Trupanion is probably one of the first names that comes to mind when you think about finding an insurance company for your dog. Pet owners have probably seen their advertisements on television, heard their name on the radio, and certainly bumped into them on the internet. How does Trupanion stack up against the other dog insurance providers providing similar levels of coverage? We’re about to take a look at the details of what this company has to offer and help you determine if they are the right fit for you and your dog.
How Does Trupanion Pet Insurance Work?
Once you’ve insured your pet with the company, and provided any applicable waiting period has elapsed, you simply take your dog to your treatment center of choice to help them get on the mend. They don’t cover routine care or preventative care, but when it comes to actual veterinary bills for the unexpected events in your pet’s life Trupanion covers 90% of eligible expenses. You will still need to pay your deductible, exam fees, and your portion of the bill – but your coverage will take care of the rest.
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Coverage
A policy Trupanion is specifically designed to provide you with coverage for the times when the unexpected veterinary bills come up – things like accidents, illnesses, etc. Here is a list of some of the things that are covered under their basic policy:
- Illnesses & Injuries.
- Congenital conditions and hereditary conditions.
- Diagnostic testing.
- Related surgeries.
- Stays at the hospital and medication.
- Prosthetics.
The concept of coverage is simple under their plans – they will reimburse for 90% of the bill as long as it’s qualified (after your deductible), with no upper limit on the amount of reimbursement. You won’t get fully complementary care, but when you need help they’ll be there to help you foot the bill.
Exclusions
You’re pretty unlikely to come across a pet insurance company that doesn’t have exclusions in their policies, and it’s no different in this case. Trupanion explicitly does not cover the following items:
- Preventative care.
- Wellness care.
- Any applicable exam fees and sales tax.
- Any pre-existing conditions (such as illnesses or chronic conditions that your dog has at the time that they sign up).
Waiting Periods
Most providers will have waiting periods for certain treatments in their policies, and Trupanion makes it simple. Their waiting period is 5 days for injuries and 30 days for illnesses. You can, however, get these waiting periods waved when you work with your vet to get the appropriate documentation.
Customization
While the coverage in their policies is fairly standardized, they do give pet owners the option to customize their monthly bill by offering a higher or a lower deductible. Policies with a higher deductible are going to have lower monthly premiums, while policies with a lower deductible will have higher premiums.
Trupanion Pet Insurance Reviews
One pattern we definitely see when researching the different pet insurance companies here at The Pampered Pup is that online reviews tend to have a fairly negative sentiment across the board, regardless of the provider. We suspect that we understand why this is the case, and we go into detail about it in other articles on our site. At the end of the day, we encourage our readers to take a deeper look at customer reviews, as well as to compare them across providers before you simply look at the star rating.
With that in mind, what people seem to like about Trupanion in the reviews is that they are easy to work with, they make it easy to submit claims, and they have extensive coverage. Just make sure to read your policy and understand any exclusions prior to signing up – that goes for any pet insurance provider you choose.
Pros
- Trupanion provides the option for them to pay their reimbursement for your veterinarian’s bills directly to the hospital, as long as they are in their network. All you have to do is pay your portion of the bill.
- Submitting claims is incredibly easy, and they can be initiated by their online system or by email if you prefer.
- No limit on payouts – as long as your pet’s treatment is covered the reimbursement will be for 90% of the bill.
- Customer service is top-notch and can be accessed at any time of the day, any day of the week.
- Customizable plans help make it more affordable for you to get coverage for your dog by picking a deductible that makes sense for your lifestyle.
Cons
- Trupanion does not cover wellness and preventative care, though they have made this decision intentionally as they believe it is in the best interest of the dog owners.
- The company does not yet offer an mobile app for claim submission.
Should You Get Trupanion Pet Insurance?
If you’re on board with the concept that you don’t need routine wellness coverage from a pet insurance company, then Trupanion may well be a great fit for you and your dog. The fact that they cover 90% of your bill with no payout limits is nice for security and great peace of mind. They make it very easy to submit claims when your pet has an unexpected issue, and they have a high-quality customer support team.
As with any provider, make sure to read through what’s covered under their policy and what is not before signing up your pet. You want to be quite familiar with what you’re agreeing to so that there are no surprises when you go to submit a claim. All in all, Trupanion is a well-respected company that can be a great fit if the price is right and the coverage is suitable for your needs.
Who Has The Best Pet Insurance?
This is a question that simply has too long of an answer to be summarized in a single paragraph. But don’t worry, we’ve done our research and gone into great detail with our article of today’s best pet insurance providers for your dog. If it turns out that Trupanion isn’t for you, there are a number of other viable pet insurance companies for you to choose from. We’ll help you find the right policy for your dog and get them the coverage that they need in no time.
