Trupanion Pet Insurance Review

Trupanion pet insurance plans and cost

Trupanion dog insurance and Trupanion cat insurance both use one accident and illness plan. Your pet and your location both affect your monthly price. In Boise, Idaho, a domestic short-haired cat costs $20 each month, according to the company's published investor Q&A. That same Q&A lists $200 each month for an English Bulldog that lives in Manhattan, NY. Every price example covers just one pet in one city, and it isn't a typical price.

Choose a deductible of $0 to $1,000 for each condition. Your deductible is what you pay on your own until the insurer begins covering its part of the bill. Since this deductible applies per condition throughout your pet's lifetime, you pay it only once for each separate illness or injury. For an ongoing health issue, it doesn't reset each year.

Once you've met the deductible for a condition, covered costs are reimbursed at 90%, without payout limits. A discount for multiple pets isn't available from the company. Cancel within 30 days and you can receive a full refund, provided no payout has been made on a claim (not available in New York).

Trupanion coverage and exclusions

Under its standard accident and illness plan, Trupanion pet health insurance helps pay for unexpected injuries and sicknesses. These covered services and optional extras are available:

• Coverage of accidents and illnesses
• Hereditary and congenital conditions are covered under the standard policy
• Treatment for Dental illness
• You can add behavioral care and alternative therapy through the optional recovery and complementary care add-on

For routine care, the company doesn't offer a wellness add-on. Pre-existing conditions are also excluded, meaning any health issue that affected your pet before coverage began or during the waiting periods. The policy rules set out these standard exclusions:

• Pre-existing conditions are excluded, and this applies only to issues your pet already had before coverage or that arose during the waiting periods.
• Preventive care and routine wellness
• Fees for vet exams
• Dental cleanings done regularly

Waiting periods and age limits for Trupanion

For accidents, coverage starts after a 5-day waiting period; for illnesses, it starts after a 30-day waiting period. Health issues arising in those 5 or 30 days count as a pre-existing condition and aren't covered.

A puppy or kitten can be enrolled from birth, at ages 0 to 7 weeks. Older pets can sign up at any time before their 14th birthday. After enrollment, your pet's coverage lasts for life.

Claims and reimbursement with Trupanion

At clinics that participate, the company can send its 90% share straight to your vet through VetDirect Pay. Payment goes straight to vets using this system within about 5 minutes of the invoice, or sometimes seconds.

Checkout charges cover only what the plan excludes (vet exam fees are never covered), your deductible, and the rest that you owe. Vets outside the program leave you to pay the bill first, with money returned later through a check sent by mail or a direct deposit.

Who Trupanion works for

We see this plan as a good fit for pet parents who want no yearly payout limit and standard hereditary and congenital coverage. When your clinic uses direct payment to your vet, the plan also works well, and you don't have to pay the entire bill upfront. Should your pet develop a chronic illness, the per-condition deductible lasts a lifetime, so you don't pay it again every year.

You might look elsewhere when you want exam fees covered or want a routine care wellness add-on. A multi-pet discount isn't offered to households with more than one pet. Your monthly premium can't be lowered by choosing a reimbursement level below 90%.

Common questions

What is Trupanion's monthly cost?

Your monthly rate changes with your pet's breed, location, and the per-condition deductible you choose from $0 to $1,000. The monthly figure of $20 in Trupanion's investor Q&A covers one domestic short-haired cat in Boise, Idaho. That Q&A also lists an English Bulldog in Manhattan, NY, at $200 a month, and each quote represents only one example.

Which costs does Trupanion exclude?

The policy won't cover the vet exam fee, even when your pet gets treatment for an injury or illness that is covered. Excluded as well are routine wellness care, regular dental cleanings, and any issues that started before coverage or while any waiting period is in effect.

Is it worth buying Trupanion pet insurance?

It comes down to comparing payouts with no limit, 90% reimbursement, and direct vet pay with the exam fees you pay on your own. Since each condition carries a lifetime deductible, this structure favors pets with an ongoing condition over pets with many separate minor ailments.

Is canceling Trupanion a difficult process?

Published company materials cover the initial refund rules but don't give details about the cancellation steps. According to the pricing promise, a full refund is available within 30 days if no payout has been made on a claim, except in New York.