Pets Best vs. Healthy Paws: 2024 Comparison

Pet owners want the best for their four-legged friends, which can make choosing a pet health insurance provider difficult. There’s research to do, policies to understand, and pros and cons to compare to determine the right plan for your pet’s needs. A pet insurance plan is also an investment, so you want to make sure you get coverage that makes the monthly expense worth it. 

We have researched dozens of the best pet insurance companies. This review compares two popular providers—Pets Best and Healthy Paws—based on our analysis of their websites, sample policies, Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings, customer reviews, and more.

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Compare Pets Best and Healthy Paws

Pets Best and Healthy Paws are popular pet insurers with plenty of beneficial features. They both have high ratings from the BBB and offer unlimited coverage. They provide equal customer service support via a customer portal, mobile app, and online chat function. They each also have quick claims processing times—as short as two days if you choose to receive your reimbursement through direct deposit.

They differ in two primary ways. The first is their options for coverage limit, deductible, and reimbursement rate, which can all affect your monthly premium. Pets Best has far more choices, offering a $5,000 coverage limit option in addition to unlimited coverage. The provider also provides six deductible choices, one as low as $50. Pets Best offers three reimbursement rates, with one as high as 90%. Healthy Pets offers only one coverage limit, two deductible options, and two reimbursement rates, with the highest being 80%.

The second major difference is that Pets Best offers a wellness plan option, whereas Healthy Paws does not. Wellness plans are optional add-ons you can combine with your standard plan for an extra monthly fee. These plans help cover the cost of routine care, such as annual checkups, grooming, spaying and neutering, and vaccinations.

*BBB ratings are current as of February 2023.

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Pets Best vs. Healthy Paws Coverage

Pets Best offers an accident-and-illness plan or an accident-only plan for those who don’t want illness coverage. Healthy Paws has one plan that covers both accidents and illnesses. The companies’ waiting periods for illness coverage are similar, but Pets Best has a much shorter waiting period of three days for accidents, whereas Healthy Paws’ is 15 days.

Pets Best offers more behavioral therapy coverage for pets that need help with issues such as anxiety and depression. However, Healthy Paws provides more alternative therapy coverage, such as acupuncture and chiropractic care. We rated Pets Best slightly higher in this area because it covers dental treatments, exam fees, and preventive measures such as microchipping in its wellness plan.

*Microchip implantation coverage is only included in Pets Best’s wellness plan.

Preventive Care Options

Healthy Paws doesn’t offer a wellness plan or any preventive care coverage. The company believes pet insurance should be used for urgent, unexpected vet expenses, not optional, routine treatments you can plan for.

Pets Best offers two tiers of preventive care that you can add within the first 30 days of a new policy enrollment or at your annual renewal. The EssentialWellness Plan costs an additional $16 per month, and the BestWellness Plan costs an extra $26 per month. 

The EssentialWellness Plan pays up to the following amounts per year with no deductible:

• Blood, fecal, parasite exams: $50
• Deworming: $20
• Flea/tick prevention: $50
• Heartworm prevention: $30
• Heartworm or FELV screening: $25
• Microchipping: $20
• Rabies: $15
• Urinalysis or ERD: $15
• Vaccination/titer: $30
• Wellness exam: $50

The BestWellness Plan pays up to the following amounts per year with no deductible:

• Blood, fecal, parasite exams: $50
• Deworming: $20
• Flea/tick prevention: $65
• Heartworm prevention: $30
• Heartworm or FELV screening: $30
• Microchipping: $40
• Rabies: $15
• Spaying/neutering or teeth cleaning: $150
• Urinalysis or ERD: $25
• Vaccination/titer: $40
• Wellness exam: $50

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Pets Best vs. Healthy Paws Cost

Pet insurance providers determine their pricing based on your location and your pet’s age, breed, species, and sometimes health conditions. Overall, Pets Best’s monthly premiums are cheaper than Healthy Paws’ no matter the variables.

Plan Customization

Pets Best offers more ability to customize your monthly premium by selecting the annual limit, deductible, and reimbursement rate that fit your needs and budget. See the options each provider gives customers below.

Pets Best:

• Annual coverage limits: $5,000, unlimited
• Deductibles: $50, $100, $200, $250, $500, $1,000
• Reimbursement rates: 70%, 80%, 90%

Healthy Paws:

• Annual coverage limits: Unlimited
• Deductibles: $250, $500
• Reimbursement rates: 70%, 80%

Pets Best vs. Healthy Paws Premiums

No matter the species or breed, Pets Best’s premiums are less expensive than Healthy Paws’. The difference is as much as almost $30 per month for some breeds. A pet owner with a 4-year-old, mixed-breed, male dog can save approximately $340 per year with a Pets Best accident-and-illness plan versus one with Healthy Paws.

*Sample quotes are for 4-year-old male pets in Raleigh, North Carolina, using a $250 deductible, 80% reimbursement rate, and unlimited annual coverage amount.

Pets Best vs. Healthy Paws Discounts

Healthy Paws eliminated discounts in late 2020 due to regulations from state insurance departments that make discount programs challenging. Pets Best still offers the following discounts:

• 5% off for military members and their families
• 5% off for multiple pets 

See our list of cheapest pet insurance companies if saving money is a priority for you.

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Pets Best vs. Healthy Paws Claim Filing

Both Pets Best and Healthy Paws have a mobile app that makes claim filing quick and easy. As with any pet insurance provider, you’ll need to pay your vet bills out of pocket at checkout. You can then file a claim for the amount. Once it’s approved, your provider will reimburse you based on your contract terms either via direct deposit or mailed check. Both companies state that most direct deposit claims are reimbursed within two or three days after claim approval. 

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Pets Best vs. Healthy Paws Reviews

Both Pets Best and Healthy Paws have an A or better rating from the BBB. However, they also both have mixed customer reviews. Pets Best’s review rating is 2.95 out of 5, while Healthy Paws’ is 2.75. Most negative claims revolve around claim denials, long reimbursement wait times, and customer service difficulties. However, many customers report having opposite, more positive experiences. 

Here are some of the recent customer reviews we found for each provider on BBB:

Pets Best:

“Wonderful company! I have had 2 claims paid back quickly. Glad I purchased it when my dog was a puppy.” —Amber B., July 22, 2023

“I submitted claims for my dog who was seen in September and passed away. They took longer than they promised to process the claims and denied them due to preexisting conditions which multiple vets said they were not.” —Josh B., Jan. 31, 2023

Healthy Paws:

“Amazing company! Never had any issues sending claims and getting approvals and reimbursed. Fast, easy, and always reliable! My baby got injured and had back surgery and we got reimbursed within about 1 week.” —Julie N., Jan. 18, 2023

“Terrible customer service They struggle finding the right resources to help with your claims/appeals, all their departments struggle to communicate with each other.” —Jorge T., Feb. 15, 2023

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Our Conclusion

Pets Best is stronger than Healthy Paws in multiple categories, including cost and customization options. Its prices are cheaper and it offers more options for your annual limit, deductible, and reimbursement rates. 

Healthy Paws offers far more coverage for alternative therapies to help pets through medical issues without invasive veterinary care. The company is also up-front if it believes it isn’t the right provider for you based on what you’re looking for when you request a sample quote. 

Which provider is best ultimately depends on your budget and desired coverage. We recommend reading each provider’s plan details carefully—particularly its exclusions—to see which has the coverage best suited to your pet’s health needs. We also suggest getting a sample quote from each company to see how your monthly premium will compare.

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FAQ About Pet Insurance

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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.