Pet Insurance That Covers Everything

Just like humans, pets can suffer illnesses, injuries, and diseases that require costly medical care. Pet insurance covers you in many of these situations and can save you money if your pet needs a trip to the vet.

However, you may not know exactly what is covered by pet insurance or how much it might cost. You might also be wondering which provider has the best pet insurance plans. We’ll dive deep into each of these areas to help you choose the best plan for you and your furry family members.

Does pet insurance cover everything?

Some pet insurance plans offer a wide range of coverage, including medicine, surgery, injuries, and exams. However, you probably won’t find a pet insurance plan that covers every possible scenario. For instance, pre-existing conditions and cosmetic procedures are not typically covered.

If you want the widest range of reimbursement and treatment options, you can opt for comprehensive coverage. These plans can be expensive but worth it depending on your pet’s medical needs.

Here’s a look at what is typically covered under a comprehensive pet insurance plan:

As you can see, comprehensive coverage includes some common medical expenses for pets, but others might require some add-ons. 

It’s worth considering wellness plans and preventive care add-ons. Wellness plan add-ons typically cover things like vaccinations, flea/tick prevention, and regular exams. Meanwhile, preventive care add-ons usually cover routine vet visits.

Pet insurance plans often have coverage limits, which is the maximum the plan will cover within a year. Typical coverage limits range from $5,000 to $10,000. However, some plans may have higher limits or even unlimited coverage.

Another thing to keep in mind is some plans might have lifetime limits or condition limits. A lifetime limit means the plan will only cover up to a certain amount over the lifetime of the pet. If there is a condition limit, it means the plan will only cover up to a certain amount for the pet’s condition.

Comprehensive pet insurance policies

When it comes to choosing pet insurance, you have no shortage of options. To help you make the best choice for you and your pet, we’ve researched what the most comprehensive pet insurance policies from five companies cover.

As a starting point for choosing pet insurance, “consult with your veterinarian on what provider they recommend,” Natalie Slagle, CFP, says. “It will also be important to ensure that your veterinarian clinic takes the pet insurance you select.”

Lemonade: Best for fast claims

• Wide ranging coverage
• Monthly premiums start at $10 per month with a $5,000 to $100,000 benefit limit
• Only available in 28 states and the District of Columbia

Lemonade is our top pick for fast claims processing, as the company says 40% of claims are processed instantly. This is in part because claims are handled by Lemonade’s AI in addition to a dedicated claims team. 

If the claim is approved, the AI will also pay the claim in seconds. This helps it earn a 4.7 editorial rating in our Lemonade pet insurance review. The following are usually covered under Lemonade’s policy:

• Diagnostics (bloodwork, urinalysis, x-rays, MRIs, labwork, CTs, and ultrasounds)
• Procedures (outpatient, specialty and emergency care, hospitalization, and surgery)
• Medication (injections and prescriptions)

The biggest downside to Lemonade is it is currently only available in 28 states and D.C. In addition, you might have trouble getting coverage if you have an older pet.

Here’s Lemonade’s pet insurance at a glance:

• Annual coverage: $5,000 to $100,000
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $100, $250, or $500
• Waiting period for illnesses: 2 weeks
• Waiting period for accidents: 2 days
• Pet age restrictions: Not disclosed
• Add-ons: Vet visit fees, physical therapy, dental illness, behavioral conditions, end-of-life and remembrance

Fetch: Best coverage

• Use any vet in the U.S. or Canada
• No upper age limit
• Annual coverage limits of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000

Fetch is our top pick for the best coverage, earning an editorial rating of 4.9 editorial rating in our Fetch pet insurance review. That’s the highest rating among pet insurance companies we reviewed. 

Fetch earns high marks thanks to its extensive coverage options, availability in all states, and lack of upper-limit age restrictions.

Here’s a look at what Fetch covers:

In addition to this coverage, you can opt for the wellness add-on, which has three tiers: Essentials, Advantage, and Prime. These have a wide range of features, including preventive care coverage.

Here’s what you get with the wellness add-ons:

Here is Fetch pet insurance at a glance:

• Annual coverage: $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $300 – $700
• Waiting period: 15 days (special conditions apply for hip or knee injuries)
• Pet age restrictions: Six weeks and older (no upper age restrictions)
• Add-ons: Wellness, preventive care
• Availability: All 50 states and the District of Columbia

Spot: Best variety of terms

• Several deductible and annual benefit limits
• No upper age limit
• Accident-only, accident and illness, and preventive care coverage available

Just like life, your pet’s health issues can sometimes be messy, not fitting neatly into a list of pre-defined terms. If your pet’s health calls for more flexible coverage, you may find that Spot pet insurance is exactly what you need.

With Spot, you can choose from numerous deductibles and annual benefit limits. Coverage is available for pets starting at eight weeks old, and there’s no upper age limit. Reimbursement rates are 70%, 80%, and 90%.

Spot offers an accident-only plan as well as an accident and illness plan. Here’s what you get with the accident-only plan:

• Vet exam fees
• MRI or CT scans and x-rays
• Surgery and hospitalizations
• IV fluids and medications
• Medical supplies
• Poison control consultation fees
• Prescription medications
• Tooth extractions
• Alternative therapies

Meanwhile, the accident & illness plan offers a much wider range of overage:

• Vet exam fees
• Microchip implantation
• Behavioral issues
• X-rays and tests
• Emergencies and hospitalizations
• Skin, eye, and ear infections
• Hereditary conditions
• Dental illnesses
• Digestive illnesses
• Hip dysplasia
• Cancer and growths
• Infectious diseases
• Orthopaedic
• Swallowed objects and toxins
• Diagnostics and treatments
• Prescription medications
• Surgery and specialized care
• Advanced care
• Virtual vet visits
• Alternative therapies

You can also add preventive care to your Spot insurance plan, including spaying or neutering, dental teeth cleaning, and wellness exams. And, since you can visit any vet in the U.S. or Canada, Spot makes it particularly easy to get coverage for whatever your pet may need.

Here’s what Spot offers at a glance:

• Annual coverage: $2,500, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, or unlimited
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000
• Waiting period: 14 days
• Pet age restrictions: At least eight weeks old; no upper age limit
• Add-ons: Preventive care

Embrace: Best for quick coverage

• Accidents covered in just two days
• Wide range of deductibles and reimbursement limits
• Multi-pet discounts available

Embrace is our top pick for quick coverage thanks to a waiting period of just two days for accidents. 

For illnesses, the waiting period is a bit longer—14 days—though this is standard for pet insurance policies. Still, the short waiting period is good enough for Embrace to earn an editorial rating of 4.7 in our Embrace pet insurance review.

While Embrace notes that it doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions as is normally the case with pet insurance, several things are covered:

These are also covered:

You can also add Embrace’s Wellness Rewards add-on for additional coverage. It includes the following:

• Wellness exam fees
• Vaccinations and titers
• Flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives
• Spay/neuter surgery
• Fecal and routine blood tests
• Microchipping
• Nutritional supplements
• Grooming
• Medicated shampoos
• Toenail trimming
• Routine anal gland expression
• Wearable pet activity monitors
• Cremation or burial
• Gastropexy
• Preventative teeth cleaning
• Prescription diet food
• Training
• Routine chiropractic care
• Reiki, massage therapy, acupuncture
• Hip dysplasia exams, radiographs, or other OFA testing

The Wellness Rewards program includes three reimbursement options: a $250 allowance, a $450 allowance, and a $650 allowance per year.

Here’s Embrace pet insurance at a glance:

• Annual coverage: $5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, unlimited
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $100 – $1,000
• Waiting period: 14 days for illnesses and two days for accidents
• Pet age restrictions: six weeks to 15 years for accident + illness; accident-only for dogs over 15 years
• Add-ons: Wellness plan

Trupanion: Best for direct vet payments

• No limit to the amount the policy will pay out
• Only pet insurance company offering Vet Direct Pay
• You can get guaranteed lifetime coverage for cats and dogs

Trupanion is a good choice if you want a plan that pulls out all the stops to keep your pet happy and healthy. 

There’s no limit to how much the plan can pay out, and coverage is guaranteed for life. That means that even if your pet gets sick, Trupanion will never drop them. It’s also the only pet insurance company that lets you pay with Vet Direct Pay.

Trupanion only has one plan, which offers “nose-to-tail” coverage. This includes a wide range of conditions and diseases, such as:

• Diabetes
• Hip dysplasia
• Thyroid disease
• Cancer
• Swallowed objects
• Allergies
• X-rays and CT scans
• Medications
• Advanced dentistry

Because Trupanion aims to cover everything with one comprehensive plan, there are no wellness or preventive care add-ons. You pay one premium and get the full slate of coverage Trupanion offers. Overall, it earns a 4.4 editorial rating in our Trupanion pet insurance review.

Here’s Trupanion at a glance:

• Annual coverage: Unlimited
• Reimbursement: 90%
• Deductible: $0 – $1,000
• Waiting period: five days for injuries; 30 days for illnesses
• Pet age restrictions: 0 – 14 years
• Add-ons: None

How much does pet insurance that covers everything cost?

Pet insurance usually doesn’t cover everything—for instance, none of the companies mentioned in this article cover pre-existing conditions. For the widest range of coverage, you can opt for comprehensive coverage, which costs about $53 per month for dogs.

However, these costs can vary significantly based on several factors. For instance, a lower deductible will increase your monthly premium. Similarly, a higher reimbursement rate will also raise your monthly premium.

In addition, most pet insurance companies have at least some notable exclusions. If you want a wider range of coverage, you can typically pay for add-ons, such as preventive care and wellness plans.

Also, note that pet insurance plans typically have waiting periods. These can be different for accidents and illnesses, but they usually last for a few days to one month. You’ll have to enroll your pet in advance if you want them to have coverage.

Sample quotes collected by our team

To help you get a sense of what your pet insurance quote may look like, we collected quotes from each of the companies covered in this article. These quotes are for a six-year-old labradoodle living in Round Rock, Texas.

The lowest quote in our comparison is Spot, with a monthly premium of $23.65. The most expensive is Trupanion at $233.33, which is significantly more than the others.

However, remember that Trupanion only has one premium to pay and doesn’t offer add-ons. In addition, there’s no monthly deductible, and it has unlimited payouts. Still, other companies would be a better choice if you want customizable coverage that can be more affordable.

Lemonade and Embrace stand out as the other two with five-digit coverage limits offered in their quotes. Lemonade also has a low deductible of $250, and the monthly premium is a reasonable $34.47. However, Lemonade also has some notable exclusions, such as dental care and microchipping.

What is the best pet insurance that covers everything?

If you’re looking for the best pet insurance that covers everything, some of your best options are Fetch and Trupanion. 

Fetch offers a lot of coverage with its base plan and several add-ons, while Trupanion offers one plan that gives you nose-to-tail coverage. However, both plans have notable exclusions.

While Trupanion can have a $0 deductible with unlimited payouts, the monthly premiums can also be significantly higher than other pet insurance plans. If your pet is reasonably healthy, you will probably save money with a different insurer.

On that note, opting for a higher deductible or a lower reimbursement rate will often lower your monthly premium. You may be able to save money on premiums with an insurer that offers higher deductibles and lower reimbursement rates.

Of course, this also means you might pay more if your pet needs a costly exam or procedure. However, you might save money overall if your pet doesn’t have any chronic conditions and you are willing to compromise on some of these coverages.

Is comprehensive pet insurance coverage worth the cost?

Comprehensive pet insurance coverage can be worth the cost, but it depends on factors like the cost of the monthly premium, the deductible, and what the policy covers.

“Ask your veterinarian on if your breed is known for having medical needs that would benefit from having comprehensive coverage,” Slagle recommends.  

To decide if comprehensive insurance is worth it for you and your pet, take the following steps:

1. Check what each policy covers and whether it overlaps with your pet’s needs
2. Compare the annual amount of each plan’s premiums to how much you would normally spend per year on treatment for your pet
3. Subtract the deductible from how much you spend per year on treatment
4. Multiply the remaining amount by the reimbursement rate
5. Add the result to the annual premium
6. Add the amount you normally spend on items that are excluded from the policy

While it can be complicated, it’s possible to calculate whether pet insurance is worth it financially. If you can’t afford pet insurance, there are a few alternatives you might consider. You could opt for an accident-only plan or just a wellness plan.

Other possibilities include payment plans or charitable organizations that are willing to help with vet bills. You could also try negotiating your vet bills or starting a fundraiser to help pay for your pet’s health care costs. There are many alternatives that could work, but some require more creativity than others.

FAQ

How do I file a claim for pet insurance?

The way you file a claim for pet insurance varies by company, but most have an online form available. If you prefer, you may be able to file the claim by mail, email, or fax.

What is the most expensive pet insurance that covers everything?

Based on our experience obtaining quotes, Trupanion has the most expensive pet insurance that covers everything. However, there are many factors that affect how you will pay, including deductibles, reimbursement rates, and add-ons.

What is the cheapest pet insurance that covers everything?

Again, this will vary based on several factors, but we found Spot to have the cheapest pet insurance that covers everything.

Are there age limits for pets to get comprehensive insurance?

Most pet insurance companies have a lower age limit, such as 6 or 8 weeks, before your pet can have comprehensive insurance. There is often an upper age limit, too, such as 14 or 15 years. However, Fetch and Spot stand out for offering comprehensive pet insurance with no upper age limit.