For most of us, our pet is not just an animal we have bought for fun, like a toy, and not only for security, it is in many ways, part of our family. So just like any member of our family, our pets also deserve the best medical care. Medical costs for pets are rising, and it doesn’t matter which kind of pet you’ve got, it is very important for you to be prepared to cover the costs for the wellness and medical needs of your pet. One of the best ways to mitigate the amount of money you would spend for the medical care and the wellness of your pet is to avail of a pet insurance policy.

Pet insurance policies are made in such a way that it covers a wide array of expenses that is related to taking care of your pet. Just a few of the basic coverage that a pet insurance policy provides are accidents, illnesses, preventive care, and routine immunizations, some higher-tier plans even cover the fees for regular veterinarian checkups and even liability costs should your pet accidentally hurt another person. To take the guesswork off your shoulders here are the top 6 pet insurance you should get in 2021.

Best Pet Insurance Companies

Figo – premium pet insurance plans for dogs and cats

Figo is comprehensive pet insurance that covers both cats and dogs. Their plans would cover expenses no matter where you go in the United States, and with the veterinarian of your choice, and they have a brilliant reimbursement policy. Although like many others, there are downsides. The waiting period of reported illnesses, for example, is 14 days, and for accidents which are supposedly instant, it’s 3 days. And the waiting times can even last up to 6 months depending on how bad the condition of the pet is.

Figo claims to be the first pet insurance company to employ cloud technology to handle their policies, as an added value to its policyholders, they can use a specific account to manage their account and perform tasks like making payments, receive policy documents, add or remove pets, renew the policy, file a claim and set reminders and so on. There is also an online vet that can video conference with their customers 24/7. Figo offers three tiers of pet insurance, they have the Essential, which has a limit of $10,000, there is the next plan called the Preferred, which has a limit of $14,000, and the Ultimate plan that has no coverage limit.

Embrace – offers personalized, affordable pet insurance for dogs & cats

Embrace pet insurance is not exactly known to offer the cheapest pet insurance policies, but they are still affordable enough, and the premium you pay is justified as Embrace does offer insurance for cat and dog owners across all the U.S. states. The company pioneered the diminishing deductible which means when in a particular year you didn’t need to utilize your pet insurance, they would give you a $50 cashback, and you might eventually end up with a zero deductible. The fees on this policy are not paid by the price for a particular service or procedure done to your pet but it is based on the final amount stated on your veterinary bill.

Pet Assure – the largest veterinary discount plan

Pet Assure is one of the pioneers in the United States when it comes to the pet insurance business, they were established in 1995. They offer insurance coverage for cats, dogs, and various kinds of animals as well. The good thing about Pet Assure is that every type of service or procedure is done to your pet is going to be covered, and there are no annual limits. They also offer 25% discounts when you select to obtain service from one of their accredited veterinarians. The plans Pet Assure offers are unique and interesting too. They offer coverage for a single cat or dog, a family plan which covers up to 4 pets, and unlimited.

Healthy Paws – offers one simple plan that covers accidents & illnesses

Healthy Paws offer pet insurance that pretty much covers all the services and procedures that you can think of. And what’s unique about them is that they offer an Unlimited Lifetime plan, which as the name suggests, when you pay your policy in full, they would give your pet unlimited insurance as long as it lives. You may go to any licensed veterinarians inside the United States. Healthy Paws also offer as value-added to their customers, a mobile app that they can use to file claims that are usually paid within 3 to 10 days. There are, however, some limitations. Healthy Paws exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions like cruciate ligament issues, they also don’t cover preventive health care, spaying or neutering, dental health care, and parasite control, which for some people, can be a little bit of a deal-breaker.

Petplan – comprehensive pet insurance in one simple plan

Petplan is just like your standard pet insurance company, they offer insurance coverage for both cats and dogs and their insurance policies do not have exclusions and don’t dismiss pets with hereditary or chronic pre-existing conditions. The top tier pet insurance policy from Petplan would include premium features like covering boarding fees if you are in a hospital and even cover the travel costs of your impeded vacation due to a pet emergency. Petplan would cover you across all the 50 U.S. states, which have been very reliable for over 17 years.

Nationwide – plans that cover wellness, illness, emergency & more

Nationwide is one of the top insurance companies in the United States in terms of the size of operations, and when we talk about pet insurance, they are the largest in the country. When you avail of a pet insurance policy with Nationwide, you can go to any veterinarian across the world. Nationwide is the only insurance company to offer insurance policies for exotic pets through what they call the Avian and the Exotic Pet Plan which would cover any fees for illnesses, accidents, lab fees, examination fees, X-rays, prescriptions, and hospitalizations. To give you an idea of what kind of exotic animals they cover, it includes hedgehogs, chameleons, tortoises, and many more.

John Diep

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Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com