Trupanion Pet Insurance Review

 

If you have kids, you will never think twice about spending what it takes to care for their health and wellness. Yet, you might have second thoughts at times when it comes to your pets.

Your family’s four-legged members (or other animals) need medical care at times, and you might face a hard choice between saving money or spending on your pet’s well-being. One way to simplify some of these hard decisions is by getting pet insurance.

Pet insurance makes it much easier to finance pet health care, so you don’t spend as much money on them yet still get them the care they need. At the very least, it spreads the costs around. Trupanion pet insurance is one such possibility and knowing about them and their coverage helps you make an informed decision about whether they’re right for you and your household.

 

An Overview

 

Trupanion ranks highly on many pet insurance lists. Comprehensive coverage for both dogs and cats handle injuries, illnesses, and accidents. There is even coverage for medical conditions that can include breed-specific conditions. Trupanion was founded in 2000. American Pet Insurance Company acquired them in 2007 and has been underwriting their insurance policies since then. Trupanion has made notable commitments to pet safety and the support of charitable pet and vet organizations. Trupanion also sells Recovery and Complementary Care that covers treatments such as chiropractic work, behavioral modification, and acupuncture. Trupanion solid its very first policy in 2000. At the time of writing, around 500,000 pets enjoyed coverage through Trupanion.

 

Pros/Cons

 

It should be that any pet insurance is better than none, but among industry options, some are better fits than others. Using these positives and negatives can help you decide if Trupanion is the best choice for you and your furry loved ones.

 

Pros

 

Trupanion is known for certain good qualities that might make you decide they can work out well for your needs and budget:

• Possibility of direct vet payments instead of traditional reimbursement system
• Special conditions don’t face extended waiting periods
• 24/7 telehealth line for pet medical questions and issues
• Unlimited coverage is available

 

Cons

 

Despite their strengths, Trupanion does have a few weak points that might make you decide on another company:

• No coverage for routine care or wellness add-on
• Won’t cover vet exam fees related to injuries or illnesses

 

What They Cover

 

A single comprehensive plan covers unanticipated injuries and illnesses, including:

• Laceration
• Herbal therapy
• Veterinary supplements
• Prescription medications
• Hospitalizations
• Diagnostic testing and lab work
• Surgery
• Congenital conditions, including cataracts, nervous system issues, liver disease, and heart disease
• Hereditary conditions, including hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, upper respiratory infections, and thyroid disease
• Illnesses including diarrhea and vomiting
• Fractured bones and broken teeth

 

Pet Owner Assistance Package

 

The Pet Owner Assistance Package is an add-on you can attach to your policy for extra cost. It helps with pet bills outside normal vet costs, including:

• Cremation or burial costs should your pet accidentally die
• Vacation cancellation costs if a pet injury or illness results in your trip being missed
• Liability coverage should your pet damage another person’s property
• Rewards and advertising costs if your pet is lost or stolen
• Boarding fees in the event of your own hospitalization

 

Recovery and Complementary Care Rider

 

Another potential add-on is the Recovery and Complementary Care Rider that handles non-clinical procedures, such as:

• Naturopathy
• Rehabilitation therapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Physical therapy
• Homeopathy
• Physical therapy
• Behavioral modification
• Chiropractic care
• Acupuncture

 

Things Not Covered

 

Trupanion, like any other pet insurer, can’t cover everything, or they’d go out of business. Exclusions you should know about include:

• Sales tax applied to your location
• Illness and accident vet exam fees
• Wellness care including regular visits, vaccinations, and flea/tick prevention
• Pre-existing conditions that start prior to coverage

 

Handling Costs

 

The first thing you need to know about Trupanion costs is that you’ll pay for coverage before it kicks in. These are known as waiting periods.

Standard Trupanion waiting periods include five days for most injuries and 30 days for most illnesses. Florida pet owners will have to wait for 12 days for both illnesses and accidents. That waiting period is something that can get waived if you choose the “Exam Day Offer Program” where eligible pets enjoy total and immediate policy coverage 24 hours after a vet exam. Any pet owner doing this in the initial 30-day period must pay the exam fee for the vet, any taxes that apply, and a co-pay of 10%.

Extended waiting periods apply for certain conditions. Hip dysplasia is one of them. Other orthopedic conditions also apply to this.

One area where Trupanion truly shines is the lack of annual limits on all its policies. Unlimited coverage means they never stop reimbursing you in any given year.

Another thing that separates Trupanion from many other pet insurance providers is how they use per-condition deductibles over annual deductibles. Rather than hitting one overall deductible per year, you would start over for every new condition your pet experiences.

Fortunately, you can choose your deductibles in the range of $0 up to $1,000. Florida pet owners aren’t required to pay any deductibles.

Reimbursement options are also different than other pet insurance providers. In some states, reimbursement levels are set at 90%. In other states, you can choose from a range of 50% up to 90%.

Sample quotes for Trupanion pet insurance place cats at a range of $18.87 to $62.22 each month based on deductibles. Dog insurance would range from $38.93 each month up to $155.34 each month. Specific pricing is based on breed, deductible, location, gender, and pre-existing conditions.

The sample quotes just listed assume pets 1 year of age. The lower monthly amounts assume $1,000 deductibles where you would pay more out of your pocket, and the higher amounts assume $0 deductibles where owners would pay nothing out of pocket, save their 10% or more copay.

As usual, dogs cost more to insure than cats. This is partly due to their more aggressive nature overall as a species. However, it’s also true that dogs tend to develop health conditions more in their later years than cats do. Males of both cat and dog species also usually prove more expensive to insure.

Where you live matters a great deal as well. Urban locations might have more ways for pets with outdoor time to get involved in trouble or accidents. There might also be a higher risk of them getting stolen.

 

Key Takeaways

 

Trupanion pet insurance has a good spread of deductible options you can choose from. The option for unlimited coverage is always a nice thing to see from any provider. Also, they are willing to pay vets directly for any claims, provided the vet has their Trupanion software. That spares you from paying out and waiting for reimbursements. Having said that, options commonly found among other industry players are missing, with wellness coverage being an obvious sore point.

 

 

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