AKC | Pet Insurance Review

If I could leave 0 stars, I would. Our 1 year old pup has had to have 2 total hip replacement surgeries and now a knee surgery all by a phenomenal specalist from Blue Pearl (5 stars for them). AKC did not and will not cover any of those ($20,000 when its all said and done) even though we have the premium package and our fur babies are AKC Good Citizen Certified. They lead you on into thinking you are fully covered but then fill you in on a 30-180 day waiting period, hidden fees, etc. After the poor customer service displayed by the AKC staff, we ended up canceling our coverage and they offered a $50 reimbursement which yes was appreciated, but at the end of the day, not enough. We would do any and everything for our dogs but unfortunately I can't say the same about AKC. Save your money and find a different pet insurance company. Just sad.

UPDATE: My pneumonia claim is now being processed. I am satisfied with the results of my claims. It did take time for issues to get resolved but thankfully the manager working the case got in touch with the vet on the phone to work out any miscommunications. Previous Review: When presented with medical records they will dismiss anything that is not in their favor to get out of paying. When you call customer service the only information they can provide you is the notes that are sent back to you with your explanation of benefits. I had to file an appeal twice to have them actually look over the medical records and now they are have sent the vet a question where there’s not really a good way to answer so that they can find some way to get out of paying. Summary of events: Claim submitted 10/21/19 Claim denied 11/1/19 REASON: D11 Policy per-incident limit or lifetime limit has been reached No further explanation or documentation provided to me. I called and they said that the vet thought that the 2 incidents were related. (His previous bout of pneumonia and the most recent one) the hospital did not follow up with my vet which had taken x-rays showing that he no longer has pneumonia between the 2 incidents. So I filed an appeal. Appeal filed 11/4/19 Appeal denied 11/19/19 REASON: D11 Policy per-incident limit or lifetime limit has been reached No further explanation or documentation provided to me. I called and they said that the vet thought that the 2 incidents were related. (His previous bout of pneumonia and the most recent one) the hospital did not follow up with my vet which had taken x-rays showing that he no longer has pneumonia. NO THAT IS NOT A TYPO THE SAME EXACT EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS WAS SENT TO ME WITH A DIFFERENT DATE. I sent them my dogs medical records yet again for a second appeal because when I called customer care yet again they gave me the same reason. I wanted to know why the medical records were not reviewed or why there was no further explanation provided. They said you can file another claim. 2nd Appeal filed 11/14/19 More information requested from the vet: According to Winston’s medical history, he has been treated On three separate occasions for bronchopneumonia. Bring the medical records from your hospital, it indicated that Winston presented on 9/19/19 and 10/20/19 for vomiting, which developed into secondary aspiration pneumonia. The medical records from Hutto veterinary clinic stated that the recheck radiographs performed on 10/3/19 revealed no radiographic evidence of bronchopneumonia. While we understand that the recheck radiographs on 10/3/19 revealed normal radiographs, in your professional opinion’s, has an underlying ideology and or cost for the vomiting a 9/19 and 10/20 been determined? Currently waiting to see what the insurance comes back with this time. This is 2 separate bouts of Pneumonia and I have medical records and x-rays to prove it. However the insurance company is still trying to find a way to get out of paying it. My dog was diagnosed with brachycephalic syndrome Which if you are not aware refers to the combination of elongated soft palate, stenotic nares, and everted laryngeal saccules. While he did have surgery on his everted laryngeal saccules and stenotic nares he also had a repair of his secondary cleft palate which is not a part of the brachycephalic syndrome. However my explanations of benefits states: my hereditary plus was added 2 days too late. I get it. My loss however part of the surgery unrelated to the “diagnosis” made 2 days prior was addressed with surgery and the whole denial was based on the diagnosis of brachycephalic syndrome. I have spent numerous hours filing appeals and speaking with employees trying to resolved this. This company is the absolute worst. If you love your pet stay FAR FAR away!!! I am baffled that the AKC allows their name to be used with this company.

This company is the WORST!!! They will do anything to get out of paying claims. When presented with medical records they will dismiss anything that is not in their favor to get out of paying. When you call customer service the only information they can provide you is the notes that are sent back to you with your explanation of benefits. I had to file an appeal twice to have them actually look over the medical records and now they are have sent the vet a question where there’s not really a good way to answer so that they can find some way to get out of paying. Summary of events: Claim submitted 10/21/19 Claim denied 11/1/19 REASON: D11 Policy per-incident limit or lifetime limit has been reached No further explanation or documentation provided to me. I called and they said that the vet thought that the 2 incidents were related. (His previous bout of pneumonia and the most recent one) the hospital did not follow up with my vet which had taken x-rays showing that he no longer has pneumonia between the 2 incidents. So I filed an appeal. Appeal filed 11/4/19 Appeal denied 11/19/19 REASON: D11 Policy per-incident limit or lifetime limit has been reached No further explanation or documentation provided to me. I called and they said that the vet thought that the 2 incidents were related. (His previous bout of pneumonia and the most recent one) the hospital did not follow up with my vet which had taken x-rays showing that he no longer has pneumonia. NO THAT IS NOT A TYPO THE SAME EXACT EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS WAS SENT TO ME WITH A DIFFERENT DATE. I sent them my dogs medical records yet again for a second appeal because when I called customer care yet again they gave me the same reason. I wanted to know why the medical records were not reviewed or why there was no further explanation provided. They said you can file another claim. 2nd Appeal filed 11/14/19 More information requested from the vet: According to Winston’s medical history, he has been treated On three separate occasions for bronchopneumonia. Bring the medical records from your hospital, it indicated that Winston presented on 9/19/19 and 10/20/19 for vomiting, which developed into secondary aspiration pneumonia. The medical records from Hutto veterinary clinic stated that the recheck radiographs performed on 10/3/19 revealed no radiographic evidence of bronchopneumonia. While we understand that the recheck radiographs on 10/3/19 revealed normal radiographs, in your professional opinion’s, has an underlying ideology and or cost for the vomiting a 9/19 and 10/20 been determined? Currently waiting to see what the insurance comes back with this time. This is 2 separate bouts of Pneumonia and I have medical records and x-rays to prove it. However the insurance company is still trying to find a way to get out of paying it. My dog was diagnosed with brachycephalic syndrome Which if you are not aware refers to the combination of elongated soft palate, stenotic nares, and everted laryngeal saccules. While he did have surgery on his everted laryngeal saccules and stenotic nares he also had a repair of his secondary cleft palate which is not a part of the brachycephalic syndrome. However my explanations of benefits states: my hereditary plus was added 2 days too late. I get it. My loss however part of the surgery unrelated to the “diagnosis” made 2 days prior was addressed with surgery and the whole denial was based on the diagnosis of brachycephalic syndrome. I have spent numerous hours filing appeals and speaking with employees trying to resolved this. This company is the absolute worst. If you love your pet stay FAR FAR away!!! I am baffled that the AKC allows their name to be used with this company.

"Welcome to the family". That is what AKC Pet insurance tells its customers when they sign up. Our experience with this insurance company has been anything but a family experience. Family member care for each other. In our case, this company only cared about its ability to not cover medical treatment. We have a Labrador puppy. She is 7 months old. When she was 4 months, she injured her left front paw playing with other dogs in the park. The vet we used to go to, told us to give her some pain killers, rest her and to make sure she would not eat too much. It turns out that her growth plates were damaged and she started developing what is known as elbow dysplasia. A couple of months later she injured her left front paw again. We went to AMC in NYC, probably the best veterinary hospital in the country. They have been running tests to determine the extent and the origin of our dog's condition because they have been puzzled by this injury and unable to determine whether it was caused by trauma or by a genetic condition, or by a combination of both. For full disclosure: we know that Labrador retrievers are prone to elbow dysplasia and we are ready to accept their diagnostic if they determine it was purely genetic. AKC Pet insurance did not even wait for the exams to be completed. They decided it was genetic and denied all the claims. So basically, their position is that they know better than specialists. Or they put your pet in an Excel spreadsheet and consider it as just a cost they have to minimize to increase their profits. One last thing. Be careful if you have a Labrador or a large dog: elbow dysplasia is not even mentioned as such in the contract they send you. It is called osteoarthritis on the letter z of all the exemptions they include not to cover your pet. We hope our experience can be helpful when you make decisions whether to buy insurance from this company or not. Looking back we should have listened to the warnings we had read on this website.

Claim Number: 1400360. they denied it saying they didn't get vet records. I submitted it with copies of all vet records, notes and receipts.