Trupanion Pet Insurance Review

Some cat and dog breeds are prone to hereditary issues, such as hip dysplasia or hypothyroidism. Trupanion covers hereditary conditions your pets may develop, such as:

• Hip and elbow dysplasia
• Upper respiratory infection
• Diabetes
• Thyroid disease

If your dog or cat's breed is known for developing certain conditions, you may benefit from investing in pet insurance through Trupanion before your pet begins showing any symptoms.

Although congenital conditions exist from birth, they may not present obvious symptoms for many years. Trupanion covers treatments for these types of conditions as well, such as:

• Cataracts
• Nervous system issues
• Heart disease
• Liver disease

You may not know about a congenital condition in your dog or cat, but coverage through Trupanion gives you the financial support to care for your furry friend if symptoms begin to appear.

Sometimes, you can easily attribute stomach upset or other symptoms to an obvious cause (like the 15-pound bag of dry food your pup consumed in 60 seconds flat when no one was looking), but this is not always the case. If your dog or cat has symptoms with no clear cause, Trupanion covers unidentified health conditions, including:

• Cough 
• Weight changes
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

Unexpected injuries and illnesses come with many costs for pet owners, but Trupanion covers all the medical care a pet may need to get better, including:

• Diagnostic tests
• Hospital stays
• Prescription medications
• Veterinary supplements
• Surgeries
• Herbal therapy
• Prosthetics and carts

Trupanion offers additional coverage through the following programs and riders, which are add-ons you can choose to customize your policy:

• The Recovery and Complementary Care Rider helps pet owners pay for non-medical pet support. This rider covers behavioral modification training, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical therapy, and more. 
• The Pet Owner Assistance Package helps pet owners pay for expenses not related to veterinary care, such as boarding fees, lost pet advertisements and rewards, and cremation or burial costs if a pet passes away due to an accident. 
• The Breeder Support Program helps breeders ensure their litters continue to get the care they need after adoption. Breeders send every buyer away with a Go Home Day Offer that waives Trupanion's activation fee and waiting period. 

Trupanion's ultimate goal is to reduce instances of economic euthanasia, which occurs when pet owners can't afford life-saving diagnoses or treatments. No pet owner wants to face the heartbreak of losing a pet due to financial limitations, and this insurance company helps prevent that from happening.

1. Accident and illness insurance covers illnesses and injuries caused by accidents and new conditions. These policies represent the most common type of pet insurance. 
2. Accident-only insurance plans provide coverage for accidental injuries, such as bites, broken bones, and poisonings. They do not cover any illness-related expenses. 
3. Wellness insurance plans, typically separate from accident and illness coverage, help pay for routine exams and preventative treatments. 

1. Direct Payments: Veterinary offices that use certain software management systems can submit claims directly to Trupanion when you check out after your visit. You pay your portion, and Trupanion pays the rest for a simple and stress-free process. Visit the Trupanion website to search for direct-pay veterinarians in your area. 
2. Reimbursements: If you use other veterinarians, you'll enjoy the same coverage through reimbursement claims. You can file claims easily online or via mail or fax and can choose to get your money back through convenient direct deposits. 

You can conveniently file claims, track claim progress, make payments, and update information through your online account. Simply log in, upload the veterinary invoice, explain the circumstances, and wait for the Trupanion team to review the claim. 60% of reviews process within 24 hours for a fast and easy claims process. 

Some pet insurers force customers to visit certain veterinarians within the network, but Trupanion doesn't limit who you can visit or restrict coverages for different types of care. The company covers 90% of all eligible costs regardless of the type of veterinary service, so you can visit an emergency vet without worrying about coverage restrictions.  

Some pet insurance providers limit the amount they will pay to policyholders with per-condition, annual, and lifetime coverage limits. Policyholders could choose smaller payout limits to reduce their monthly premiums, but they might end up having to pay tens of thousands of dollars after their coverage amounts run dry. 

Trupanion provides all the coverage you need to address new health conditions in your cat or dog with no limits. Once you meet your deductible, you receive unlimited lifetime coverage for your pets.

Consider the following examples from the Trupanion website:

• The owner of a cat called Butters received $40,603 from Trupanion to reimburse treatments for many conditions, including liver disease, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, and more. 
• The owner of a dog named Kendra received $47,401 for arthritis and adenocarcinoma treatments. 
• The owner of a dog called Domino received $98,012 for expensive lymphoma treatments.

Without Trupanion's unlimited coverage, these pet owners would have faced significant veterinary bills for tens of thousands of dollars. 

Many pet insurance policies use reimbursements to help cover veterinary costs, but that may not help the pet owner who doesn't have the money to spend upfront. Trupanion eliminates the stress of affording large pet bills by paying veterinary clinics directly.

As a covered pet owner, you don't have to wait for reimbursements or wrack up credit card balances to pay for the care your pet needs. Remember, you aren't limited to using veterinary clinics with the correct software for this direct-pay process. You can also use reimbursements to help cover costs. 

Trupanion pet insurance policies use a unique deductible system where you pay a deductible for every new condition or illness your pet experiences. This may seem strange, but these deductibles provide the rare benefit of not resetting to 0 each year. While standard deductibles reset each year, Trupanion customers only have to pay each per-condition deductible once before receiving lifetime coverage for that condition. 

You can also choose your deductible, which raises or lowers your monthly premiums. Deductible amounts range from $0 to $1,000, with higher deductibles resulting in lowering monthly payments. This customized premium option makes it easy to afford insurance for your animal companions.

Many pet insurance providers require animals to reach a certain age before owners can apply for coverage. Unfortunately, a young kitten or puppy may experience health problems before they reach the average minimum of eight weeks old, leaving their owners uncovered for sometimes lifelong conditions. 

Trupanion offers coverage to pets from the time of their birth, so breeders and pet owners don't have to wait to get coverage.

Trupanion aims to offer pet owners all the support they need to manage their insurance plans, so the team provides 24/7 customer support access. You can call, email, or talk with the Trupanion team through live chat at any time for plan clarification, help with claims, and any other support you need. 

• $0 to $1,000 per-condition deductibles
• 90% coverage for a range of conditions
• NO coverage limits
• 30-day waiting period for illnesses
• Five-day waiting period for injuries 

• Your pet's age: Pet insurance policies for older cats and dogs typically cost more, so Trupanion recommends enrolling your animal early. However, Trupanion doesn't use "birthday pricing," where rates increase automatically as the pet ages. 
• Your pet's breed: If your pet's breed tends to develop certain conditions, you may pay a higher premium. However, these breeds also tend to see higher pet insurance payout amounts. 
• Your pet's gender: Male cats tend to have more health issues than females, and the opposite is true for dogs. If you have a male cat or female dog you want to cover through Trupanion pet insurance, you may pay a higher premium. 
• Your location: Pet owners in cities can often access more advanced and expensive medical treatments, so rates may rise if you live in a city compared to a pet owner from a rural area. 
• Your deductible: The best way to budget your pet insurance premium is choosing an appropriate deductible. Higher deductibles result in lower premium payments, but lower deductibles result in faster coverage. 
• Your policy riders: Pet owners who opt for one or more riders will pay higher premiums than those who only opt for the core Trupanion plan. 

Trupanion policyholders can cancel at any time by notifying the company via email, mail, or fax. Policyholders who cancel within 30 days of enrolling and have not made any claims receive a 100% refund of their enrollment fee and initial premium payment.

• Easy sign-up process
• Fast and simple claims 
• Convenient direct-pay option
• Helpful and prompt customer care
• More time with beloved pets
• Peace of mind