TRUPANION VS. HEALTHY PAWS

When looking into medical insurance for your pet, it's very important to get the facts and read the fine print. Be sure to do your research before making your decision. To make life a little easier, we’ve done some of that for you – read on to learn some of the differences between Trupanion and Healthy Paws.

Are these features important to you?

Vet Direct Pay

Only Trupanion can pay veterinarians directly with our unique software system that can close claims in seconds!

There’s no more paying out of pocket and waiting for a reimbursement check. All you have to do is pay your portion of the bill, and we cover the rest directly with your veterinary hospital.

In many cases, our direct pay option requires no paperwork or phone calls from the pet owner.

Healthy Paws only reimburse pet owners once they have already paid their veterinary bill or if you call in during their open hours and request a special pre-approval.

Age-based restrictions in payouts and coverage

A Trupanion policy provides coverage for all pets from birth to 14 years old (as long as enrolled prior to 14th birthday) and never decreases or restricts coverage options at enrollment. We have one simple plan that gives all pets the best care we have to offer, so you’re always protected when you need it most. And there are no deductibles with Trupanion!

Healthy Paws adjusts its coverage amount and deductible options based on the age of your pet at enrollment. So, the older your pet is the lower their coverage percentage options and the higher the deductible. These restrictions apply to pets five years and older.

We don't raise rates just because your pet has a birthday

Trupanion is unique because we are one of the only pet medical insurance company to always use your pet’s age at enrollment to determine your policy’s price.

In most states, Healthy Paws, like all other pet health insurance companies besides Trupanion, use what is called “birthday pricing.”

Birthday pricing means that an insurer is likely to automatically raise your rates when a pet has a birthday, on top of any rate changes for inflation or other factors.

If your pet has a Trupanion policy, in our eyes they will always be the age they were when they enrolled.

For example, if your dog enrolls when they’re 8 weeks old, we’ll price them as an 8-week old for their entire life. They’ll be a puppy forever—both in your heart and your monthly cost.

When it comes to pricing, Trupanion is different. We know medical insurance is for the life of your pet, so we share the risk with all responsible, loving pet owners like you that enroll their pets at the same age, regardless if they enrolled last month or last decade.

Now, we aren’t saying that your rates will never change if you enroll with Trupanion. Like Healthy Paws or other companies, we too must increase or decrease rates due to changes in the cost of veterinary care.

During your time as a Trupanion member, your monthly payment will go up or down based upon the underlying costs of all pets within your sub-categories. That’s how we share the risk fairly among all Trupanion members.

A price increase ultimately means that we can continue to offer our members the same value as we always have. It’s not about making money, it’s about providing our members what we said we would.

Complete coverage

Waiting periods are normal with pet health insurance companies.

After a 12-day delayed effective date, the Trupanion policy covers all hereditary and congenital conditions without limits, as long as they are not pre-existing.*

Healthy Paws has a 12-month waiting period for any treatment associated with hip dysplasia, an inherited condition that can affect many dog breeds. If you enroll your pet after their 6th birthday, Healthy Paws will not offer any coverage for hip dysplasia at all.

A year can be a long time to wait, especially since hip dysplasia can be extremely costly to treat once diagnosed, and is most often diagnosed at a young age. A Golden Retriever, for instance, is 3.4x more likely than the average dog to be diagnosed with hip dysplasia before they are a year old, and treatment will likely cost the pet owner more than $2,000. If hip dysplasia is not diagnosed and treated as soon as possible, it can lead to the need for total hip replacement, which on average can cost nearly $5,000. According to Dr. William Henry, veterinary orthopedic specialist, 1 in 5 dogs that receive a total hip replacement before 1 year of age develop complications and often require second and even third surgeries.

Have questions? Call 844.583.1534.
We're available 24/7/365.

* Maine residents: If your pet has received a full physical vet exam within the last 24 hours, our complete coverage starts with your first payment. We will start completing a Medical Record Summary for your pet immediately after enrollment, with no waiting periods or delayed effective date.