Getting pet insurance in North America is practically a must these days, given the value of the vet bills that pet owners can expect in situations such as accidents.
If you do not have a savings account specifically made for your companion and you’d feel a little more reassured by getting them insurance, here’s what you should know before choosing Lemonade Pet.
How Does Lemonade Pet Insurance Work? The Details
Insurance can be a little difficult to explain to someone who has never used it before, especially for their pets. But the main idea is that the company collects a monthly fee that they store and then use in the event of an expense, whether that is a routine exam or an emergency vet visit.
The plans that Lemonade sells can be customized to some extent depending on every pet, their age, their health status, and their most essential needs. They can also be designed depending on the financial possibilities of the pet owner.
There are some basic plans that people can opt for that cover certain expenses in the event of accidents and illnesses that weren’t reported before the policy started, but there are add-ons that pet owners can also choose in case they want as much of their vet bills covered as possible.
Some examples of such procedures range from blood tests and imaging techniques such as MRIs, X-rays, or CT scans, to injections and prescription medications or hospitalizations and surgeries.
Some of the add-ons can range from the so-called extended accident and illness package that includes physical therapy, for example, to the preventative package, which includes vaccines, dental cleanings, and a variety of other tests performed at the veterinary clinic.
Getting Payments From Lemonade Pet Insurance
Getting payments for the procedures that your pet went through is actually very easy and straightforward – you have to pay your vet bill first and then get your money back, though, so the insurance company will not be the one paying the vet directly.
You can file a claim through the mobile app, or the website, or by calling the contact phone number available on the Lemonade Pet site. Something that makes this type of pet insurance quite different is that for accidents and other emergency situations, it can pay pet owners back in just two days.
It rarely takes more than this time span for the whole process to be completed and you can get as much as 70% back of the vet bill.
What Does Deductible Mean?
A deductible is the amount of the veterinary bill that you are in charge of covering before the pet insurance company can start making payments to you.
For instance, the maximum annual coverage when it comes to Lemonade ranges from $5,000 to $100,000, with reimbursement choices ranging from 70% to 90% and deductible choices of $100, $250, and $500. That’s the money you’ll have to pay out of pocket before Lemonade starts reimbursing you.
What Does Premium Mean?
A Premium is the amount of money you effectively pay every month to continue having your pet covered by the insurance company. The sum can vary depending on several factors, and it almost always increases as the pet becomes older.
Senior pets have a much higher likelihood of developing chronic diseases, which means that the pet insurance company becomes aware of the fact that in case something happens, they’ll have to cover higher and higher vet bills.
Claims and Reimbursement Times
Filing a claim is made very easy by the Lemonade app. It is now available for both Android and iOS devices, and all you have to do is go into the app, hit the ‘Claim’ button, and then the application will make the process as smooth for you as possible.
The majority of straightforward claims are paid in a couple of seconds, so that’s one less thing to worry about – you’ll simply get the money transferred into your bank account immediately.
Complex claims can take a little more time to fund, but the reimbursement times are still pretty good. As previously mentioned, the accidents take just two days to cover. The illnesses can take up to two weeks, and the longest ones are the cruciate ligament events, which can take up to six months to fund.
Is Lemonade Pet Insurance Worth It?
All in all, Lemonade Pet Insurance plans seem to be worth the hype they’ve been getting over the past years. Not a lot of people across North America get pet insurance for their companions, whether because their budget does not allow them to do so or for any other reason.
Sometimes, vet bills can be downright crippling to a person’s finances and can make them severely go into debt. So, if you’d like to avoid that, the least you could do is get one of the most basic policies for your dog or cat at less than twenty dollars a month.
Of course, the cost largely depends on every pet in part, their previous conditions, if they were always taken care of responsibly, and more. But in a nutshell, yes, Lemonade Pet Insurance is worth the monthly cost.
Contact Information for Canceling Lemonade Policies
You can call 1-844-733-8666 to cancel your policy if you want to talk to a company representative. You can also cancel online at Lemonade or by sending an email to help@lemonade.com.
These days, you can even use the app to cancel your policy and text a customer service agent. This feature is called ‘Line’ and is a relatively new one when it comes to the Lemonade app.
Lemonade Pet Insurance FAQ
Yes. You can change your policy whenever you feel like it, even if the cooling off period has ended.
You are eligible for a full refund if you paid for the whole year or a longer period of time and you have not filed any claims with the company whatsoever.
Yes. You can get a 5% discount if you want to insure multiple pets. There’s also a 5% annual discount, and if you want to use the same brand for getting home or renters insurance, you can even get an additional 10% on your policy.
Yes. All pet insurance policies go up as your pet gets older, so that’s normal for absolutely every company you might want to get a plan with.
While Lemonade Pet is one of the most affordable options you have available, the policy can go up to five times as your dog becomes a senior, so you might end up paying $100 monthly or more for pet insurance, depending on your pet’s health status.
Yes. Ideally, your cat or dog should have been seen by a veterinarian at least once in the last twelve months in order for the company to get an idea of how much your policy should be worth every month.
There’s the option of you getting the base plan and then updating your vet records, too, but you need to do that in the first 14 days after signing up – otherwise, the plan is not going to cover you in case of an emergency or illness.
In order for Lemonade to give you a refund on whatever you’ve paid at the animal hospital, they need some personal information such as your bank account details, along with your social security number – just to make sure they’re sending the funds to the right person, the one who’s paying for the policy every single month.
Yes, you are allowed to visit any veterinarian that you think is the best choice for your dog. The main restriction that we have to note here is that Lemonade Pet Insurance is only available in 37 states, including Washington D.C., so make sure you do your research before signing up for the first time. Your vet, of course, needs to be licensed in the state they practice.
It depends on your specific plan. Some of the more basic ones do not cover your cat or dog for anything other than accidents, which means that routine vet visits aren’t included.
However, if you do want things like your pet’s vaccinations and regular tests to be covered by Lemonade, you have to opt for the Preventative or Preventative+ package.
The insurance company will simply send you the cost of the treatment after you submit a claim.
More complex ones may need to be analyzed for a number of days, whereas very straightforward ones, such as those involving accidents or routine exams such as boosters, heartworm tests, or a variety of deworming and external parasite medications, will be funded in less than three days’ time.