If you are a pet parent seeking to get your animal on a pet insurance plan, then you must have come across these two highly rated pet insurance and are probably confused on which plan to go with.
Trupanion and Healthy Paws are both good pet insurance companies with testimonies from hundreds of thousands of pet parents.
Trupanion was founded in the year 2000 to help dog and cat owners cover the cost of vet bills when their pets became sick or injured then in 2009, two pet lovers created Healthy Paws to offer similar pet coverage and support the work of no-kill shelters.
Both take a simple approach to pet insurance, offering customizable accident and illness policies that can reimburse vets directly. Healthy Paws is both a pet insurance provider and a nonprofit.
In this article, we will compare Trupanion and Healthy Paws on the basis of coverages, cost, claims, and all other factors you should consider before buying a pet insurance policy.
We hope that by the end of this comparison, you will be certain which insurer you will use for your pet.
If you are an intending pet insurance agent, you might find this helpful as well.
Table of contents
- Trupanion VS Healthy Paws; At A Glance
- Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Coverages
- Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: The Enrollment Process
- Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Cost
- Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Claims
- Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws: Reviews
- Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Customer Service & Reputation
- Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion: Which is right for you?
- FAQs on Trupanion VS Healthy Paws
- Conclusion
- References
- Recommendation
Trupanion VS Healthy Paws; At A Glance
The Trupanion Pros
- Zero deductibles available
- Fixed 90% reimbursement
- No annual coverage limits
- 24/7 customer support
Trupanion Cons
- Limited policy customization
- No wellness plan available
- No discounts or flexible payment options
Healthy Paws Pros
- No annual coverage limits
- Quick and easy claims process
- Lets you compare rates and terms with competitors
Healthy Paws Cons
- Limited policy customization
- No wellness plan available
- No discounts or flexible payments
- Limited coverage for older pets
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Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Coverages
While looking over policy options from Trupanion and Healthy Paws, you may notice that both insurers only offer plans with unlimited annual benefits. It’s fairly common for providers to give pet parents a range of annual limits to choose from as a way to customize their coverage.
This is important to keep in mind since selecting a lower limit can be a way to save on monthly premiums. Without this option, pet owners on a budget may not find affordable coverage from either provider.
Similarities
Trupanion sells all of its policies with a 90% reimbursement level, meaning that your out-of-pocket cost is just 10%. The only factor you can control is the annual deductible, which, to the company’s credit, is more customizable than with any competitor.
Using Trupanion’s online quote tool, you can set your own deductible in $5 increments between $0 and $1,000. The lower the deductible, the more you’ll pay in premiums.
Healthy Paws, on the other hand, lets pet parents customize both their annual deductible and reimbursement level. Three options are available for each. Choose from deductibles of $100, $250, or $500 and reimbursement amounts of 70%, 80%, or 90%.
In terms of the specific veterinary services listed on their accident and illness policies, Trupanion and Healthy Paws are fairly alike.
Each base policy covers the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses, although neither includes exam fees, which are left for the pet owner to pay out of pocket.
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Differences
While Trupanion includes dental illness coverage in its standard policy, Healthy Paws eliminates this in favor of alternative treatments, which are only covered by Trupanion if you purchase a policy rider.
Unlike Healthy Paws, Trupanion sells two policy riders that can be valuable if you want more control over your coverage. The first, called the Recovery and Complementary Care rider, pays for behavioral and alternative treatments like physical therapy and acupuncture.
Trupanion’s Pet Owner Assistance rider is more unique, covering a wide range of costs not related to veterinary care. For example, if your pet is lost or stolen, Trupanion will pay up to $500 in advertising and reward costs to help recover them. You’ll also receive property damage liability insurance up to $25,000 and trip cancellation coverage up to $1,000. I
If your pet passes away due to an accident, the rider will pay up to $100 for their cremation or burial.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of Trupanion’s and Healthy Paws’ coverage details.
| Covered Treatment | Trupanion | Healthy Paws |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fees | – | – |
| Procedures | + | + |
| Lab tests | + | + |
| Medication | + | + |
| Continued treatment | + | + |
| Genetic conditions | + | + |
| Preventive care | – | – |
| Microchipping | – | – |
| Spay/neuter surgery | – | – |
| Vaccinations | – | – |
| Dental treatment | + | – |
| Behavioral treatment | +* | – |
| Specialists | + | + |
| Alternative/holistic care | +* | + |
| Medical boarding | + | + |
| Cremation/burial | +* | – |
Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: The Enrollment Process
Both Trupanion and Healthy Paws make it easy to enroll for a policy online without talking to a representative. Pets must also be under the age of 14 to be eligible for coverage from both companies.
In addition, Healthy Paws restricts pets over the age of six to a policy with a $500 deductible, 70% reimbursement, and unlimited lifetime coverage.
Trupanion requires a full medical history and/or history of your pet before it can approve your first claim. Healthy Paws also requires you to get a full exam for your pet based on the age of your pet:
For pets five years and under, it is within the last 12 months or within 15 days after enrollment while for six years and older is within the last 30 days or within 15 days after enrollment.
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Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Cost
If you need affordable pet insurance coverage, Healthy Paws offers a bit more flexibility. Policies start at a lower price point due to a wider range of customization options.
Trupanion’s policies can only be adjusted by changing your deductible and that rubs off on premiums as they tend to be on the higher end.
On the other hand, Trupanion’s policy riders are very reasonably priced. The Pet Owner Assistance rider is a particularly good value given the variety of benefits included for just $4.95 per month regardless of your pet’s age.
In the end, the most reliable way to truly compare insurance quotes is to look at pricing for policies with equal coverage. The estimated cost of an accident and illness policy with no annual limit, 90% reimbursement, and a $250 annual deductible is $35.66 per month for Healthy Paws while Trupanion is over 50% more expensive at $54.60 per month.
See the table below to get an idea of the price range you can expect from each insurer. However, your actual quote may be higher or lower depending on your pet’s age and breed, your geographic location, and the type of coverage you choose.
| Trupanion | Healthy Paws | |
|---|---|---|
| Accident and illness plan | Accident and illness plan | |
| Dog: 1 year | $24.94 to $90.38 | $20.33 to $43.08 |
| Dog: 3 year | $27.91 to $104.15 | $23.74 to $50.37 |
| Dog: 6 year | $34.79 to $136.09 | $34.11 |
| Dog: 12 year | $50.98 to $211.26 | $155.74 |
| Cat: 1 year | $17.23 to $54.62 | $8.01 to $17.04 |
| Cat: 3 year | $19.59 to $65.56 | $9.36 to $19.93 |
| Cat: 6 year | $25.64 to $56.41 | $13.74 |
| Cat: 12 year | $41.05 to $165.16 | $61.31 |
Note that the table does not include the price of Pet Owner Assistance rider and Recovery and Complementary Care Rider.
Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Claims
One of the most important deciding factors for pet parents looking for pet policies is the claims. Everyone wants a guarantee that a pet insurance policy will cover all ailments.
The good news is that if you follow the dictates of the policy and read the fine print, your pet’s vet visits should be well covered.
However, if you wait until your pet is sick or injured to get a policy, you will not get coverage for claims that include pre-existing conditions.
Both Healthy Paws and Trupanion have a Vet Direct Pay option, where the vet charges based on a fee schedule, and the pet insurance company pays directly to the vet. In these cases, you will not have to pay more than your deductible at the time of the visit.
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Trupanion Claims
Trupanion, like all of the other companies, is strict on preexisting conditions and holds its pet parents to all of the clauses in the policy.
For a claim, you can’t submit exam fees. That includes getting an exam at your vet and then another one at an optometrist. You can only submit claims for the other services rendered.
Also, with Vet Direct Pay, you may pay more a month, but if you have a participating vet, this should take some of the headaches out of claim approval.
Healthy Paws Claims
Healthy Paws claims to pay out claims within 10 days, but this time could extend depending on if they need more paperwork or if they have questions about past veterinary care.
They encourage you to do everything online and it’s even been stated in several online reviews that pet parents that sent documents via mail or fax had extended delays.
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Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws: Reviews
Both Trupanion and Healthy Paws have received mixed online third-party customer reviews. Reviewers praise Trupanion for its high-quality customer service and fast claims process while Healthy Paws customers enjoy the company’s fast claims processing and reimbursement.
Also, some reviewers cite Trupanion for denying multiple claims, while Healthy Paws’ customers claim the company raises premiums without notice, especially for older pets. Guess it is a case of different customers, different experiences.
However, Healthy Paws’ insurance policies are underwritten by Chubb, which has an A++ rating for financial stability from AM Best.
Trupanion VS Healthy Paws: Customer Service & Reputation
Customer service and reputation can be overlooked when you’re met with an attractive quote for your policy, but we think it’s one of the most important elements you should consider. We hope you never have to file a claim, but should the need arise, we want it to be a seamless process for you and your pet.
It doesn’t matter how much you pay; if you call a company and never get your questions answered or problems solved, you feel like you’ve wasted your money.
Both Trupanion and Healthy Paws companies offer multiple support options, including phone and email. They also offer 30-day money-back guarantees, so if you find out that the plan you chose isn’t working for you, you can cancel and get a refund.
To be fair, Healthy Paws has some of the best customer service reviews we’ve seen. Their policyholders share many positive testimonials about their experiences. We can’t say the same for Trupanion.
Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion: Which is right for you?
Pet insurance companies tend to offer similar coverage and rates, so it can be daisy having to choose which one specifically suits your pet’s needs. However, if you search deep enough, there are subtle differences in each policy.
Below, are scenarios where either Healthy Paws or Trupanion may be better.
- If you need prescription food
- When you want alternative care covered
- If your pet is younger than eight weeks
- When your pet has a breed prone to hip dysplasia
- If you want insurance to pay your vet directly
If you need prescription food
If a veterinarian recommends prescription food for the treatment of an illness or injury, Trupanion will cover 50% of the cost for up to two months. Although, it does not cover prescription food for preventative or routine care.
Healthy Paws doesn’t reimburse any expenses related to special diets or foods.
If you want alternative care covered
With Healthy Paws, rehabilitative and alternative care like acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and chiropractic therapy is included in the policy as long as your pet is recovering from an accident or illness.
For alternative care, Trupanion has a Recovery and Complementary Care rider for an extra cost. In addition to acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and chiropractic treatment, it covers behavioral modification, homeopathy, and naturopathy.
Worthy of note is the fact that prosthetic devices and carts are included in the core policy.
If your pet is younger than eight weeks
When you want to get pet insurance for your puppy or kitten immediately, Healthy Paws has a minimum age limit of eight weeks, whereas, you can take out a policy from Trupanion regardless of your pet’s age.
If you have a breed prone to hip dysplasia
This is common in large dogs, but it can also happen in cats. Hip dysplasia is covered in Trupanion’s core policy. Healthy Paws only covers costs 12 months after the policy effective date and before your pet turns age six.
If you want insurance to pay your vet directly
Trupanion boasts the ability to pay your veterinarian hospital directly within five minutes, so you don’t have to wait for a reimbursement check.
As long as it is a participating hospital and you pay your portion of the vet bill, Trupanion will take care of the rest without paperwork or calls on your behalf. This prevents you from having to deal with out-of-pocket costs, especially in emergency situations.
Healthy Paws also offers to pay your veterinarian directly but it is subject to their business hours and processing a claim, which might not be as seamless as Trupanion’s system.
FAQs on Trupanion VS Healthy Paws
Both are well-known pet insurance companies that sell policies for dogs and cats. While Healthy Paws offers coverage to pet owners in all 50 states, Trupanion is available to residents of both the United States and Canada.
When you enroll your pet with Trupanion or Healthy Paws, they’ll be covered by an accident and illness policy with no limit on annual benefits. If your pet becomes sick or injured, you can take them to any licensed veterinarian for treatment. As long as the condition being treated is eligible for coverage, simply submit the bill and you’ll receive reimbursement from the insurance company according to the terms of your policy.
We usually recommend Trupanion over Healthy Paws because it offers a wider range of deductibles, affordable coverage add-ons, and a set higher reimbursement, all for a reasonable monthly premium.
If you’re looking to spend as little as possible on basic pet coverage, you may want to consider Healthy Paws instead. You can build a policy with lower reimbursement and higher deductible for roughly half as much per month than Trupanion.
With those limits, you’ll still end up paying a lot out of pocket, but not as much as you would if you had no pet insurance.
Conclusion
We hope this comparison between Trupanion and Healthy Paws further helps you with your decision of getting pet insurance for your furry friend. As much as they share a lot of similarities, the little contrast might be the lead to making a good choice.
We recommend Trupanion if you are looking for a variety of options and wider coverage and Healthy Paws for cheaper policies.
In a situation where neither of them ticks it for you, you might want to check out other pet insurance companies. Trupanion and Healthy Paws are just two out of the many.
Bear in mind that the earlier you insure your animal, the better and easier it is for you.
References
- Petinsurance– Trupanion pet insurance review
- Thebalance– Trupanion vs. Healthy paws
- Lendedu– Trupanion vs. Healthy paws
- Healthy-paws– Trupanion vs. Healthy paws
- investopedia– Trupanion vs. Healthy paws
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