PetFirst Pet Insurance Information & Review: Everything You Need To Know
General Information
One of the fastest-growing health insurance administrators in North America, PetFirst strives to create helpful pet insurance products and services for every family.
The PetFirst team furthers its mission by hosting adoption events every year and partnering with shelters nationwide to rescue pets and find them a “forever home.” They also work with the Ottawa Humane Society and Atlanta Humane Society to provide insurance for adopted cats and dogs.
PetFirst was founded in 2004 by Brent Hinton and Lansdon B. Robbins. PetFirst Healthcare, LLC (“PetFirst Pet Insurance” or “PetFirst”) is the program administrator authorized to offer and administer pet health insurance policies underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company or New Hampshire Insurance Company or The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania.
What kinds of pets are eligible for PetFirst pet insurance?
The PetFirst insurance company offers comprehensive health insurance coverage for all pet parents. Insurance plans include dog insurance, cat insurance, puppy insurance, kitten insurance, and senior pet insurance to cover unexpected veterinary bills.
What insurance plans are available through PetFirst Insurance?
PetFirst offers Cost Conscious and Recommended Pet insurance plans. The Cost Conscious plan has an annual benefit of $2,000, and the Recommended Plan has an Annual Benefit of $5,000. They both reimburse up to 80% of vet bills. You can also include Routine Care as additional coverage.
Key Takeaways
How Much Does It Cost?
Pet insurance prices for PetFirst Pet Insurance vary based on your pet's breed, age, gender, and the zip code you live in. Use Pawlicy Advisor to lock in the best price, and compare PetFirst to other leading pet insurance brands for free.
The cost of PetFirst pet insurance varies based on your pet’s age, breed, location, and the reimbursement options of the policy you select.
PetFirst offers programs for every budget. Insurance plans range between $24- $115 per month for dogs and cats, depending on the plan, species, and add-ons.
Use Pawlicy Advisor to lock in the best price, and compare PetFirst to other leading pet insurance brands for free.
What makes PetFirst pet insurance worth it?
In the United States, a pet receives emergency medical care every 2.5 seconds. Sadly, veterinarian bills can be very expensive. PetFirst reimburses up to 80% of the medical cost for vet care. Where many pet insurance companies shy away, PetFirst provides insurance plans for senior pets, dogs, and cats of all breeds and pets at risk for hereditary conditions, which might make it worth it for you.
After a 12-month wait period, your pet is also covered for Intervertebral Disc Disease and various types of cruciate ligaments.
Additionally, there are no lifetime or per-incidents limits for pets. You can customize your reimbursement and monthly deductibles rates according to your budget and pet needs.
How does the price compare to other plans?
PetFirst total monthly premium is moderately priced when compared to other pet insurance companies.
You can use Pawlicy Advisor to find and compare a range of PetFirst coverage options with context on why they’d be recommended for you.
Important Information to Know About PetFirst Pet Insurance
What to know before investing in PetFirst pet insurance
- Dogs and cats must be at least 8-week old
- Coverage for illness begins 14 days after your policy effective date. Accident, Intervertebral disk disease and cruciate problems begin a day after the waiting period of 12 months.
- The price of the insurance premium increases as your pet ages.
- You will be fully reimbursed if you change your mind within 14 days as long as you do not file a claim.
When should you consider insurance for your pet?
The sooner the better, as earlier consideration will also help prevent future exclusions due to pre-existing conditions. In other words, you should consider pet insurance before injuries, diseases, or illnesses arise to ensure that any future veterinary bills will be covered by your chosen plan.
Ideally, you should consider pet insurance within the first six months of adopting your pet - regardless of whether you adopt from a shelter, rescue, or breeder.
Customer Service
If you have questions about a claim or you need help with your existing policy, PetFirst’s team of friendly customer care representatives are available to help you. You can write a letter, reach out on social media, email or call.
Discount Opportunities
What's Covered
PetFirst pet insurance provides great dog insurance and cat health insurance coverage with no lifetime or per-incident limits on accidents, hospitalizations, alternative therapies, medications and much more.
After a 12-month wait period, your pet also enjoys coverage for cruciate ligaments and Intervertebral Disc Disease.
However, PetFirst does not cover pre-existing conditions (no insurance provider does), elective procedures, conditions related to breeding, routine wellness nor preventative care.
List of treatment and conditions covered by PetFirst Pet Insurance plans
*Veterinarians use Pawlicy Advisor to streamline the pet insurance conversation. There’s simply too many variables for any one person to truly understand what’s covered and what’s cost-effective across the hundreds of policy variations that exist.
What's Not Covered
PetFirst doesn’t cover grooming costs, organ transplants, injury arising from commercial guarding, racing or organizing fighting of your pet. They also do not cover the removal of deciduous teeth and illnesses transmitted by parasites such as fleas and ticks.
As mentioned above, PetFirst does not cover pre-existing conditions or certain preventive care unless included as an addon service.
For a full list of exclusions, please see PetFirst List of Exclusions.
Claims Reimbursement
What information do you need to submit your claim?
- Completed and duly signed claim form
- Itemized invoice from the incident
- SOAP (Veterinary Medical Records) noted from the incident
How long might it take for your claim to be reimbursed?
PetFirst aims to get your claim processed within 10-14 days from the date when they receive your claim.
How do I submit a claim?
To submit your claim, the following information is needed:
You may file a claim via the MyPets Online Account, emailing submitclaim@petfirst.com, faxing 877-281-3348, or mailing PetFirst's Claims Department at 400 Missouri Ave, Suite 105, Jeffersonville, IN 47130. The steps you need to take include: (1) complete and sign a claim form, (2) get veterinary medical records (SOAP notes) from the incident, and (3) get an itemized invoice from the incident. If your pet is less than 12 months of age, get all vet visit medical records. If your pet is older than 12 months (not adopted) pinclude the past 12 months of medical records at least. If you adopted our pet, include your adoption records.
Cancellation Information
You can cancel your policy at any time. However, you must send it in writing or by filling a cancel form. Call PetFirst on 866.937.7387 and select option 4 to cancel your pet insurance plan.
You may cancel this policy at any time. PetFirst will return unearned premium paid to to you within thirty (30) days of receipt of the request for cancellation or the effective date of cancellation, whichever is later. Cancellation requests you make within thirty (30) days of the effective date, provided no claim has been made, will be refunded.
PetFirst has continuous coverage over the lifetime of a pet so long as a pet owner does not fail to pay the premium, facts haven't been misrepresented, and the pet owner has not committed fraud.
Pre-existing conditions
Pre-existing conditions are not covered by PetFirst Pet Insurance. However, they don’t exclude you from being eligible for pet insurance. Pets with pre-existing conditions should still be covered in case other injuries or illnesses arise.
The specific language used to describe what is considered a pre-existing condition is specified per-policy. Below is PetFirst Pet Insurance's latest definition of a "pre-existing condition":
Any illness, condition requiring medical treatment or injury affecting your pet that manifests, whether diagnosed or treated, prior to the inception date of this policy. Also, coverage for treatment of leukemia for cats may be made effective after you provide documentation of a negative FeLV test and proper vaccination from a veterinarian.
PetFirst Healthcare, LLC is the program administrator authorized to underwrite and administer pet health insurance policies and claims on behalf of New Hampshire Insurance Company (NHIC), The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania (ISOP) or Independence American Insurance Company a Delaware insurance company in approved states. For a complete listing of approved states, please contact PetFirst Healthcare, LLC.
