I’m bringing you a Healthy Paws vs Trupanion comparison review to compare two of today’s top dog insurance companies.
Healthy Paws has been around since 2009, as both a pet insurance company and a foundation that helps homeless pets. The company created the first app for pet insurance, allowing you to easily manage your policy, submit claims, make payments, and more.
Trupanion launched in 2000, originally as Vetinsurance, in British Columbia. In 2004, it became the first profitable and well-known pet insurance provider in North America. In 2008, the company insured its first pet in the United States, and has since become one of the most trusted pet insurance companies.
Since these are two of the highest rated companies for their policies and dedication to pets, I’m providing a brief comparison between the two so you can choose the best policy for your dog.
Trupanion vs Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
Pros
Healthy Paws
One Simple Policy With Broad Coverage
Like Trupanion, Healthy Paws makes dog insurance easy with one simple policy. However, Healthy Paws provides a truly comprehensive coverage for dogs. It includes coverage for illnesses, accidents, surgeries, emergency room visits, diagnostics, and even alternative treatments.
Even with one simple policy, you can choose between some budget-friendly options to keep your premiums where you need them to be. Choose your co-pay, deductible, and reimbursement level to help you plan for both short-term and long-term costs. And, with an annual deductible rather than per-incident, you’ll know exactly what you need to pay out of pocket, regardless of the medical service.
Easy Claims Process
The Healthy Paws claims process seems to be one of the things its customers love the most about the company. You can submit a claim through the Healthy Paws app, which is the easiest and fastest way, or by mail. The company processes most of its claims within 7 to 10 business days.
Although the company does have some complaints about denied claims, the majority of Healthy Paws reviewers seem thrilled with the process. Additionally, it seems that Healthy Paws responds to, and helps, unhappy customers quickly, which is evident in it’s a rating with the BBB.
Trupanion
One Simple Policy With Customizable Costs
One of the reasons customers love Trupanion is it makes its policy easy to understand. There aren’t different policy options to choose from. Instead, there’s one simple policy that allows you to customize some options to control your monthly premiums.
You can choose your deductible amount, between $0 and $1000. The higher your deductible, the lower your monthly premiums will be. The policy comes with a standard reimbursement level of 90%, which means 90% of covered services will be paid back to you through Trupanion.
Extra Coverage Available
Trupanion’s main policy covers your dog in the event of an unexpected illness, accident, surgery, hospital stay, and more. But, sometimes you may want extra coverage. Trupanion’s Pet Owner Assistance package gives you an extra cushion for a little bit extra per month.
This optional package will cover things like third-party property damage caused by your pet, up to $25,000, advertising and reward fees, boarding costs, and more. You can even receive up to $100 reimbursement for cremation or burial costs, should your dog become involved in a fatal accident.
Healthy Paws vs Trupanion
Cons
Trupanion
Your Premiums May Raise
The company's website states that your premiums are subject to change each year. This could be a concern for those who think they’re locked into a specific premium for the life of their policy and need to keep a strict budget.
Your premium may raise or lower. This depends on factors like the cost of veterinary care in your area, the cost of care for dogs similar to yours (age and breed, for example), and increases in veterinary technology. Some customers have stated, in reviews, that their premiums have raised significantly since opening their policies.
High Rate Of Claim Denials
According to several Trupanion reviews, customers are less-than-impressed with the company’s claims process. Several customers state that it was a hassle to get a claim processed. Or, the company denied their claims completely.
Most of these complaints note that, although their dogs suffered from an accident or unexpected illness, Trupanion deemed the condition as pre-existing and denied their claims. This is certainly something important to consider, since accidents and illnesses are what the company claims to reimburse you for. I urge you to check Trupanion reviews on several websites to come to your own conclusion.
Healthy Paws
No Coverage Options For Routine Or Preventative Care
One of the biggest downfalls of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance is that it provides no coverage for routine or preventative care. For example, it doesn't cover vet exam fees and vaccinations. In fact, this isn’t even an optional coverage you can add onto your policy.
Healthy Paws claims that it makes routine coverage the responsibility of the pet owner. This is so that it can keep its policy premiums lower than other companies. It makes sense, but I’d prefer to at least see routine care as an optional coverage if it’s not included in a policy.
Vet Exam Requirements
Another reason Healthy Paws can keep its premiums so low is that it has strict requirements for vet exams for puppies and adults. The company wants to make sure there are no pre-existing conditions that would require costly medical care before you sign your pet up for a policy.
Although I agree that this is a good idea, it can be a negative for those who weren’t clearly made aware of this policy. For a dog younger than six, he has to have had a vet exam within the past 12 months. For a dog older than six, your dog needs an exam within the past 30 days. If not, you have only 15 days after opening a policy to get him one.
Conclusion: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance vs Trupanion
According to my research and customer reviews, I believe that Healthy Paws Pet Insurance edges out Trupanion in many ways. Healthy Paws wins with coverage, customer satisfaction, and costs. I also am impressed with Healthy Paws’ dedication to homeless pets through its foundation, which gives it even more of an edge against its competition.
Customers who have had a Healthy Paws policy for some time truly rave about the company and remain loyal customers. One of Healthy Paws’ customers, Lacy, talks about her experiences with the company in this video:
I'm sure you're looking for the most comprehensive coverage with low premiums and the easiest claims process possible. If so, I recommend Healthy Paws Pet Insurance.