When it comes to protecting a pet and its well-being, there’s nothing more important than a comprehensive insurance policy.
Whether it’s a sudden accident or an ongoing illness, the medical expenses can start to rack up after a while.
To ensure appropriate measures are taken over the long-term, it’s recommended to consider investing in a high-quality insurance policy. This is where a leading pet insurance provider such as Trupanion stands out and delivers a wonderful selection of features.
This detailed review will analyze what Trupanion has to offer and how its policies work.
How Trupanion Pet Insurance Works
Beginning with the coverage options, Trupanion has a set approach when it comes to its policies [1].
This includes offering a comprehensive, all-in-one solution for all injuries and illnesses. Based on these coverage options, clients can pick and choose what works best for them and customize the policy down to the last detail.
The policies tend to have a reimbursement rate set at 90% of the total bill and there are no payout limits involved in the process.
It’s important to note Trupanion also offers additional coverage options for pet owners to consider. These options can work well depending on the pet’s requirements and how much a pet owner is willing to spend in terms of monthly premiums.
The additional features include – Pet Owner Assistance Package & Complementary Care Rider
With the Pet Owner Assistance Package, the pet owner will receive the opportunity to seek reimbursement for fees outside traditional medical expenses.
These fees can include boarding costs for hospitalization, advertising when a pet is lost, liability coverage for any or all third-party property damage, burial costs, and even something as simple as cancellation costs (holidays).
With the Complementary Care Rider feature, the emphasis is on compensating clients for all non-clinical procedures as long as they are listed in the initial policy.
These can include chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, physical therapy, rehab, homeopathy, and behavioral modification.
Covered Conditions & Treatments
Trupanion takes the time to understand what a pet owner requires before offering a long list of viable features.
In general, Trupanion has a comprehensive and one of the finest set of coverage options available through all of its insurance policies.
A variety of conditions and treatments are covered by the provider under its all-in-one policy.
These illnesses and injuries include:
- Allergies
- Foreign Body Ingestion
- Bite Wounds
- Kidney Disease
- Patella Luxation
- General Accidents
- Urinary Obstructions
- Upper Respiratory Infections
- Heart Disease
- Thyroid Disease
- Hospitalization
- Surgical Procedures
- Hip Dysplasia
- Diabetes
- Cherry Eye
- Herbal Therapy
- Supplements and Medications
- Prosthetics
Being able to receive such a detailed list of items that are covered under the policy illustrates how comprehensive the coverage is.
Clients get the opportunity to keep their pets safe at all times with nothing more than this policy in their hands.
Since there is no payout limit on the policy, it’s easy to maintain a good medical treatment plan based on what is in the pet’s best interest.
Are Alternative Therapies Covered?
While a long list of illnesses and treatments are covered under Trupanion’s insurance policy, alternative therapies are not.
However, it’s important to note there is a listed option for those wanting to have these particular therapies covered under the same policy.
There is an additional feature named “Recover and Complementary Care,” which offers a comprehensive list of therapies that are covered once it’s activated.
For an additional fee, clients can opt to go with this particular feature and receive reimbursement for alternative therapies.
Benefit Limits
This is one of the biggest advantages of choosing Trupanion and why it continues to remain a market leader among its competitors.
With a “No Payout Limit” policy, it’s easy for clients to know they are going to be protected at all costs from a financial perspective.
As soon as the policy is established, clients don’t have to worry about dealing with an upper ceiling for their payouts.
As long as the condition and/or treatment is valid, the benefit limits are limitless.
This is essential when it comes to making sure the pet is in good shape. However, it’s important to understand there are deductibles in place for each condition but these are set on a “lifetime” basis. This means once the deductible has been reached, pet owners, don’t have to pay the deductible ever again for the same condition.
How Much Does Trupanion Cost per Month?
The costs are going to vary based on the chosen policy and features.
A person going with one or two of the additional features is going to have a much higher monthly premium than someone sticking to the base insurance features. In general, the average policy tends to offer a monthly premium that is set at $58.14.
While this is a higher amount than some of the competition out on the open market, this is offset with the no payout limit benefit Trupanion has to offer to all of its clients.
Deductible Options
Trupanion policies come with what is called a “lifetime per condition deductible,” which means there is going to be a set deductible per condition.
Let’s assume the deductible has been set at $200 for a particular medical treatment. If that is listed in the policy, a client can meet the deductible and never have to worry about it again for the rest of the policy’s term.
For example, if a dog has to deal with the same treatments again, the fees will be fully reimbursed the second time as long as the initial deductible amount was filled.
This can go a long way in making sure a good amount is reimbursed to pet owners when they need it the most rather than having to deal with a set deductible each time. Trupanion never makes its clients pay the same amount again once the initial deductible has been paid.
This is far different than other competitors on the market as most go with what is called an annual deductible.
In those cases, the deductible refreshes every 12 months.
With Trupanion, clients are welcome to select a set deductible amount between $0-$1,000 depending on which features they go with.
The deductible that is chosen will have a direct impact on the monthly premiums being paid. These details can be discussed with the insurance representative during the initial assessment.
Once the deductible has been reached, clients receive a 90% reimbursement on all eligible costs.
Reimbursement
Reimbursement is straightforward with Trupanion and that’s what makes it one of the finer insurance companies on the planet.
In general, clients can take the opportunity to sign up for a comprehensive policy, which ensures the claims process is a breeze.
Once the claim has been established, the company pours through all relevant documentation to ensure it’s a legitimate claim. If it is, the reimbursement is pushed through by paying the vet as agreed between both parties.
Otherwise, the amount is sent to the client after the invoice is verified.
How Do You File a Claim?
The claims process is relatively straightforward and a major advantage when it comes to Trupanion.
The insurance company has a long list of veterinary hospital partners in the country, which ensures “Vet Direct Pay” can be used during the claims process.
As long as the invoice comes from one of these verified partners, the insurance company and partner will deal with the expenses, so you don’t have to.
This simplifies everything and ensures the claim goes through as soon as possible without you having to spend a penny past the expected amount.
For unverified partners, invoices have to be submitted to Trupanion before it reimburses the pet owner.
This can be done online through the personal account or via email after a claim form is filled out. It’s important to attach all pertinent documents while filling out the form and sending it in.
The invoice has to include all relevant information relating to the medical illness, treatment options, and all associated costs. These details are then verified by the insurance company to make sure everything adds up.
After this is done, a specialist will go through each detail to make sure it matches with the pet owner’s policy. If everything looks good, the reimbursement is sent to the client.
Waiting Periods
The waiting period is a part of modern pet insurance policies and it’s important to remain aware of this as a client.
With Trupanion, you end up having to wait for 5 days with injuries and 30 days for illnesses.
The waiting period is done to verify everything and make sure the claim is legitimate.
Trupanion Pros & Cons
Pros
1. Excellent Coverage
The list of coverage options is detailed and covers almost everything a pet owner would need in an emergency situation.
This goes a long way in making sure the pet’s health is prioritized and potential hurdles don’t get in the way.
Trupanion does an excellent job of covering all relevant illnesses and treatment options under its comprehensive policy.
For everything else, they offer detailed features to cover for alternative therapies.
2. Quick Claims Process
The claims process is perfect. It’s quick, safe, and works well especially with the direct pay setup for verified vets.
3. No Payout Limits
Pet owners don’t have to worry about having an upper limit when it is time to receive reimbursement for medical expenses.
As long as the condition is verified and the costs are listed in an official invoice, the claims process is a breeze.
Having no limit is essential when it comes to making sure the pet is properly cared for over the long-run.
Cons
1. Exam Fees Aren’t Covered
One of the biggest concerns with Trupanion has to do with its lack of coverage for examination fees.
These fees can add up after a while and most vets will charge a hefty price per exam. However, Trupanion doesn’t cover these fees in its policy, so they have to be paid out of pocket by the individual.
Additional fees are also not covered by the pet insurance company such as wellness or preventative care costs.
Wellness care is generally expected during treatment, which is why it isn’t included as a separate cost in the insurance policy.
Unfortunately, clients have to settle for dealing with these increasing costs on their own.
Real Customer Testimonials: Good + The Complaints
Wondering what real Trupanion customers are saying about their experience? There are plenty of reviews for you to read online, and for the most part, they tend to be pretty positive.
There are some complaints out there, though, so we’ll share a couple of those too.
Trupanion has an “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot, with more than 1,500 reviewers weighing-in [2].
Here are a few we wanted to share here:
Positive
We lost our cat in August, but we worked hard to bring her home and I remained hopeful that she would return for several months. I finally decided I needed to cancel her insurance, and Trupanion very graciously refunded me for the 3 months I’d paid the premiums even though our cat was lost. They have been very easy to work with throughout the time we had coverage, and I would insure another pet with them in a heartbeat. -Verified Customer
Trupanion keeps its word and pays claims promptly. My 9 year old Shih Tzu, Penny, recently became critically ill with Pancreatitis and Diabetic Ketoacidosis. While I was overwhelmed with the thought of losing her, the expenses were climbing by the hour. Thankfully, I had Trupanion Insurance! I didn’t have to fear deep financial debt in exchange for the life of my beloved pet. I’m so grateful for a stand-up company that keeps its word! -Verified Customer
Complaints
Make sure you understand “Deductible”. It’s not the same as human insurance. There’s a deductible for each health issue. Foot issue, deductible. Skin issue, deductible. Swallows something, deductible.
When they say preexisting conditions they mean if your pet has ever been to a vet before signing up with them for any reason, they will deny any claim and claim! – pre existing condition. When you call and try and get some kind of explanation for their ridiculous policy they will say industry standard sorry we are working on this.
Based on the few complaints we read, they most often appeared to be a misunderstanding about what exactly pet insurance covers, and the deductible options.
Trupanion was quick to respond to the complaints we saw posted, and seemed to be working on a resolution with the disgruntled customers.
*Based on the overwhelmingly positive customer reviews we’ve read, and after conducting our own research, SuperPets is happy to recommend Trupanion as a trusted pet insurance provider.
Review Summary
Trupanion is one of the market leaders when it comes to pet insurance and stands out for all the right reasons. It offers a comprehensive list of features, no payout limits, and a straightforward claims process.
The quality customer service and impressive list of covered conditions mean it’s a world-class provider for all pet owners.
Take the opportunity to sign up with Trupanion and customize the insurance policy based on your needs.
Resources
- Trupanion Pet Insurance. Retrieved from https://trupanion.com/
- Trupanion Pet Insurance Reviews, Trustpilot. Retrieved from https://www.trustpilot.com/review/trupanion.com
- See How Trupanion Compares to Nationwide Pet Insurance
- See How it Compares to Healthy Paws
