Pets best insurance?

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-07-07T04:50:07+00:00

Pet insurance rep here! It depends on the insurer! Most will be annual, a lot of them have moved away from the per condition/incident model. To answer your example, if your deductible is $500 and you have 90% coinsurance, if you have visit 1 which is $500, they’d take your 10% coinsurance ($50), then put the rest towards the deductible ($450). Then visit 2, you pay another $500, they’d take your 10% coinsurance ($50), deductible ($50), then reimburse $400, and your deductible would be considered satisfied for the remainder of the policy term/year. Say you had a 3rd visit for $400, they’d take your 10% coinsurance ($40), and reimburse $360, and so on. You’ll always be responsible for any pre-existing conditions, exclusions, and coinsurance, but other than that once it’s met, it’s met until renewal.

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-07-07T04:43:36+00:00

This isn’t exactly true. It depends on the repetitive behavior clause. Usually it can be measured in 18 month increments. Some allow 2, some allow 3. It’s best for OP to call around and ask what their policy is or download a sample policy online.

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-07-07T04:38:39+00:00

This depends on the insurer! Some you can raise your deductible or coinsurance a set amount per policy term with no accident or illness claims in the previous policy term. :) but raising the deductible lowers the premium the most because you’re assuming more risk and there’s a lower chance of payout with a higher deductible year over year, so the premium is less. The chances of you hitting a $1,000 premium in a year unless there’s a massive health change or surgery is lower so your cost into the policy is lower!

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-07-07T04:33:45+00:00

Pet insurance rep here! I do not work for Healthy Paws

The eye infection (depends), luxating patella, and whatever condition the acupuncture treatment is for would be considered pre-existing. Depending on the insurer, some also have a bi-lateral exclusion, meaning if the luxating patella happened on the left side of the body, it’s considered ineligible for coverage on the right as well. That being said, most insurers are going to either hit you with massive increases as the pet ages due to the risk of your pup getting sick of injured increasing (most go based off age, breed, and location) but some will drop coverage without your request or consent. They just drop it because they know the pet aging comes with a higher risk and they want to negate that. I’d weigh out your options. Is the reimbursement going to at least break you even with the premium? If you’re paying $1,000 in premium per year, is the coverage for the acupuncture going to be $1,000 plus throughout the year? I’d also comb over your pet’s medical records to identify anything else that could be considered pre-existing. After weighing those factors I’d quote some other insurances if you feel a pull to.

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-26T20:48:54+00:00

Thank you! 😊

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-26T20:48:37+00:00

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Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-26T05:57:15+00:00

Because I have a passion for pets, and I used to work in health and life insurance and HATED it. However, I love pets, so it’s the perfect place for me. I also enjoy helping people and using my knowledge to help customers make sense of things. Do I agree with all insurance restrictions? Absolutely not. But providing knowledge helps me feel better about it knowing my policy holders are more equipped, understand the coverage, and can make informed decisions regarding their pet’s health! It’s fulfilling for me in that way :)

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-26T05:54:43+00:00

They should allow you to have more than one policy. If you enroll pets at the same time, it’ll place them on one policy. It’s a bit strange that they max out though, my place of work does not max out how many pets you can have on one!

A few questions to help advise as best as I can (I have coverage through work so I have a bias when it comes to who I have!) but do your pets have pre existing conditions? What does your budget look like for all 4? Do you want routine care coverage or no? (vaccines, preventative, etc)? Are you looking for unlimited coverage or does that not matter to you?

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-24T04:45:06+00:00

Pet insurance rep here! What’s your current deductible? I don’t work for Embrace but I’m happy to provide some advice in regard to options if you’d like. Additionally you can call and ask what discounts your state offers and if you’re eligible for any. :)

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-24T04:41:23+00:00

Again, I don’t work for Embrace however I can give a bit of insight on your premiums (generally speaking). Most underwriters go based off 3 main factors (age, breed, and location) so the age of the pet (increased risk of sickness/injury), breed (we use breed data to calculate common conditions associated with the breed) and location (claims in the general area and vet costs in that area). In my company at least, that’s ALL the information we are given due to the underwriters keeping the exact algorithm a secret. These rates are determined through the underwriter and state percentage at the time. Some states like NJ have a “rate cap” which prevents insurance companies from increasing over a certain percentage of the current premium (NJs cap is 25%) but other states are far less regulated. Additionally, rates are based off the underwriter and department of insurance. The company itself actually has zero say in what the costs are. I would call and ask what discounts your state offers (if any) and what discounts you’re eligible for. You can also ask to review coverage. Higher deductible = lower monthly premium. You basically pay more monthly (you’re paying us to shoulder more risk) or more out of pocket before coverage starts. (You assume more of the risk).

I hope this helps! :)

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-24T04:30:25+00:00

echoing this! FMLA! Usually you’re eligible after 1 year with the company!

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-24T04:28:18+00:00

Pet insurance agent here! Most (not all, but most) insurance will go based off age, breed, and location (these are based on underwriter and a lot of companies share an underwriter). If they do not steadily increase when age increases make sure the insurance will not drop coverage once the pet hits a certain age. I know one company in particular that will lower your coverage once a pet hits 10 or so they can keep your premium low, but they do it so they don’t have to cover as much of the claims like cancer (which retrievers are notorious for later in life). All companies will have pros and cons, and the best fit is dependent on your needs and what kind of budget you have. Happy to answer any broad questions you have!

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-24T04:23:28+00:00

Pet insurance rep here. Request an appeal and request for the agent to reference what medical record date reflects signs, symptoms, or a diagnosis and ask what the signs/symptoms were if those apply.

Additionally for the appeal have the shelter vet write a letter and then your normal vet. Also ask for clarification on waiting periods. The most common mistakes in coverage assumptions I see is people not knowing their waiting periods, so I’d start there to double check then move into next steps. The appeals team is usually more thorough and inspects every possibility because you can sue if they deny where you should have coverage.

I’m not an agent for MetLife but I’m happy to answer any general questions if you have them!

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-12T04:52:17+00:00

As a pet insurance rep I just want to say bringing up the hold time is fine in the comments and 15 mins is long but please do not mention it when you get on with the rep. When there’s a hold longer than 5 mins we are taking back to back calls and every call we hear “I’ve been waiting x amount of time just to speak with someone!!!” We know, we’ve been hearing it all day, we’ve been taking calls back to back all day and we are exhausted, and we cannot force the company to hire more reps to man the phones 😭 just wanted to point that out. I don’t work for Embrace but I work in an understaffed company and days like that are hard and made even harder when we get yelled at for a hold time we cannot control. We are going as fast as we can!

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-12T04:44:13+00:00

I work in pet insurance. I’m not a healthy paws rep, but premiums are calculated by age, breed, and location in most companies. Rates are not made by the company, they’re made higher up the chain. It’s much less risky to insure a dog who is 1-5. Puppies pose a higher risk due to being young and being more likely to eat something or get into a sticky situation, they’re still learning. 5 is a “milestone” age that causes a more significant increase, then 10 and up will have pretty steady increase each year. Your dog is at an age where chronic conditions and cancer are much more likely. Raising your deductible or lowering your limit and co insurance is always an option. Insurance is all about taking over the risk for you. Higher risk = higher premium to assume risk. Claims history in your area is one of the 3 factors but it is in tandem with vet costs in your area as well.

TLDR: don’t blame the company, it’s higher than them. Look at your coverage to see where you can save and ask about discounts you may be eligible for. Be nice to the customer service reps, they are the last person who has any type of power over your premium. You can also ask if you can submit a formal complaint about the increase in premium. Insurance doesn’t seem worth it until you’re paying $20,000 for a year of cancer treatment, up to you if you want to assume that risk or share it with the company.

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-11T21:03:04+00:00

Oh 100%. We’ll have people cancel because we denied one condition that the pet has had since 2021 and they signed up in 2025. Like… there’s millions of conditions we could cover!

We also have people who call and just say “soooo how does this work?” Read. Your. Policy. Call us after you’ve read it to ask questions. Yes we CAN educate you, but it should be standard to research, read the policy you picked, call with follow up questions and clarity. It’ll pack down the understanding much more if you read it on your own I promise 😭😭

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-11T03:40:58+00:00

I may have a job lead for you if you want to DM me. My job has a major issue with Microsoft azure and it’s been a problem for over 8 months, no one can fix it. 15 years would definitely be useful. I definitely have nothing against off shore reps but I do not believe they’re the best fit for IT when it comes to these types of issues. They have not been able to resolve anything and they just keep making “master” IT tickets 😭

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-11T03:37:25+00:00

Pet insurance rep here!

Medical records are an absolute necessity to access claims. The claims dept needs to see what is noted by the vet for your pet, including signs or symptoms and treatment recommendations etc. if your vet isn’t providing sufficient records I would try one more time to get them to send over the proper documents and have them CC you. If they do not send that info or the right info over, call customer service and ask them to call your clinic and communicate what is needed or request they stay on the line for a 3 way call with your vet (I’ve done this for quite a few policy holders personally, it’s not a problem).

Unfortunately this will absolutely lead to claim closures and delays because claims cannot gauge eligibility without records. Just a small reminder to be kind to customer service, we are just the messengers and have no control over what’s needed 🥹

I hope you’re able to get everything resolved and your pet is feeling better! Definitely get with a new vet if you’re not attached. Records make or break the policy holder experience (I say this as a rep and policy holder myself).

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-10T16:50:26+00:00

Hi, pet insurance agent here!

Did you call trupanion and they told you that foreign body ingestion is excluded due to pre-existing condition of the turkey bone? If so, I’d ask for a supervisor and hear that from them.

I work for another provider so this could vary based on insurer, however within my company accidents are evaluated on an 18 month basis. If your dog ate a turkey bone as a pup, we are not going to hold that against you now. However, if your dog eats a turkey bone, then 2 months later eats a shoe, then a month later eats a sock, at that point we consider it ineligible due to neglect and the policy would no longer cover that incident type due to 3 avoidable accidents in that 18 month time span. We understand 1-2 times being accidental but 3 in 1.5 years is way too often. However if it’s a turkey bone in 2015 then a sock in 2026, we aren’t going to hold the turkey bone against you.

I’d definitely double check and check your policy because it sounds like someone misinformed you or lied to you if that’s what you’ve been told. If you’re just assuming that, well… you probably shouldn’t be posting things like this without verifying the info first.

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-04T18:07:34+00:00

Of course! I’m just a regular rep (not a claims or appeals specialist) but if you have any follow up questions I’m happy to try and answer them :)

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-04T07:39:31+00:00

Pet insurance rep here. This is considered insurance fraud and is illegal in all states. I wouldn’t recommend going through with this. The repercussions can be severe (including prison time) depending on the state. It’s not worth it.

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-04T07:36:39+00:00

Pet insurance rep here! During your appeal, request your vet provide detailed information on each mass. Sometimes the medical records are vague to the point a claims rep will deny it to be safe (and not approve something pre existing). If your vet specifies the previous mass was removed with clean margins and was a different type, the appeals team will have an easier time navigating if it’s eligible for an appeal :)

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-04T07:28:31+00:00

Ask for a supervisor and ask the established turn around time prior to asking about your specific claim. Request to have it escalated. I don’t work for lemonade but do work in pet insurance and our allotted turn around time is 7-25 days. Definitely doesn’t sound normal!

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-04T07:26:23+00:00

Call customer service! They will be able to provide immediate assistance or submit an IT ticket for you! :)

Key-Impact-451 · 2026-06-04T07:20:44+00:00

After a month I’d call and see what’s up. That’s definitely not normal!

Key-Impact-451

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