Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion: 2024 Comparison

Healthy Paws and Trupanion are two popular pet health insurance providers. Both companies have standout features, but they differ in a few key areas, such as claims processing, waiting periods, and annual deductible options. 

We have carefully analyzed the best pet insurance companies available, and Healthy Paws and Trupanion regularly make our list of top insurers. Read our pet insurance review to learn how the companies compare.

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Compare Healthy Paws and Trupanion

Neither Healthy Paws or Trupanion offers preventive coverage, but both have comprehensive accident-and-illness plans. Their plans cover similar treatments and conditions, such as surgeries, medications, hospital care, emergency vet visits, diagnostics, and other issues related to injuries and illnesses. Covered conditions include cancer, hip dysplasia, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, and diabetes. 

Neither provider covers preexisting conditions, as is common for pet insurers. However, Trupanion will cover conditions that don’t yet have an official diagnosis even if your pet is showing symptoms. Healthy Paws and Trupanion both have unlimited coverage, meaning there’s no limit to how much they’ll reimburse you in one year. They both rank highly on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). 

There are a few noticeable differences that give Trupanion an edge. The provider gives customers more deductible options, its waiting period for accidents is shorter, and there are more customer support resources. It also has an option for direct payment at checkout, meaning you won’t have to wait for reimbursement as with most other providers.

However, these Trupanion perks come at a price. Trupanion is one of the most expensive pet insurance providers, which is a dealbreaker for many pet owners. It also doesn’t cover alternative therapies such as chiropractic treatments, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture in its standard plan, whereas Health Paws does. Healthy Paws also has a foundation dedicated to pet welfare, which is a plus for many pet parents.

*BBB ratings are current as of February 2023.

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Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion Coverage

Healthy Paws and Trupanion have relatively similar accident-and-illness coverage. Both cover common vet treatments such as emergency care, hospitalization, in-office procedures, surgeries, and X-rays for issues such as broken bones, cancer, ear infections, eye disorders, lacerations, stomach problems, swallowed objects, and toxic ingestions. 

One big difference is that Healthy Paws covers alternative therapies in its standard plan. This includes coverage for treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, and hydrotherapy. Trupanion only offers these therapies as an add-on for an additional fee. 

Trupanion also offers two add-ons in total, whereas Healthy Paws doesn’t have any. Trupanion calls its add-ons riders. Here’s what they cover:

• Pet Owner Assistance Package: This add-on covers fees related to lost-pet advertisements and reward money, pet boarding if you’re hospitalized, burial or cremation if your pet passes due to an accident, liability for third-party property damage, and vacation cancellation due to your pet’s necessary medical needs.
• Recovery and Complementary Care Rider: This includes acupuncture, behavioral modification, chiropractic care, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, naturopathy, physical therapy, and rehabilitative therapy.

Here’s a clearer look at how Healthy Paws and Trupanion compare:

Preventive Care Options

Some providers offer wellness plans as add-ons you can combine with your base plan for an extra monthly fee. These plans cover preventive vet care such as annual checkups, grooming, vaccinations, and exam fees. However, neither Healthy Paws nor Trupanion offers wellness coverage. They believe pet insurance should be reserved for unexpected vet costs, not routine costs you can plan for.

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Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion Cost

Pet insurance costs are determined primarily by your location and your pet’s species, breed, and age. Healthy Paws and Trupanion differ in price, which could be a determining factor if your budget is tight. Trupanion is consistently more expensive no matter the pet species or breed. 

Plan Customization

Both providers’ accident-and-illness plan offers similar coverage, though Healthy Paws covers alternative therapies whereas Trupanion does not. Both companies also have no annual coverage limit, meaning you can file as many claims as you want. Where they do differ is deductibles and reimbursement rates. 

Healthy Paws has two deductible options: $250 and $500. Trupanion allows you to choose your deductible in $5 increments anywhere between $0 and $1,000. Choosing a higher deductible with Trupanion allows you to reduce your monthly premium, so long as you’re OK paying more out of pocket up-front. Choosing no deductible with Trupanion means that you’ll be reimbursed for your first claim, but your monthly premium will be higher.

Trupanion also provides a 90% reimbursement rate, whereas Healthy Paws offers a 70% and 80% rate. While it seems attractive that Trupanion will cover more of your claim, the downside is you’ll pay a higher monthly premium. 

Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion Premiums

The difference in Healthy Paws’ and Trupanion’s premiums isn’t astronomical. However, it’s enough that you should consider your budget before making a decision. Trupanion’s premiums are typically $5–$20 higher than Healthy Paws’, though the difference varies by species and breed. For example, there’s roughly a $5 difference for miniature poodles, but a difference of $13–$17 for retriever breeds.

This may not seem like that much per month, but when you consider the cost for a whole year, you may end up paying a couple hundred dollars more for a Trupanion policy.

Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion Discounts

Neither provider offers discounts, so don’t expect to find many ways to reduce your monthly premium.

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Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion Claim Filing

Healthy Paws and Trupanion’s claims processes differ greatly. Healthy Paws has a traditional claims process wherein you pay for your vet bill out of pocket, file a claim, and then get reimbursed. 

Trupanion is one of the only providers that has direct vet payment. That means you can pay for only your portion of the bill at any vet office that has Trupanion’s software system. You don’t have to wait for reimbursement.

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Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion Reviews

Healthy Paws has an A rating with the BBB, and Trupanion has an A-. Customer reviews for both providers are mixed, but comments for Healthy Paws are more favorable. Negative comments for Healthy Paws are often about miscommunication around account administration. Negative feedback for Trupanion pertains heavily to difficulty getting reimbursed, making the high premiums less worth it. 

Healthy Paws:

“Easy to file a claim. Get reimbursement right away. Excellent customer service.” —Chris R. 

“They kept asking for documentation they already had and when sent again would say they didn’t have it or needed something else. I received no notification that even more documentation was needed, however when I kept following up, they needed some other form of documentation.” —S.M.

Trupanion:

“I am very happy I signed up for their plan and have already recommended to a number of friends and family with young dogs. My suggestions when filing a claim: take charge and keep it moving along yourself. If you get an email that they need more info, do not wait for them to contact your vet to get it—get it yourself, email it to their claims department.” —JM

“I have 3 dogs that have been insured by Trupanion for many years. When I finally needed them, they had a million excuses why they would not cover my claim.” —Tracy C.

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Our Conclusion

Whether Trupanion or Healthy Paws pet insurance is right for you comes down to your preferences for coverage, price, and convenience. Healthy Paws is more affordable and covers alternative therapy, but you have to go through the claims process to get reimbursement. Trupanion offers direct payment, but it doesn’t cover alternative therapies and is considerably more expensive. 

We suggest carefully reviewing each provider’s site and sample policy to understand exactly what is and isn’t covered and determining which coverage options are right for your pet’s needs. Get a sample quote from each company to see what you can expect to pay and determine which fits best in your budget. Either way, having a pet insurance policy to pay for your pet’s health care goes a long way in providing peace of mind.

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FAQ About Healthy Paws and Trupanion

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Our Rating Methodology

We are dedicated to thorough, in-depth reviews of each product or service that we detail in our content. Determined to build trust with our readers through transparency, accuracy, and accountability, we’ve built a detailed rating system to score pet insurance brands. Included in this methodology are the following six factors with their respective scoring weights:

• Coverage (25)
• Plan options (20)
• Monthly cost (20)
• Company reputation (15)
• Customer service (10)
• Species eligibility (10)

Our researchers keep all data in each company’s score up to date, making any changes to our content when necessary to provide our readers with the most accurate information on relevant metrics, such as plan options, customer service, reputation, and monthly cost.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.