# Insurance Question Again - Does anyone use Trupanion or Healthy Paws?



## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

I'm at a stage right now with my current insurance company I'm starting to seriously consider switching companies.

Currently I go through Best Friends Insurance, which I wasn't aware is run by 24 hr pet watch. Only had them a few months, and while it's nice that they did process my claim, it took them FOREVER, I submitted the claim over a month ago and they just called me today to let me know that they're sending out the reimbursement check. They also had a problem with my payment (not sure why, the card worked before, and I hadn't changed it), so I mailed them payment for 2 months of insurance at the same time I submitted my claim and they STILL haven't applied that payment to my account *sigh* Have I mentioned I'm not satisfied at all with them?

So anyway, I think once I finish physical therapy with Sara from her broken leg (can't switch until that's finished or it won't be covered!) I'm going to be switching insurance companies. The 2 that are ahead right now are Trupanion and Healthy Paws. Wondering if anyone has experience with either of these companies they'd be willing to share. He's kind of a break down of what I'm looking for in an insurance company.

- FAST claim processing. Over a month seems a bit much for me to even know if my claim is going to be approved!
- Good customer service so if there ever is a problem we can resolve it quickly
- US BASED! I wasn't aware when I bought this policy that it's Canadian based, so they say that's what's causing the delay in my payments, claim processing, etc - Wish I'd known that and I never would have gone with them!!!
- Reasonable pre-existing condition clauses. Would love to hear experience here. I've spoken with Healthy Paws and they said that if I buy their policy I can submit all my dogs medical records within 30 days and they'll then look over them and give me a DETAILED list of what they'd consider pre-existing. If I'm not happy they'll refund my first payment - Since Aiyana has Addisons, a very mild heart condition, gastroparesis, and has had MANY GI and liver problems, that alone is a HUGE plus, I need to know what they'd lump in and say is because of her Addisons (such as her stomach ulcers, anal gland issues, etc - Sure they COULD say that is all Addisions, but in reality could have just as easily been caused by something else!). 
- Prefer a sliding deductible. That way if I hit a period I'm hurting for cash I can slide down the deductible so if something goes wrong I don't have to worry about being out as much in deductibles, where if things are ok and I've got money put away and just want to save money for awhile I can put my deductible back up. I'm also likely to have different deductibles on my dogs - The ones I'm more concerned about needing a huge vet bill I'll put a lower deductible on, dogs that it's more of a safety net I'll put a higher deductible on as I know their chances of needing a big vet bill are lower.
- I'm not totally set on either of these companies, and am more then willing to look into other suggestions as well. HOWEVER I do need an insurance company that is willing to cover alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, laser treatments, physical therapy, etc, as my the vet I use is very good, and likes to use as many drug-free methods of helping a dog as possible before resorting to drugs, especially for my Aiyana who's got several known drug sensitivities. 

Also has anyone ever had a company with a ANNUAL deductible? Healthy Paws has an annual, not a per incident deductible, trying to decide if that's good or bad. Basically what that means is if my dog ends up with another chronic condition, I have to pay the deductible every year. However that also means if my dog ends up with several different problems in a year, I'd only have to pay the deductible once. What are thoughts on that? I'm trying to make sure I really research this out and get opinions from others, that's where I went wrong the last time I bought insurance and it turned into an overall bad experience with the company, so I want to make sure I really know what I'm getting myself into before I switch insurance companies.

I guess above all I want a company I can trust to be fair with me. I've put thousands into Aiyana's medical care in the last few months, and it's put a huge strain on my finances. I guess that's my big reason for wanting to insure all of them (except for maybe Portia - With a bad heart murmur, bad knees, a seizure disorder, a bad liver, etc, I'm doubting it would pay off on her) is so that I can always make my decisions on what my vet and I feel is best for my dogs, not what I can afford, I love my dogs and want to make sure I'm always able to get them the best care possible when the need arises!


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

Don't think I'll be a lot of help but.. I have Trupanion on Corona, and it's definitely the most popular choice at the clinic I work at. I've only had the insurance myself for a couple of months, but have heard good things about it.. they're supposed to be very quick at sending out checks. However, they are Canadian based (which is good for me, lol), but maybe they have a US office as well?


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

Darn, didn't know Trupanion was Canadian based as well, guess that rules them out  The company I'm with right now has a US office, but they send all their claims to Canada, and it just makes things a HUGE pain! I really want to find a US based company.


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Wen have Pets Best, $100 deductible then they reimburse 80%. The to claims I've had were over $1k each for reimbursement, they emailed me claim was received, emailed when in process and emailed when check mailed. Both times checks were received in 6days. No complaints.


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

I've looked at Pets Best and decided they weren't for me because they're limited on what they'll cover for alternative treatments. Sometimes I'd rather go the chiropractic/physical therapy/acupuncture method, they'll only cover $500 if I went with the very top policy, so if it's a very severe injury that'll require multiple treatments I'd be paying for it myself still. I love my vet, and she often recommends trying something like acupuncture before we resort to using drugs, especially with my Aiyana who's had so many health issues and drug sensitivities, we try to stay away from prescription drugs with her if there's another option that may help her first.


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## Doglover28 (Jul 31, 2011)

Actually Trupanion is out of Seattle WA. They hands down are the best and quickest reimbursement of any pet insurance company. Healthy Paws is too new, and doesn't have the same financial backing as Trupanion. In addition the guys that started HP came from Trupanion! I have had Trupanion and thousands of dollars have been paid out, all within a week of submitting. In addition to being the only self insured company. Oh, and always 90% of actual bill with NO limits on the amount of care, incl hereditary and congenital!


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

Thanks Doglover28, I appreciate the information! I love the extent of the coverage Trupanion offers, but I've now ruled them out for one simple reason - They won't cover alternative treatments. For me and my crew that's a must! I adore my vet, and my breeds tend to be very sensitive to drugs and medications. My vet has a full rehab center and one of the other vets in her clinic does acupuncture, as well as laser therapy, water treadmill, all sorts of alternative treatments that she'll often recommend before jumping into drugs, as well as some homeopathy and herbal treatments. Trupanion only covers conventional treatments, they won't cover alternative medicine. I'm looking at Pet Plan as well now, anyone have experience with them? Their coverage options look GREAT, even options for 100% coverage, multiple pet discounts, microchip discounts, etc. I'm pretty impressed with what I'm seeing and they're rated pretty high, but how can I find out how long they've been around or what their financial backing is?


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## Rescuedog (Jul 31, 2011)

We have Healthy Paws and couldn't be happier. Besides coverage and value, their customer service is incredibly helpful. They go the extra mile every time. And I'm a big fan of their Foundation rescue and adoption work. But check out www.petinsurancereview.com for customer reviews on all companies. Hope this helps.


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

I have checked that site, the companies I'm looking at all have a rating of 8 or higher on petinsurancereviews, but I don't always trust all those review and rather hear it from others I know actually use their insurance, because I know alot of insurance companies hire people or have their own employees go onto sites like that to boost their ratings up!


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## TeddyG (Aug 1, 2011)

We have Healthy Paws, and love them. All the people on the phone are really helpful, and they're fast with claims. Doglover28 said they don't have backing, but if you look at their site, they're backed by two major insurance groups. So even though they're a little newer than Trupanion, they're stable. One of the best things about Healthy Paws is that they've got an annual deductible instead of a per-incident deductible like Trupanion. Our Golden somehow attracts bee stings or spider bites (we're not sure which), so if he has an allergic reaction or anything else happen twice in a year, we don't pay two deductibles.


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## SeattleDogs (Aug 1, 2011)

Hi, this is Steve from Healthy Paws (I'm a co-founder). A customer brought your question to my attention and I hope you are having success in learning about pet insurance plans and finding a company that meets your needs. I certainly hope it's us and we're here to help if you have any questions.

I wanted to clarify a prior post that is simply inaccurate and very misleading. Doglover28 states that Healthy Paws does not have financial backing similar to Trupanion. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance policies are underwritten by Markel Corporation, "A" rated by AM Best. Markel has surpluses to pay claims of $1.25 Billion (Billion, not million). Trupanion is underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company and is un-rated by AM Best with $10 million is surpluses to pay claims. Simply, Healthy Paws offers superior financial stability in this case.

Thanks for letting me clarify this information. All of us at Healthy Paws pride ourselves on being open and honest when it comes to our plan. And we strive to deliver the best customer service so that our pet parents can focus on helping their sick pets get back to health!


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

Thank you everyone for the great information, I'm still narrowing my choices down. Right now Healthy Paws and Pet Plan are the top 2 I'm still considering. There's alot of choices, and it's hard to find one that's got the right coverage options for ALL the animals I have at the right price! Once I make this plunge, I'm going to have 4 of my 5 dogs insured, and at least 3 of 5 cats, and I really don't want to deal with more then one company to make my life easier - So I really want to make sure I research this time and choose a company that really will give exactly what i need out of an insurance company!


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