# Pet Plan vs Healthy Paws Pet Insurance?



## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

I did research on the forums and it's time to buy my girl some insurance.

Healthy Paws is fairly new, checking in for any new recommendations or warnings. And do any of them cover routine care?

Pet Plan seems comparable to Healthy Paws.


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## bioteach (Nov 13, 2010)

Pet Plan saved our holidays. Nugget swallowed a piece of metal (we had some construction going on in the yard) which lodged in his throat. That was the beginning of a nightmare in the middle of the night on a weekend.

The emergency vet was wonderful; but the treatment wiped out all of the money that we had set aside for holiday gifts. We submitted all of the bills to Pet Plan and received a check promptly enough to get us back to the mall before Christmas. With Pet Plan we chose our level of coverage and deductible and they paid exactly what we had expected. Satisfaction = 100% !


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## Always51 (Feb 19, 2012)

Our boy also has Pet Plan...I have our first claim in at the moment so we'll how that goes....


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

Also - how much of an increase are you experiencing year over year? are we talking dollar amounts per month or cents?


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

There was a pretty hefty jump in my annual premium with PetPlan when I renewed last year (I bought the policy just before Brooks turned 5 years in 2010). *June 2010 the rate was $256 for the year. June 2011 it went up to $329*
I called PetPlan and they said it was because they got a new underwriter.


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## Maverick James (Feb 27, 2012)

puppydogs said:


> Also - how much of an increase are you experiencing year over year? are we talking dollar amounts per month or cents?


I have too have been reviewing some of the plans and this is the biggest thing I worry about. Especially because like most humans, odds are they will be pretty healthy for the first 4-5 years. It's when they get older that they start having issues.

Nonetheless, pet insurance is probably a better option because most people are not diciplined enough to set aside a dog health fund on their own and regularly funding it so that it is there in case you need it. Also, you have to be a mini financial planner/actuary to keep tabs on dog health care costs and adjust how much your setting aside each month/year.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

New companys make me a little leary. I like to be able to see the history of the company-do they actually perform the way they claim, are people happy, etc.?

I took a very quick peek at the Healthy Paws website. Just one thing I noticed right off the bat was that, although they cover congential/hereditary conditions, there is a one year waiting period for coverage of hip dysplasia. Considering that the dogs with the worst hip dysplasia are usually diagnosed between 6-12 months, basically their coverage of HD is worthless.

I did choose PetPlan for my girls. I have not needed to claim anything for them (I worked mine as more of a catastrophic policy for things like cruciate surgery, etc.). I've had my policy a little over a year now, so it just renewed. It went up maybe a $1 per month, so in my mind, nothing noticable.

About insurance coverage for "rountine" care. Yes, with some insurance companies, you can add a wellness rider. You need to look VERY carefully at what is covered and to what extent. In my research, most wellness riders are not worth what they cost. Since wellness care is something you can plan for (you know approximately when it is needed and how much it will cost), my vote is for making sure that those expenses are just figured into your household budget.

One other thought I had-everyone needs to know how pet insurance payments work. Unlike human health insurance, it is almost unheard of for the insurance companies to pay the vet directly (and more unheard of that the vet would be OK with that!). So even though you will be eventually reimbursed, minus co-pays and deductibles, you need to have the means to pay the veterinarian at the time of service. That may be a credit card, care credit, cash, etc. Hopefully you would be reimbursed before payments are due, but you *do* need to be able to pay the vet upfront (unless previous arrangements have been made).


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

lgnutah said:


> There was a pretty hefty jump in my annual premium with PetPlan when I renewed last year (I bought the policy just before Brooks turned 5 years in 2010). *June 2010 the rate was $256 for the year. June 2011 it went up to $329*
> I called PetPlan and they said it was because they got a new underwriter.


Wow $90 a year is pretty significant!


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## AmberGeller (Mar 12, 2012)

*No pet insurance for this guy!*

I used to have pet insurance for Rochester. I jumped from provider to provider, but they all got me fed up. He has a weak back, and I need to take him to the vet fairly often. I ended up switching to Pet Assure, which is basically like a universal subsidized rate plan; as opposed to insurance. They basically give you flat discounts of 25% at vets, and being that they're not technically an insurance company they don't care about pre-existing conditions, etc. I highly recommend them!


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

Finally made claims to Pet PLan insurance. They applied something called a coinsurance and if the total is not over $100 per INCIDENT, I don't get anything back 

Does anyone have a good insurance where the deductible is not based on incident? Or is that the norm for pet insurance?


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm sorry I didn't see your original question, I have posted on here repeatedly to beware of PetPlan as well as Healthy Paws because of exactly that. Also beware of Healthy Paws (and I believe also Trupanion but I may be wrong) because they don't EVER pay the vet portion of the bill! A sneaky way of tacking on a per incident deductible, IMO.
I have Embrace. They have an annual deductible.
You select the deductible you want, and the maximum per year payout (at 80%). 
I picked a $1000 per year deductible, and $15,000 per year maximum payout, because I only want it for catastrophic stuff. They have been outstanding in my somewhat limited experience with them. They allow acupuncture, hyrotherapy, chiropractic, etc., too, as long as it's done by a veterinarian.
It costs me about $14 a month.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

We also have Pet Plan and I did a lot of research prior to getting this one. We have only been on it a month so I don't know about how it will pay out, but from other people it looks like a fair plan. It is per incident and that's fine. I set my deductible and % of pay back and tried to keep my monthly payments as low as possible. I'm only looking for the big things to be paid on. Tayla ate a rock before Christmas last year and it was $2,000 for everything out of our pocket. Before Jesse passed a couple months ago we spent $3,000 on her. Needless to say it's been a bank breaking year for us. We never thought much about pet insurance, but with Tayla I never want to have to say to our vet, we just can't afford to go further. We did that with Jesse, who was 15 at the time, and our vet, God love him, just kept doing things for free. Tayla is just 1.5 years old so she has many years of medical things to go yet.


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## Always51 (Feb 19, 2012)

Always51 said:


> Our boy also has Pet Plan...I have our first claim in at the moment so we'll see how that goes....


well I have just come across this again..We have had 3 claims so far for skin problems..they paid out 75% of all costs without out any problems..so...so far so good..maybe thats an aussie thing..


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## Ksdenton (Mar 17, 2013)

I too looked into it and got Embrace because I didn't want a per incident deductible. 
My three final choices were, Petplan, Healthy Paws, and Embrace. I made a decision based on what I thought would benefit us the most and went with Embrace. I also didn't get the Wellness coverage because it didn't seem to be cost effective. I already had done much of the puppy shots and wasn't planning a neuter the first year. With Embrace I only had a 2 wk waiting period for ortho treatments by getting a preliminary exam by my vet saying Bentley had no obvious pre-existing issues. No X-rays were needed for that. 


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

_ They have been outstanding in my somewhat limited experience with them. They allow acupuncture, hyrotherapy, chiropractic, etc., too, as long as it's done by a veterinarian.

_
Do you mean they will reimburse for these services after the deductible?? 

I will check out Embrace. Waiting on 3rd claim from pet plan now. The first 2 didn't make it over the $100 deductible and -10 co insurance so got nothing back (duh on me)


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## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

I did a lot of research before I chose my health insurance provider. I was looking for pet insurance for accidents/serious illnesses, not regular wellness. I ended up going with Healthy Paws. What I really liked about them was that there is no payout limit (yearly or lifetime). Whatever your dog costs, they'll pay (depending on your deductible/copay). I also liked that their deductible was annual and not per incident. I picked a $250 deductible and I file claims when we go in for anything. We just had a heartworm test done which was around 40$. Just chipping away at the deductible as we go along. They don't cover the office visit, which does stink but for a serious incident the office visit is going to be a pretty small % of the total fee and I know I can afford that part. I also think they have fantastic customer service and have spoken with them many times (before and after I chose to get a policy with them). I had a long discussion with them because I chose a limited vaccination protocol with my dogs and wanted to make sure they'd still be covered if something were to happen. With approval of my vet they still cover everything so that made me feel much safer . There is a long waiting period for HD (12 months), but that wasn't a huge concern for me because of my boys pedigree and he was signed up right when I brought him home. So unless he starts showing symptoms before 14 months we'll be covered. It was hard to find an insurance company who was affordable, had the limits that I wanted, and covered hereditary/congenital conditions. 

Lots and lots of research and talking with each company is what really helped me make my decision


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

We went with Pet Plan. Like the reasonable monthly cost. So far, no claims. Got the policy in case there should be a major illness or injury. 


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Yes, they will reimburse for them after the deductible.



puppydogs said:


> _ They have been outstanding in my somewhat limited experience with them. They allow acupuncture, hyrotherapy, chiropractic, etc., too, as long as it's done by a veterinarian._
> 
> 
> Do you mean they will reimburse for these services after the deductible??
> ...


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## JenDess71 (Jan 19, 2012)

*There are options!*

You may want to consider an alternative to pet insurance, such as Pet Assure. It is not limited like pet insurance and you get a large discount right at the time of service for any type of pet, regardless of age or preexisting conditions.


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## Karenspup (Jul 11, 2014)

*Pet insurance*

I checked into pet assure but my vet isn't on there list of vets


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## Flynn'sMommy (Apr 7, 2014)

coaraujo said:


> I did a lot of research before I chose my health insurance provider. I was looking for pet insurance for accidents/serious illnesses, not regular wellness. I ended up going with Healthy Paws. What I really liked about them was that there is no payout limit (yearly or lifetime). Whatever your dog costs, they'll pay (depending on your deductible/copay). I also liked that their deductible was annual and not per incident. I picked a $250 deductible and I file claims when we go in for anything. We just had a heartworm test done which was around 40$. Just chipping away at the deductible as we go along. They don't cover the office visit, which does stink but for a serious incident the office visit is going to be a pretty small % of the total fee and I know I can afford that part. I also think they have fantastic customer service and have spoken with them many times (before and after I chose to get a policy with them). I had a long discussion with them because I chose a limited vaccination protocol with my dogs and wanted to make sure they'd still be covered if something were to happen. With approval of my vet they still cover everything so that made me feel much safer . There is a long waiting period for HD (12 months), but that wasn't a huge concern for me because of my boys pedigree and he was signed up right when I brought him home. So unless he starts showing symptoms before 14 months we'll be covered. It was hard to find an insurance company who was affordable, had the limits that I wanted, and covered hereditary/congenital conditions.
> 
> Lots and lots of research and talking with each company is what really helped me make my decision


I too did a significant amount of research before choosing a pet insurance. Due to almost all insurances excluding pre-existing conditions I knew I needed to make the decision and stick with it. I also debated heavily between Pet Plan and Healthy Paws. I did look at others as well, you definitely want to read the fine print as much as possible. I discovered with Trupanion they limit coverage for certain things if you do not neuter/spay within their designated time period. I liked Embrace also but found it would be significantly higher for comparable coverage. The big deciding factor for me was Pet Plans per incident deductible per year. Works well if you just want catastrophe coverage but not so great if want to help with costs of lessor issues. I have a pretty right budget and wanted the assurance I could do the best thing for Flynn every time not just for the really big stuff. Therefore I ultimately went with Healthy Paws and have been sooooo happy with them! They have an app, so to submit a claim all you have to do is open the app and use it to take a picture and viola! They have been very quick to respond and no issues/surprises yet! I submit each illness/injury visit and it chips away at the yearly deductible. Just last month we were getting ready for an out of state vacation with Flynn when he had projectile diarrhea that lasted for several days. He didn't seem to be in distress but always some concern for a partial obstruction. Knowing it was 2 days before we were leaving and that I had the Healthy Paws plan I went ahead with the X-rays to ensure there was nothing hiding. I submitted the claim via the app that night and had a response back before we left and when I got home the reimbursement check was waiting in the mail. I would also recommend Care Credit, it's a great way to be able to pay those costs up front and then pay off when you get the reimbursement. Just my 2 cents! Good luck!! I found the job of researching and deciding to be very stressful but worth it in the end!




I 


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## thorbreafortuna (Jun 9, 2013)

Another really happy Healthy Paws costumer here. When I weighed all the variables I went with them for the reasons others have so eloquently stated. The customer service is fantastic. The first claim is a little more involved because they document the history at that time, but after that I have gotten a claim approved and a check issued to me in 24 hours, usually in the mail in a couple of days.


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## brendadavis44 (May 6, 2014)

May I ask what are the premiums your paying- Heathly Paws was double Pet Plan/ wondering why such a difference 
~Thanks!


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## thorbreafortuna (Jun 9, 2013)

I don't remember what Pet Plan offers but when I made the choice important considerations were that HP will cover genetic conditions, they don't have a maximum per year or per lifetime that you can claim, and the deductible is per year not per incident. Also, you can decide to have a smaller or higher deductible and a lower or higher percentage of coverage, which will affect the premium. My plan is 37 a month, I have a yearly 250 deductible, and an 80% reimbursement rate on covered claims.


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## Flynn'sMommy (Apr 7, 2014)

My plan is $42 a month for a $250 yearly deductible and 90% reimbursement. When I was researching Pet Plan was cheaper but only by $5-10/month. I believe there are differences based on where you live and age of dog. 


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## brendadavis44 (May 6, 2014)

*Insurance*



thorbreafortuna said:


> I don't remember what Pet Plan offers but when I made the choice important considerations were that HP will cover genetic conditions, they don't have a maximum per year or per lifetime that you can claim, and the deductible is per year not per incident. Also, you can decide to have a smaller or higher deductible and a lower or higher percentage of coverage, which will affect the premium. My plan is 37 a month, I have a yearly 250 deductible, and an 80% reimbursement rate on covered claims.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


 Thanks so much - I ended up doing this exact plan/ cost was there same!!


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