Tuesday, May 30th
2023 Pet Insurance Company Reviews
Pets Best
- Covers only cats and dogs
- Optional Routine Care coverage
- 24/7 pet help line with veterinary experts
- Option for Pets Best to pay the vet directly
Pets Best has two main policies, and you can add on your choice of two wellness plans if you desire. There's a large range of choice in deductible, rate of reimbursement, and annual max payout to work with the needs of your pet as well as your budget. They're especially friendly to older pets as Pets Best can cover prescribed wheelchairs or prosthetics. Remember to always compare prices, as premiums between companies can vary particularly as the pet ages.
Two types of coverage
The first type of coverage is for traditional accidents and illness. The other is a less expensive, more basic coverage, which is accident only. The Accidents and Illness policy covers accidents, illnesses, chronic conditions, cancer, emergency care, and hereditary and congenital conditions as well as other conditions and care. There are three tiers for this coverage, which are Essential, Plus, and Elite. Essential is their basic policy, Plus adds vet exam fees for covered conditions, and Elite adds rehab, chiropractic, and acupuncture treatments, also for covered conditions.
Be aware of what's not covered
Pre-existing conditions except for curable conditions that don't require continual treatment, bilateral conditions, spaying/neutering, cosmetic procedures such as tail or ear clipping, intentional injuries, injuries related to organized fighting or racing, breeding, holistic or alternative care, experimental treatments, cremation, and burial are all on the list of what Pets Best doesn't cover. This list may seem extensive, but it's quite similar to most rivals' plans. If you're interested in coverage of some of the above, check out Pets Best's optional coverage for wellness or routine care.
Costs
- Dogs start around $14 (for a one-year old mixed breed)
- Cats start around $6 (for a one-year old American short hair)
Optional wellness/routine care
We want to keep our fur babies healthy with routine care, and it's nice when pet insurance can help us with it. Pets Best add-on coverage includes vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, heartworm prevention, preventive screening tests, fecal exams, urinalysis, deworming, parasite exams, microchipping, dental exams and more. There are two tiers of wellness care so you can choose the tier that best benefits your pet and budget. The higher of the two options adds in the cost of the wellness exams, teeth cleaning, and spaying/neutering, where the other wellness plan doesn't. The exact coverage you receive could vary, so double check when you sign up.
No age limit
Pets Best will insure your pet starting at seven weeks of age, and even insure your older pet with no age limit. Many companies won't insure a senior pet, and they will stop coverage at a certain age.
Special needs
If your fur baby is prescribed a wheelchair or prosthetic device, or is prone to ligament or degenerative joint disorders, keep Pets Best in mind, as they cover these if needed.
Waiting period of 14 days
Most pet insurance companies have a waiting period. The waiting period is the time from when the policy starts to when you can make a claim. Pets Best is pretty normal with a 14-day waiting period. They reduce the waiting time to 3 days for accidents and 1 day for wellness, but raise it to 6 months for a cruciate ligament.
Price customization
You can control your price by choosing 70%, 80%, or 90% as your reimbursement rate, from $50 to $1,000 as your deductible, and $2,500 to $10,000 or unlimited as your annual benefit limit. There is a wide range of choices in each category, which can seem daunting; instead, think of it as a way to control your price if your pet is young and healthy, or to have a lot of coverage for an illness-prone or older pet.
Useful app
Pets Best offers an app with a tab called the ID card, bringing up with a quick click your pet's basic info and the name of the plan you have. There's another tab for the coverage you have and one for the claim history. You can make a claim on the app by uploading a photo of the vet bill and other info needed. Pets Best has said that at times it can take 25 days to process a claim, which is good information to have, and we're happy that people have received it as quickly as two days. End result: be patient and contact them if there's a delay.
Pay the vet or get reimbursed
Normally, you'll pay the vet and then get reimbursed by your pet insurance company. With Pets Best, you can choose to go that traditional route or to have Pets Best pay the vet directly, and you pay any balance.
Reimbursement as quickly as two days
If you submit through the app and use direct deposit, you can expect reimbursement in about two days. If you would prefer a paper check, you'll receive the payment about five-to-seven days after the claim has been processed.
Discounts available
There's a 5% discount if you have more than one pet enrolled in the program as well as 5% off for military members and their families.
Customer feedback is very positive overall
Pet parents are, for the most part, super pleased with Pets Best, appreciating the quick turn-around time for reimbursements and customer service. Those who aren't happy with Pets Best complain about conditions they thought would be covered, such as allergies. But because allergies can be recurring, they're not covered and can be expensive. Another complaint is filing claims, especially the first one. People are tired of submitting and re-submitting documents on the first claim. Pets Best wants to make sure that there's not a pre-existing condition, so they seem to want an extensive amount of documentation from the vet before they will take care of the claim. Unfortunately, these complaints can be typical with pet insurance as, well, it's insurance, and insurance can be complicated and detailed.
It's quite flexible
There are two Pets Best policies to choose from, two wellness options to add-on if you desire, and a wide range of choices for deductible, reimbursement rate, and annual maximum benefit. Your plan can be quite customizable for coverage as well as premium cost. Customer feedback is generally above average, and we rate Pets Best highly.
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Which Pet Insurance is the Best?
We love our fur babies and want to help them live as long and as healthy as possible. Pets take daily care, and they also require vet visits, whether for wellness, to update vaccinations, if they are ill or in an accident. Veterinarian bills can be expensive, so many owners have chosen pet insurance.
Pet insurance has only been around since 1982, so if you don't know much about it, that's understandable. Pet insurance can be similar to human health insurance where you can see a provider for wellness visits, illness, or accidents. There are in-office visits, telehealth, and 24/7 availability for answering questions.
Pet Insurance Company FAQ
Continued from above...
However, you should be aware of some essential differences between human health insurance and pet insurance. The vet doesn't file a claim, like your own provider would. You pay the vet bill, submit the claim online or on your phone, and then you're reimbursed by the insurance company - the vet doesn't get involved. Wellness care can be an add-on rider to cover a routine exam, vaccinations, spay/neuter, teeth cleaning, and so on.
Although accidents are the most common to be covered, many companies don't cover illnesses such as diabetes, allergies, or infections. Younger pets may cost less to insure, but that will greatly increase as they age; and when they are elderly, the company may even drop the coverage, so be sure to ask about aging pets, even when your pet is young. You can choose your deductible, copay, max annual reimbursement, and optional add-ons. Find out what coverage they recommend for your breed, and ask about multiple-pet or other discounts.
More dogs have pet insurance than any other animal, and the rate for cats is about half that of dogs. Owners of indoor cats might think they don't need pet insurance, but older felines can have chronic or recurring conditions which might require costly care or frequent vet visits.
While you might not expect your pet to become ill or have an accident, those vet bills can be quite costly, especially if a procedure, surgery, or ongoing care is needed. Unless you're budgeting in anticipation of these, pet insurance could be quite the relief for when you need it. If you have an older pet or pet prone to certain conditions, prices can vary greatly between companies, so we suggest getting quotes from a couple of your favorite companies before you make your final decision. In addition, even if you are getting a puppy or kitten, ask about coverage and premiums as if they were older so you get a look into the future.
When choosing which pet insurance provider is right for you, here are a few things to consider:
- Your pets and their age(s). You may have a cat or dog now, but if there's a possibility of someday adding a hamster, bird, or turtle, will your pet insurance cover the exotic pet? Is there a multiple-pet discount? As your pet ages, he might be prone to diabetes, accidents, and more-frequent office visits, so be sure to ask if coverage lessens, gets more expensive, or even stops with these conditions.
- Reimbursement. If you have a pet that might require a lot of medical bills, you should consider a plan with up to 100% covered on the vet bills.
- Choice of vet. Similar to a human's health insurance, your pet's health insurance company may have in-network vets and others that are out-of-network that they won't cover fully or at all.
- In-office or at home. Typical plans will offer in-office visits. You should consider telemedicine, in-home care, or availability in other countries if you plan on traveling.
- Pre-existing conditions. See if your potential pet insurer will look at your pet's medical record to find out upfront if there are any pre-existing conditions that wouldn't be covered, so there are no costly surprises. Do this even before you purchase.
- Type of plan. You might want your insurance to cover more than just routine vet visits. Consider accidents, wellness care, routine care, preventative care, behavioral treatment, and alternative therapies. Your pet could have better health coverage than you!
- Discounts and rewards. Some companies will give a multiple-pet discount, and others offer rewards for wellness and routine care.
- Helpline. Whether you're new to owning a pet, have a different breed than you're accustomed to, or just worry about your pet, some insurance companies are available 24/7 for help or even for telehealth visits.
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed the best pet insurance companies available today. We hope this information helps you to get the best pet insurance for your fur baby so they can be well cared for in a long, happy, and healthy life!
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