Pet insurance finder: which insurers cover what matters to you

How the four settings trade off

Most plans let you set a deductible, a reimbursement percentage and an annual limit, and many offer a wellness add-on. Together they decide what you pay each month and how much of a bill the insurer pays. Insurers' own pages say a higher deductible, a lower reimbursement percentage or a lower annual limit can lower the monthly premium, and then you pay more yourself when you claim. The reverse costs more each month.

• Deductible

  The part of a covered bill you pay before the insurer pays anything. Many policies count it once a year. Ask whether a policy's deductible is per year or per incident.

• Reimbursement percentage

  The share of a covered bill the insurer pays you back. Insurers in our table offer levels such as 70%, 80% and 90%.

• Annual limit

  The most the insurer will pay in a policy year. Some insurers offer no annual limit. Some won't let you raise the limit later, or treat a raise as a new policy with new waiting periods.

• Wellness add-on

  Pays set amounts toward routine care such as checkups and vaccines, for an extra cost. Some are a separate membership, not insurance. Whether one pays for itself depends on the routine care a pet gets.

A worked example, with made-up numbers: a $3,000 vet bill, all of it covered, the first claim of the policy year, and an annual limit above $3,000. Taking off the deductible first, then applying the percentage:

• $250 deductible, 80% back

  From the insurer $2,200 Your share $800

• $250 deductible, 90% back

  From the insurer $2,475 Your share $525

• $500 deductible, 80% back

  From the insurer $2,000 Your share $1,000

• $500 deductible, 90% back

  From the insurer $2,250 Your share $750

Most insurers in our table have you pay the vet first, then pay you back.

Some insurers apply the percentage before the deductible. Then the $250 and 90% case reads: $3,000 x 90% = $2,700, and $2,700 - $250 = $2,450 from the insurer. You pay $550, not $525.

A mix that leaves you less to pay at the vet costs more each month, and only the insurer can tell you how much more. There's no right mix. It depends on what you could pay each month and what you could pay at the vet.

How insurers treat a past problem

Pet insurance generally doesn't cover a problem a pet had, or showed signs of, before coverage began or during a waiting period. That is a pre-existing condition, and it counts even if a vet never diagnosed it.

Some insurers will cover a problem that cleared up before coverage, once a set time has passed with no signs and no treatment. In the documents in our table, that time runs from about six months to a year. Tick "A written path for cured conditions" to see each insurer's rule in its own words.

Ongoing problems are different. Insurers' documents name problems such as diabetes, thyroid disease and allergies, and many knee and hip problems, as ones that don't count as cured, so if one started before coverage, it stays excluded. A new problem that first appears after coverage and any waiting period, even an ongoing one, can be covered like any other new problem.

Many policies treat both knees as one problem. If one knee had a ligament problem before coverage or during a waiting period, the other knee can be excluded too, and some policies exclude every later knee or ligament problem. Several apply the same idea to other problems that can affect both sides of the body, such as hips or elbows. The table shows each insurer's wording under "The both-knees rule."

If a pet has a past problem, you can ask an insurer in writing, before you buy, how it would treat that problem by name.

Waiting periods

Most new policies start with a waiting period before illness cover begins. A problem that first shows up during the wait counts as pre-existing.

A model law written by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) allows waits of up to 30 days for illness, or for bone and joint problems not caused by an accident, and bans any wait for accidents. California law (since January 1, 2025) and Florida law say the same, and both require a way to waive the wait with a vet exam. Other states may differ; your state insurance department can tell you.

In the documents in our table, illness waits are mostly 14 or 15 days. Some set longer rules for knee or hip problems, written as a waiting period or as an exclusion for problems that start in the first months. Terms differ by state and change over time, so the table gives each document's state, where it has one, and the date we read it. Ask the insurer which rules apply to its current policy in your state.

Under the NAIC model and California and Florida law, renewing a policy doesn't start a new wait. Some changes, such as raising a limit or adding cover, can count as a new policy with new waits.

Premiums, age and renewal

Premiums can rise as a pet gets older. Most insurers in our table say so in their own words, and the table shows each one's wording under "How premiums change with age."

The national average on this page covers pets of all ages, so it is not a price for an older pet. A University of Maryland Extension fact sheet warns that with an older pet, "your premium might be higher than what you see advertised."

California and Florida law, and the NAIC model, make insurers disclose whether premiums go up with a pet's age, with claims, or after a move. Look for it in the insurer's "Insurer Disclosure of Important Policy Provisions." Some insurers say a pet's claims don't raise its premium; at least one allows an increase based on claim history.

Under the same laws, a problem the policy covered can't become pre-existing at renewal, and an insurer can't require a vet exam to renew. If being dropped worries you, ask the insurer in writing when it can decline to renew a policy and how much notice it gives.