Healthy Paws | Pet Insurance Review

3/1/20 I'm updating this review in response to the Healthy Paw reply to my original review. Their reply evades the entire well documented issue noted in my review and by numerous other reviews here and elsewhere, that Healthy Paws repeatedly loses/misplaces/ignores records submitted by policy holders. Instead of addressing this issue, Healthy Paws attempts to pass the buck and lay it on vet offices and pet owners. Hey Healthy Paws- re-read my review: I am clear that there was NO issue with records being released by the vet- the ONLY problem was YOUR company claiming non-receipt. Instead of doing damage control, how about just processing the records?? They reel you in, get you stuck, and then ignore you. My dog has been enrolled since 2017. Every year the premium increases. Every time I move, the premium increases. Yet Healthy Paws has cut their phone hours for claims (though not their phone hours for new enrollment), does not answer inquiries sent via their online system, and provides no direct email address to reach them. The first year my dog was enrolled, Healthy Paws repeatedly claimed they had not received my dog's initial medical records, though my vet and I had both faxed and emailed the records multiple times. At one point a rep told me that they get so many faxes that they can't go through them all, so we were expected to keep sending the records until Healthy Paws got around to reading them. Unknown what they do with all the faxes they can't seem to review. Vet staff always roll their eyes when I tell them the insurance we have. Every vet office we've visited has stated they've heard of the problems with Healthy Paws, most prevalent being the company denying claims because they say they haven't received the animal's medical records. It doesn't matter if you fax them, email them, or upload them on the app, you will likely not hear anything from Healthy Paws on your claim until you call them to ask what is going on, at which point they'll probably say they never got the records. Refer them to the email/fax/upload, and they'll simply say it never came through. The worst part is that once you sign up with them and make a claim, it is nearly impossible to switch insurance providers, as your animal will then have a "pre-existing" condition. Doesn't really matter the reason for the claim, insurance will still find some tenuous and medically improbable connection between a pet's former injury or illness and a future condition. Your dog broke a nail off when he was 6 months old? Well that respiratory infection he now has at age 8 is undoubtedly the result of a bacteria that entered his bloodstream through the nail cut 7.5 years ago...at least that's the logic used by insurance companies, including Healthy Paws. Has Healthy Paws reimbursed me for some of my dog's medical claims? Yes. Would I recommend this company? Only if you have an animal that you think is likely to end up with some kind of major injury, and you can afford $50+ per month for the life of your pet, and know that monthly premium will increase every year and every time you change your address. Keep in mind that they only cover a percentage of PROCEDURES, MEDICATIONS, and DIAGNOSTICS. And only AFTER your deductible is fully met. And the way they calculate that is by applying the deductible to the percentage of the initial claim they would have covered once the deductible is met. In other words, if you have 80% coverage and $250 deductible, and you go in for a procedure that is $500, including a $80 office visit, they first take off the $80 (not covered), then they apply the 80% coverage to the remaining $420 bill ($336), and THEN they apply the $250 deductible. $336-250 - $86. That's right, of the $500 visit, you will get reimbursed $86. Sounds alot more like 20% coverage than 80% coverage, right? The only way this pays for itself is if your animal has a BIG bill, or more than one major expense after the deductible is met. You've been warned.

Healthy Paws is hands down the best pet insurance you can get. The customer service is amazing, on the phone and through email. They reached out to me after I submitted a surgical claim for my dog to check how she was doing. They've paid all of my claims within a week (even on a holiday weekend). They are affordable, especially for NYC. My rates went up after the first year and they are still affordable. I'm very satisfied with their service.

When my dog recently had a nasty bout of colitis and needed two emergency vet visits, a specialist visit, diagnostic testing and medications, I learned the value of pet insurance. HealthyPaws made it easy to submit the claims, kept me informed about my claim progress, and quickly reimbursed 80%. Thank you, HealthyPaws, for helping me get the best care for my four-footed furry friend! It made all the difference.

Do not recommend. While employees are pleasant and claims process fairly smooth, Healthy Paws' definition of "deductible" is inconsistent with what one commonly associates with the term in the insurance industry. They carefully define "deductible" in the policy to be the amount one must first pay AFTER your pet's coinsurance portion is applied"; thus your out-of-pocket spend is not 100% counted towards the deductible amount. For example, if you have if have a deductible of $750 with a reimbursement amount of 60%, in fact you must spend $1,250 ($750/.60) before reimbursement potentially kicks in. They multiply the percentage of reimbursement times your out of pocket and consider that amount towards the deductible; e.g., 60% x $1,000 (out of pocket) = $600 towards annual deductible. There are no disclosures making this clear. I never would have purchased the policy had this been more clear to me. After submitting only two claims, they raised my rates. Very questionable business practices. I have since switched insurers with even better rates!

Graycie our rescue pit bull mix had to have leg surgery on one leg then the other within just a few months apart. Healthy Paws paid the claims quickly. Not sure what I would have done without them. The claims are very easy to submit and they are very easy to work with. Very glad I bought Healthy Paws pet insurance!