Key takeaways
- Most pet insurance companies do not cover pre-existing conditions, including problems that start during the waiting period.
- Pet insurers sometimes distinguish between curable and incurable pre-existing conditions.
- Coverage for curable pre-existing conditions typically requires your pet to be symptom-free and treatment-free for a set period of time before coverage starts.
Before you buy a pet insurance policy, understand how the company views pre-existing conditions, including exclusions and policy rules that could make your pet eligible for coverage in the future. A pre-existing condition exclusion doesn’t always mean coverage is unavailable forever.
The best pet insurance for pre-existing conditions
Are pre-existing conditions covered by pet insurance?
Pet insurance policies generally exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions. Some companies distinguish between curable and incurable pre-existing conditions. If the insurer covers curable pre-existing conditions, it will require that your pet has no symptoms or treatment for a specific period, such as six months.
How do pet insurance companies define a “pre-existing condition”?
Pet insurance companies generally define a pre-existing condition as one that your pet was diagnosed with or treated for before you bought the policy or during the waiting period.
Curable conditions
A curable pre-existing condition is a condition that your pet has been treated for and has fully recovered from. Some examples include:
- Upper respiratory infections, such as kennel cough
- Dental illnesses, such as gingivitis
- Ear infections
- Urinary-tract infections
- Vomiting or diarrhea that isn’t related to a chronic condition
Incurable conditions
An incurable pre-existing condition does not go away with treatment. Instead, you might use medication or other therapies to manage the symptoms. Some examples include:
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Cruciate-ligament tears
- Diabetes
- Hip dysplasia
Do any insurers offer coverage for pre-existing conditions?
Some pet insurance companies provide coverage for curable pre-existing conditions. For example:
- ASPCA, Pumpkin and Spot will cover a curable pre-existing condition if your pet has been symptom- and treatment-free for 180 days.
- Figo covers curable pre-existing conditions after your pet has been symptom- and treatment-free for 12 consecutive months.
- AKC covers incurable pre-existing conditions like cruciate-ligament injuries and hip dysplasia after you’ve had 365 days of continuous coverage, but it was not one the top-scoring insurers in our analysis.
Do pets need an exam to get insurance?
Pets usually don’t need an exam to get insurance. But depending on the state and insurer, you might be able to reduce or even eliminate certain waiting periods by having your pet examined by a veterinarian when you buy a policy.
Is pet insurance still worth it if a pet has pre-existing conditions?
Pet insurance can be worth the cost even if the pet has a pre-existing condition. A policy helps you pay for accidents and illnesses that have nothing to do with the pre-existing condition.
If your pet has numerous pre-existing conditions that would be excluded from coverage, it’s harder to determine whether pet insurance cost is worth it. In that case, you might decide to pay for treatment for new conditions yourself.
Methodology
We evaluated 16 pet insurance policies based on:
- Base-plan generosity (50%). The most important factor in a pet insurance policy is how much coverage you’re getting for your money. For this category, we looked at coverage included without add-ons, such as alternative therapies, vet-exam fees, dental illness, burial and cremation, and more. We also factored in whether curable pre-existing conditions are covered after a certain period.
- Cost (20%). We factored in average costs for plans with $5,000 and unlimited annual coverage for cats and dogs ages 4 months, 2 years and 8 years.
- Price-shock protection for claims (15%). No one wants an unpleasant surprise with a claim. For this category, we analyzed how claim payments are calculated, low-deductible options and whether there are condition-specific payment caps and direct-vet-payment systems.
- Premium stability (10%). When you find good pet insurance, you want to avoid being priced out of it in the future. We looked at the current cost spread between puppies and older dogs and whether making a claim can lead to a rate increase.
- Customization power (5%). It’s valuable to have some control over your monthly premium. We looked at the range of annual coverage, reimbursement and deductible options available from each pet insurance company.
Advertisers and partners don’t influence our ratings, as our research and editorial team maintains independence in using data-driven methodologies.
We use a curved-rating system: Scores are assigned relative to the top-performing product or company; providers that score the most points are assigned 5 stars, and other star ratings are assigned based on performance relative to the top performer. The lowest-scoring companies received 1 star.