Embrace Pet Insurance offers nose-to-tail accident and illness protection and an additional Wellness Rewards program. Its diminishing deductible feature, Healthy Pet Deductible™, is included with every policy as standard.
Learn more about Embrace’s plan options, read thousands of customer reviews and get a quote so you can make an informed choice about your pet insurance provider.
Beware of Embrace Pet Insurance – Inconsistent Claims, Shifting Denials, and Impossible Exclusions
I’m sharing my experience so other pet owners can make an informed decision before choosing Embrace.
At first, Embrace seemed fine. They approved several claims for my cat’s GI issues, parasite treatment, suspected FIP, and even an ear infection. But once the claims became more complex, everything changed.
Embrace began denying claims using shifting and contradictory explanations:
• They claimed a gastrointestinal coronavirus titer was “related” to a pre‑adoption upper respiratory infection, even though my cat has not had a single sneeze or any URI symptoms since the day I adopted her.
• They reclassified a temporary URI exclusion as permanent based on a fecal test that had nothing to do with respiratory disease.
• They approved a December visit for ataxia, head tilt, and neurological symptoms, but then denied a nearly identical visit in January by claiming those same symptoms were “related” to a minor pre‑policy trauma from a year earlier.
• They denied medication they had previously approved for months, calling their own approval an “error.”
• Every time my cat showed a new symptom, they extended exclusions another 12 months.
When I tried to discuss these contradictions with an adjuster, the conversation went nowhere. I explained the medical facts calmly and clearly, but logic fell on deaf ears. The adjuster simply repeated the denial and told me I could “file an appeal and send it to them,” even though they were the same person who wasn’t listening in the first place. If they dismissed my explanation, I have little confidence they would treat my veterinarian’s medical opinion any differently.
The pattern became clear: Embrace will connect any condition to any past symptom to avoid paying a claim. Their interpretation of “pre‑existing” is so broad that it becomes meaningless. If your pet ever sneezed, limped, or tilted their head once, Embrace may use that to deny unrelated conditions a year later.
I canceled my policy and filed a complaint with the Maryland Insurance Administration. Pet owners deserve transparency and consistency; Embrace has given me neither.
My Embrace database has not worked in months. I have called several times a week and they said they notified IP. We sent detailed screen shots saying the issue is definitely on their end. No response to date. Trying to track things on 3 feet long legal pads. This is terrible. I had to drop my older lab off policy as they wanted $750 for just her coverage. I had Embrace for 20 yrs - it is a fraud now.
Unfortunately we lost our baby girl. I called to cancel the policy after I was charged for another year and was told I would receive a email with the prorate amount. Here I am a week later and no email or refund to my account. Guess they figure I can lose my pup and my money so they profit. Nothing but a hassle with these folks
The company takes too long to process claims, loses the papers sent by the vet and then does not pay up. They raise premiums excessively. My other dog has another insurance with another company which is very good.
Complete scam. My dog (incredibly young, btw) came from the shelter with (likely preventative) treatment, now almost a year later this apparently is a "pre-existing" condition even though the tests he just received, had literally nothing to do with this temporary illness he may have had months and months ago. His first ever vet visit cleared him as a "perfectly healthy dog." Now, this will be an exclusion for ANOTHER YEAR even though again, none of these issues are even related to each other (also the recent test that excludes him from future coverage, and we paid for 100% out of pocket apparently, was literally diagnosed as NOTHING, at most anxiety or over excitement).
Not to mention, their website & app is INCREDIBLY glitchy. Half the time I can't even get into my portal, and there's a 50/50 chance when I login it will say they are having a technical issue of some kind. It also takes weeks to get a response from customer service unless you send multiple follow-ups. The processing time they advertise is not at all accurate.
100% regret throwing any money at this company.
Edited to add - wow! It may take days and multiple follow ups to get a response as to why your claim has been ignored for weeks, but when you post a public review, they really do respond quickly! We went through the entire appeal process as well, with our vet aggressively advocating for us, and they actually made the ruling worse than we started with. Just know if you move forward with Embrace, you will be punished every single time you choose to be a good pet parent and take your dog to the vet just in case. Even if they don't pay a penny, they'll use this as justification to cover nothing in the future. Not sure how they sleep at night knowing they are advocating for people not to get their pets checked out.
You have a co-pay of 10%, 20% or 30% after your deductible, depending on your chosen plan.
The pay-out amount is based on your actual vet bill.
Payout Limits
Annual limit of $2000, $5000, $10,000 or $15,000.
Deductible
Annual deductible options from $100 – $1,000.
Age Limits
Pet must be at least 6 weeks old to enroll.
New pets over 14 are eligible for accident-only coverage.
Once enrolled, pets can stay insured regardless of age.
Waiting Period
There is a two-week illness waiting period, which begins on your policies’ effective date. Orthopedic conditions have additional Waiting or exclusion periods that vary by state.
Exclusions
Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
Hereditary and congenital conditions are covered if they have not been diagnosed or suspected before the policy becomes active.
Main plan covers alternative treatments such as chiropractic, acupuncture and homeopathic when provided by a licensed veterinarian.
Optional wellness and prescription drug plans are available for an additional cost.
Embrace Pet Insurance protects over 100,000 pets across the U.S. with nose-to-tail accident and illness protection.
In addition to its pet insurance policy, Embrace offers a Wellness Rewards program to help cover the cost of routine veterinary care, grooming and training. Its Healthy Pet Deductible™, the industry’s first and only diminishing deductible feature, is included with every policy as standard.
For every policy sold, Embrace donates $2 to a pet-related charity, as well as offering additional funding and support to shelters and other charitable organizations.
