy Paws policies come with unlimited benefit limits as standard. All plans offer unlimited claims payouts with no caps per incident, year, or the policy's lifetime. Healthy Paws also provides continuous coverage for the life of your pet's policy, without restrictions on how many times they visit for the same issue.
The waiting period before you can make a claim after you’ve started your policy is 15 days. For pets enrolled before the age of 6, there is a 12-month waiting period for hip dysplasia treatment. However, these waiting periods don’t apply in Maryland and New Hampshire.
If your pet gets ill or has an accident, you can take them to any licensed veterinarian, including specialists and emergency animal hospitals.
Healthy Paws operates on a reimbursement system. Take a photo of your bill and submit it on the mobile app or website, and most claims are processed within 2 days. Payments are based on the actual cost of the bill rather than an assumed cost of a treatment type. If you cannot afford to pay the vet bill, Healthy Paws may be able to arrange with the veterinary practice to pay direct on a case-by-case basis.
Customer satisfaction is high with Healthy Paws, and the company scores 4.3 on Trustpilot. Its website is clear and easy to navigate.
You can contact Healthy Paws by email—via a web form—or phone. There is no online chat facility. Customer service is available Monday-Friday 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST and Saturdays 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.
I think the most appealing thing about Healthy Paws’ pet insurance is that there are no benefit limits. No matter how high the cost of your pet’s treatment, the amount won’t be capped. Because you don’t select a limit when taking out insurance, you don’t have to guess the potential costs of your pet’s vet bills.
Healthy Paws also runs the Healthy Paws Foundation, a non-profit grant program that supports the medical care of homeless pets who need life-saving vaccines and surgery.
Significantly, Healthy Paws doesn't cover examination and emergency examination costs. Consultation, examinations, and diagnoses can potentially be extremely expensive, and none of these costs will be reimbursed.
The single type of policy might also be limiting. For example, there is no option for cheaper accident-only insurance, nor are there the opt-in extras offered by some other pet insurers, such as dental and wellness coverage.
Email : info@healthypawspetinsurance.com
Address : P.O. Box 50034, Bellevue, WA 98015
Healthy Paws offers a straightforward pet insurance program with no vet fee limits. Its prices are reasonable given the generous benefit payouts, a feature that makes Healthy Paws stand out among its competitors. Its website is clear and easy to use, and its claims process is quick. This is reflected in Healthy Paws' high customer satisfaction scores.
While it doesn’t cover office visits and exams or pre-existing conditions, and the deductibles for older pets are quite high, Healthy Paws’ unlimited benefits could make it entirely worth the cost for pet owners.
Plan coverage varies based on the age of the pet at enrollment and the deductible and reimbursement levels chosen at enrollment. Exclusions and restrictions apply. All descriptions or highlights of the insurance being provided are for general information purposes only, do not address state-specific notice or other requirements and do not amend, alter or modify the actual terms or conditions of an insurance policy. Please refer to the terms and conditions of the policy, which set forth the scope of insurance being provided and address relevant state requirements.
Insurance offered by Healthy Paws Pet Insurance is provided by ACE American Insurance Company, Westchester Fire Insurance Company, Indemnity Insurance Company of North America, ACE Property and Casualty Insurance Company and Atlantic Employers Insurance Company and one or more of their U.S.-based Chubb underwriting company affiliates. Chubb is the marketing name used to refer to subsidiaries of Chubb Limited providing insurance and related services. For a list of these subsidiaries, please visit our website at www.chubb.com. This communication contains product summaries only. Coverage is subject to the language of the policies as actually issued. Surplus lines insurance sold only through licensed surplus lines producers. Chubb, 202 Hall's Mill Road, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-1600.
Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation is the brand name for the program operations of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, LLC. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, LLC is a licensed producer in all states (TX license # 1636108); operating in California as Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Services, LLC (CA license #0H16053), and in New York as Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Agency, LLC.