Pet insurance is a great step towards protecting your loved one's health and well-being. However, not all insurance companies are one and the same, so it's important to compare pet insurance providers to find the right fit for your unique needs.
Keep reading our Healthy Paws Pet Insurance review to learn about the company's background, available plans, pricing information, and more.
Table of Contents
- Healthy Paws Pet Insurance background
- Is Healthy Paws a good pet insurance provider?
- Overview of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
- What we like about Healthy Paws insurance coverage
- What could be improved
- Is Healthy Paws Pet Insurance worth it?
History of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation was co-founded by Steve Siadek and Rob Jackson in 2009. The two co-founders met through a local no-kill animal shelter. At the time, Jackson was an insurance executive and had been adopting pets from the shelter.
The co-founders launched Healthy Paws after recognizing that pet parents needed help dealing with the financial impact of veterinary care. In addition to its pet health insurance business, Healthy Paws operates a non-profit foundation to help homeless pets. It also supports animal rescue organizations that care for sick and injured pets.
Is Healthy Paws a Good Pet Insurance Provider?
Overall, the Healthy Paws pet insurance plan is comparable to those of other pet insurers. The company offers accident and illness coverage, including coverage for many hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, and chronic health problems. Healthy Paws even offer coverage for alternative care, such as acupuncture and hydrotherapy.
Most third-party reviews for Healthy Paws are positive. The company is accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has an “A” rating.
Customer reviews for Healthy Paws are also mostly positive. According to Trustpilot, Healthy Paws has a 4.4/5 rating based on over 1,000 customer reviews and is rated as “Excellent.” Healthy Paws also has an overall rating of 4.9/5 on ConsumerAdvocate.org.
Still, some recent customer reviews on Trustpilot voice complaints of a significant rate increase throughout 2021. Some responses indicate that the customers’ monthly premiums increased by as much as 70%. Other customers complain that their premiums increased after they submitted a claim.
The company has been in business for over a decade, which means it’s more experienced than many of the newest pet health insurance companies. Healthy Paws also offers unlimited lifetime coverage, some amount of plan customization, and an easy claims process compared to many other providers.
Most importantly, Healthy Paws offers no payout limits on any plan. Most pet insurance providers place caps on at least some of their payouts, but there are no ceiling on per-incident, annual, or lifetime insurance claim payouts.
Finally, Healthy Paws has a foundation that’s dedicated to pet welfare.
Overview of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
Healthy Paws pet insurance offers a single insurance plan that provides comparable coverage to other pet health insurance policies. Premiums and fees may vary depending on the number and types of pets being insured, the pet’s ages, and the pet parent’s location.
Healthy Paws does not offer a wellness plan option. Instead, the company only provides an accident and illness plan that helps customers save up to 90% on their vet bills. The plan covers the following:
- Illnesses
- Accidents
- Hereditary conditions
- Congenital conditions
- Chronic conditions
- Cancer
- Diagnostic treatment
- X-rays, blood tests, and ultrasounds
- Surgery
- Hospitalization
- Prescription medications
- Emergency care
- Specialty care
- Some alternative treatments
Healthy Paws covers most veterinary costs associated with hip dysplasia, but only for pets under the age of six at the time of enrollment and only after a waiting period.
Any pet enrolled before their 6th birthday must wait 12 months for hip dysplasia coverage (except in Maryland and New Hampshire). The waiting period begins on the policy’s effective date. Policies are effective at 12:01 a.m. the day after you enroll your pet.
Healthy Paws specifies that it won’t cover illnesses or injuries that occur within the first 15 days following the pet policy’s effective date. The Healthy Paws plan doesn’t cover any veterinary examination fees, either.
Healthy Paws doesn’t have any breed-specific exclusions for any condition. However, like all pet insurance companies, Healthy Paws does not offer coverage for pre-existing conditions.
According to the insurance company’s sample policy, it defines pre-existing conditions as such:
- An illness or condition which developed or redeveloped prior to the pet policy effective date
- An injury, or recurrence of an injury, as a result of an accident that occurred prior to the pet policy effective date
- Any condition or complication resulting from an illness that developed, or any injury as a result of an accident that occurred prior to the pet policy effective date.
Healthy Paws’ insurance policies are underwritten by Chubb Insurance.
How Do Their Claims & Reimbursement Processes Compare to Others?
Customers suggest Healthy Paws’ claims process is much faster and easier than those of some other providers. Customers can submit a claim online or through the Healthy Paws Mobile App without filling out a claim form. Instead, they simply upload their veterinary invoice and Healthy Paws will process the claim.
If they prefer, customers can also fill out a traditional claim form and submit it along with an itemized invoice.
Healthy Paws claims to reimburse claims as quickly as possible. The company’s goal is to process claims within 10 business days after they are submitted. The company claims that 99% of its claims are processed in just two business days.
However, Healthy Paws stipulates that reimbursement speeds may depend on how quickly your veterinary clinic provides the records necessary to complete the claim process.
What We Like About Healthy Paws Insurance Coverage
Healthy Paws pet insurance offers a single plan to all its customers, which keeps things simple. It also offers some customization options. For example, you can set your plan at a high reimbursement rate of 90%, or you can select a lower reimbursement rate to save on your monthly premiums.
Another feature about Healthy Paws pet insurance is the lack of a cap on claim reimbursements. You’ll never reach a maximum payout per incident or year, for the lifetime of your plan.
It also has a relatively simple claims process. You don’t need to fill out a form and you can make claims using a smartphone.
Finally, Healthy Paws operates a foundation that helps sick and homeless pets. That doesn’t affect the price or quality of Healthy Paws insurance, but it’s worth considering when looking at your options.
What Can Be Improved
The biggest gap in Healthy Paws’ product is that it doesn’t offer a wellness option. Many pet insurance companies offer a wellness plan alongside their traditional pet insurance, sometimes offering a discount for buying them as a bundle.
Healthy Paws also offers limited customization options compared to other providers. The single plan system makes things simple, but it might not be attractive if you want a range of options.
Healthy Paws’ insurance plan also comes with some significant restrictions. You must wait 12 months for hip dysplasia coverage, and in most states, you can’t get hip dysplasia coverage for a pet that’s over six years of age. If your pet is over six years of age when you enroll, they must have had a full vet exam within 30 days of the effective policy date or at least 15 days after the effective policy date.
During the 15 days after your policy becomes effective, you won’t get coverage for any accidents and illnesses. Waiting periods are common in the pet insurance industry, but some pet insurance providers are more generous. Some plans cover accidents immediately upon enrollment, for example.
Finally, Healthy Paws places some restrictions on coverage for pets over the age of six. There might be better options if you have an older dog or cat.
Is Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Worth It?
If you have a young pet that’s generally healthy and you only want accident and illness coverage, Healthy Paws might be a good option for you.
Their plan is affordable for younger animals, and you’ll get more lifetime value from your plan if you enroll your pet when they’re young. You can even get coverage for some alternative treatments and therapies. If you want a wellness plan, you can supplement your Healthy Paws plan with a wellness plan from another provider.
But if you want to get coverage for an older pet, you might want to look elsewhere. Healthy Paws places some significant restrictions on coverage for pets over the age of six.
Most customer reviews for Healthy Paws are positive, especially because of the company's fast and simple claims process. However, some pet owners say their premiums have been increased without any notification or simply because the customer filed a claim.
Pawlicy Advisor can recommend pet insurance plans based on their level of coverage, affordability, and lifetime value. To find the perfect pet insurance plan for your pet, start searching now on Pawlicy Advisor.
