Pet insurance is one of those services that you don’t often think about until you really, really need it – and by then, it can sometimes be too late. It’s a particular type of insurance designed to cover costs for veterinarians, pet hospitals, and similar places where pets go for medical treatment.
While basic checkups and vaccines may have minimal costs, pet medical bills (much like the human version) can quickly rise when things get complicated:
- Something like an ultrasound could cost several hundred dollars, depending on your pet and location.
- Surgery can quickly rise to several thousand dollars, not including aftercare.
- A sudden disease could require expensive and ongoing medications that pet owners just don’t have the cash for.
Pet insurance can step in and cover these kinds of medical costs for a monthly payment, with premiums and deductibles that are similar to human insurance (although less expensive overall).
The big problem is that there are a lot of choices. That brings us to Lemonade, one of the best pet insurance options on the market, and our review on why it’s one you should consider if it looks like there may be steep pet medical bills on the horizon.
- Lemonade offers insurance policies, one for each pet, for coverage of their medical treatment expenses.
- Lemonade currently covers dogs and cats. They also have particular packages for puppies and kittens that focus on early life preventative care.
- Each pet requires a separate application and quote for their policy.
- During the approval process, you’ll need to provide some financial information, including a bank account.
- You’ll also need to send them your pet’s medical history, so it’s important to get in contact with your vet before beginning the application process.
As with all kinds of insurance, there are built-in waiting periods before coverage actually begins. This happens so that people can’t sign up right before a major pet surgery just to get coverage. When you are accepted, coverage kicks in in two days for accidents, 14 days for an illness, and six total months for cruciate ligament injuries (the bane of certain breeds).
Lemonade shines when it comes to prices: It’s one of the more affordable pet insurance services we’ve found. While policy prices will vary (which is why you should get an individual quote), you can get coverage for a reasonably healthy, young pet for around $10 to $30 per month.
Annual coverage limits extend up to $100,000, while reimbursement rates are set at 70%, 80%, or 90%. You can also get a variety of discounts for things like making full annual payments instead of monthly or bundling with other types of Lemonade insurance. Learn more here.
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Speed: Lemonade is exceptionally fast and incredibly app friendly. Their website allows you to get a quote at top speed, and complete the application easily, even if you are just on your phone. They respond quickly if you have any questions as well.
Online chat for advice: Lemonade has a robust online chat option staffed by people who can answer specific questions about pet insurance and even offer advice on what to do. This is very helpful when you want some quick advice about if a procedure will be covered or what you can expect to pay for a certain line of treatment. This is one of the most value-adding features Lemonade offers.
Covers an array of expensive treatments: Lemonade covers everything you really want pet insurance for, especially anything related to an emergency. That includes blood tests, x-rays, surgeries, injections, prescription medications, and more.
Can pick preventative packages, too: Lemonade offers an impressive amount of add-ons and extensions for their policy, based on other things that pet owners may want to cover. That includes preventative packages that can help cover important basics like wellness exams, parasite tests (including heartworm tests), vaccines, and dental cleaning (other dental procedures may not be covered).
Easy cancellation: You can cancel online at any time.
Covers every vet: Thankfully, here Lemonade diverges from health insurance traditions. If a vet is licensed in the United States, your coverage will apply.
No default dental plans: Again mimicking human world problems, health and dental insurance are often separated by pet insurance companies. Lemonade is no exception – it doesn’t cover dental procedures with a basic plan, only as an add-on for basics like dental cleaning. That can be a problem since some pets and breeds are more inclined to need dental care than others.
No coverage for behavioral treatments: Lemonade is focused on traditional vet services. There is no coverage for training or any type of behavioral treatments (addressing aggression, severe anxiety in a new home, etc.), so if that is what your pet is struggling with, Lemonade won’t be of much help.
No coverage of preexisting conditions: Conditions or injuries must be new for Lemonade to cover them. This is quite common for all types of health insurance. However, Lemonade also won’t cover animals past 14 years old.
Coverage can be declined for certain reasons: Lemonade does reserve the right to deny coverage even if a policy has been accepted and payments are up to date. The most common example is if a pet owner refused preventative treatment – i.e., if a vet recommended a treatment to prevent a certain condition or problem, and the pet owner said no, then Lemonade can refuse to pay for resulting necessary treatments.
Limited availability in some states: Lemonade hasn’t rolled out to every state yet, but is currently available in 37 states total.
- We love how fast it is to get signed up with Lemonade and how simple it is to understand their policy options.
- Their online chat service is especially useful for navigating the complexities of pet insurance and getting all of your questions answered.
- Lemonade is also one of the more affordable options on the market.
For newcomers to pet insurance, especially those who prefer to use mobile apps and get applications online, Lemonade is an excellent service to consider.
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