Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws

Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws: What do the plans cover?

Pets can hurt themselves or be harmed in lots of different ways, so what your pet insurance covers is crucial. 

Healthy Paws and Paw Protect are both highly-regarded pet insurance providers. Healthy Paws doesn’t offer the same breadth of coverage as Paw Protect, but does reimburse customers for most common pet illnesses and injuries. 

What they cover includes, but isn’t limited to:  

• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Cataracts
• Dermatitis
• Diabetes
• Diarrhea
• Ear infections
• Gastroenteritis
• Kidney disease
• Ligament injury
• Limping
• Liver disease
• Lymphoma
• Pancreatitis
• Seizures
• Vomiting

Both insurers will also reimburse customers for chronic, hereditary and congenital conditions, as well as hip dysplasia. However, with Healthy Paws, hip surgeries will only be reimbursed if the pet is under six years old on enrollment, and symptoms don’t appear within the first 12 months of coverage.

Paw Protect will also reimburse the costs of vet exams, dental illnesses, behavioral therapy, and prescribed pet foods/supplements.

Paw Protect also offers a valuable 24/7 pet medical helpline. This delivers vital information at any time, often saving pet suffering and lives.

The two insurers cover approved complementary therapies such as chiropractics and acupuncture, to keep your pet in tip-top condition. 

Do Paw Protect and Healthy Paws have a Wellness plan?

Paw Protect’s Wellness Rewards plan is an optional extra, allowing you to make great savings on things like vaccinations, microchipping, grooming, spaying and neutering, and other routine and preventative treatments. 

Wellness annual limits are offered at $250, $450 and $650. Healthy Paws doesn’t offer wellness or routine care plans. 

Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws: What are the coverage limits?

Paw Protect has a range of annual maximum coverage options. These are $5,000, $10,000 and Unlimited. This gives you some control over your annual premium, depending on your circumstances. 

Healthy Paws’ insurance has unlimited annual coverage as standard.

Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws: Deductibles

Paw Protect offers deductible options of $100, $250 and $500. This gives you control over your annual premium: the bigger the deductible you pay, the lower your premium, so think about what you can afford to pay out of your own pocket. 

Healthy Paws deductibles vary with the age of your pet. For pets aged five years or younger, the choices are $100, $250 and $500. From six to seven you choose from $250, $500 and $750. For pets aged eight or older, the deductible choices are $750 and $1,000.

Healthy Paws also takes the deductible off after the reimbursement percentage, which can result in smaller payouts.

What are Paw Protect and Healthy Paws’ reimbursement percentage options?

Paw Protect has 70%, 80% and 90% reimbursement options. This means that, after your deductible is paid, we will pay out 70%, 80% or 90% of the remaining amount on covered claims.

Healthy Paws’ reimbursement levels, like deductibles, vary with your pet’s age. For pets five or under, you can select from 70%, 80% or 90%. From six to seven years old, your choice is 60%, 70% or 80%, and for pets aged eight or older, the reimbursement choices are 50% and 60%. 

If you compare the payout for a customer with a 10-year-old dog, a $750 deductible, the minimum reimbursement level on offer, and a $2,000 vet bill, with Healthy Paws they would receive a payout of $250, while Paw Protect would pay $875. 

Do Paw Protect and Healthy Paws have any exclusions?

It’s standard practice that insurance policies have exclusions.

Paw Protect and Healthy Paws exclude any recorded pre-existing conditions your pet may have. That said, Paw Protect may cover some curable pre-existing conditions if your pet hasn’t received treatment or experienced any symptoms for 12 months.

Cosmetic procedures like tail and ear modification are also excluded by both companies, but only Healthy Paws excludes exam fees.

How expensive are Paw Protect and Healthy Paws?

These two highly-regarded pet insurers both cover all the essentials any pet parent will need for their cherished cat or dog. However, Paw Protect goes much further in its breadth of coverage and other customer benefits, which means its plans may cost more than Healthy Paws.

That said, this isn’t always the case, and you may find it’s cheaper, thanks to the various reimbursement, deductible and discount options, plus the fact that your pet’s breed, age and location have a significant effect on premiums. 

You’ll have to use the quote tools to discover which is most cost-effective for you, remembering that ‘cheap’ and ‘value for money’ are two different things.

All quotes are based on a $500 deductible and 90% reimbursement. Prices correct as of May 2023

Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws: How quickly are claims paid?

Paw Protect looks to pay claims within 10 to 15 days for accident and illness treatments, and just five days for wellness care. Of course, if you’ve used its virtual Visa card to pay for treatment, the money has not come from your credit card or bank account, and you’re not being charged or losing interest. 

For normal reimbursement claims, Healthy Paws says most claims are processed within two days, with reimbursement by check or direct deposit a matter of days later. This is not a guarantee.

Do Paw Protect and Healthy Paws offer any discounts?

Healthy Paws does not offer any customer discounts. Paw Protect offers a 10% multi-pet discount, plus a 5% reduction for former and active military personnel. 

Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws: Standard waiting periods

Paw Protect insurance can be used after just two days to pay for accident treatments, and 14 days for illnesses. Orthopedic treatments have a six-month delay after enrollment, though this can be reduced to 14 days via its Waiver Process.

Healthy Paws has a wait of 15 days for both accident and illness treatments. For pets enrolled before the age of six, there is a 12-month wait for hip dysplasia care.  

Do Paw Protect and Healthy Paws’ plans include behavioral treatments?

Every loving pet parent wants their cherished four-legged friend to be calm and happy. If your pet displays aggressive or anxious behaviors, the costly treatments involved should be insured.

Paw Protect insures behavioral therapy and training costs, so long as they are delivered by a registered vet, for a condition included in the policy.

Healthy Paws doesn’t cover behavioral exams and therapies in its plans. 

Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws: Is there a maximum age for enrollment?

At Healthy Paws, the maximum age of enrolment is 13 years. The company also has a multitude of age-related variations in its reimbursement percentages and deductibles and pets enrolled at age six and older will not be covered for hip dysplasia treatments.

Paw Protect’s maximum age at the point of enrollment is 14 years for accident and illness cover. Older pets can be enrolled on an accident-only policy.

Paw Protect vs Healthy Paws: Customer reviews

Healthy Paws scores 4.3 on Trustpilot, from 1,795 reviews. Customer reviews praise its professionalism and efficiency, especially when it comes to the ease of making claims, and its quick pay-outs. 

Several reviews in November/December 2022 criticised the level of increases in the annual premiums Healthy Paws charges.