Nationwide | Pet Insurance Review

Great insurance company. I feel that I have the best coverage there is for my dog with Nationwide.

Our senior pup had a rough couple of months with a fall down the stairs followed by a GI issue and then a terrible UTI. We filed claims with Nationwide throughout the various visits and provided the itemized vet bills. Very easy to submit claims either online or via fax, and they were all processed within a few days. Took about a week or so to get our payments, but that was fine, as they e-mailed us to keep us apprised of the claim status and where to find the explanation of benefits. All in, we probably spent over $1500 on vet bills from Christmas through mid-February, so having pet insurance proved extremely helpful. Nationwide have been very easy to work with, which took a big load off our minds.

We enrolled our dog in what was then VPI when our now 8 1/2 year old dog was just about eight weeks old. We had wellness and major medical coverage for her first year, and then switched to just the major medical coverage because it was more economical. Our dog has always been healthy and our claims were minimal (a couple of porcupine quills, an ear infection and other minor medical events). Because of this, we thought the coverage was good and fair. After our deductible we were reimbursed in the neighborhood of 80 percent. For the last four years, our premiums went up quite a bit, but we stayed loyal to Nationwide--thinking we were covered in the event that there was a medical crisis. Well, here we are in the midst of a medical crisis. Our dog was diagnosed with cancer about a month ago, and as it turns out, Nationwide has not been on our side. Their major medical coverage is a benefit schedule (unless you are willing to pay for their pricy Whole Pet Wellness plan, though even that has a lot of exclusions). And the benefit schedule is both confusing and completely out of touch with the reality of what pet care costs for a major medical event. To be truly informed, you would have to translate the medical-ese of the benefit schedule and then research the cost for a whole host of medical issues. And then read all of the fine, fine print of medical exclusions (including certain kinds of cancers). The good news for us is that our dog's cancer was not included in the exclusion list. The bad news is that the "coverage" being provided amounts to about 30 percent of the costs we have incurred for the diagnosis and treatment. Take, for example, Nationwide's allowance for diagnostic testing: It is $1600 for the policy term (not annual). To diagnose and treat our dog required two CT scans. Just one CT scan costs nearly that. (Note that the annual allowance for the CT scan is less than that.) If you needed an ultrasound and a CT scan to diagnose a condition you would have used up your entire allowance for diagnostic testing for the pet's life. I have appealed the claims they have denied because we have used up our paltry allowance for her diagnosis, but do not expect any change. Subsequently, we have cancelled our policy for our younger dog and chosen a different insurer that has a policy that is explained in much clearer terms and offers far more comprehensive coverage for the same price. Unfortunately, we will have to stay with Nationwide for the dog who is sick.

I am very satisfied with this insurance.

Nationwide Pet Insurance provides excellent customer service from selecting the right policy to quick payment of claims! Thank you for making it so easy!