Pet Insurance in Minnesota
For pet insurance Minnesota owners buy, Minnesota law doesn't establish special rules for waiting periods or for free-look periods. Each company's contract determines those terms.
- Legal framework: No pet-specific statute exists.
- State regulator: Minnesota Department of Commerce.
- For complaints: File a complaint.
Reference material: Minnesota Department of Commerce: Pet Insurance, Minnesota Department of Commerce: file a complaint, Minnesota Department of Commerce home page, state page chart for the NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act (#633), and NAIC white paper: Pet Insurance (publication-pin-op-pet-insurance).
Coverage starts after the policy's waiting period, measured in days from purchase. During the free-look period, you have a short window to cancel a new plan and receive a full refund. General property and casualty rules apply to these policies, since Minnesota has no specific pet insurance law.
Across North America, 7.6 million pets have insurance. In the United States, the share is 4.27%. For accident-only coverage in the U.S., yearly averages by species are $190 for dogs and $112 for cats. Policies that include sickness cost more.
Minnesota pet insurance laws
No dedicated pet insurance statute has been passed by lawmakers, and the NAIC model act chart shows no current activity on new legislation. The state's law covering general property and casualty insurance applies instead, and regulators classify these policies as inland marine coverage. Inland marine insurance covers movable property and pets as part of property insurance.
The written contract controls your terms because state statutes don't provide pet-specific policy rules. We suggest that you read the sample policy before buying to see how the company treats three areas:
- The period before coverage starts for an accident or illness.
- The free-look window for canceling a new policy and getting a refund.
- How the policy handles a pre-existing condition, meaning an illness or injury that your pet had before coverage began.
You can also read the state regulator's pet insurance page for consumer guidance before choosing a plan.
Minnesota pet insurance companies
By publishing availability across all 50 states, several insurers let you compare quotes offered by multiple providers:
- Plans from Nationwide are sold in every state and Washington, D.C.
- Policies from Embrace are available nationwide.
- You can get plans from Fetch throughout the country.
- Plans from Spot are offered throughout the country.
- Trupanion operates nationwide, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Some products and discounts may be unavailable to some people in some states.
- Policies from AKC Pet Insurance are available countrywide, though some features aren't offered in every state.
National figures offer the closest benchmark because neither a state price average nor a local insured-pet rate is published. For a dog, NAPHIA cost data shows nationwide average costs of $836 each year ($70 monthly) for an accident and illness plan. For cats, average annual cost for that same coverage is $435, or $36 each month. Nationally, coverage rates put dogs at 5.99% and cats at 2.29%. Your quote varies with your pet's ZIP code, breed, age, and species.
How to make a pet insurance complaint in Minnesota
Insurance companies in Minnesota are regulated by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Through the department's consumer complaint page, you can submit a report if direct dealings with your insurer don't resolve the problem.
Request price quotes for your pet
We do not sell insurance, quote it, or bind it; your request goes to an insurance agency.