Petfirst vs Healthy Paws

Petfirst vs Healthy Paws

We write our honest reviews but this page may contain affiliate links, with some of the partners mentioned, to support this website. Read more here

Choosing a convenient pet insurance solution can be a difficult ordeal for pet owners, as there are many providers on the market promising the best conditions.

Petfirst logo

PetFirst reaching more than 40,000 pets all over the USA.

5/5
healthypaws logo

Healthy Paws ranked as one of the few great insurances.

4.5/5

PetFirst and Healthy Paws are ranked among the most popular pet insurance companies, and each can be a superb choice when it comes to providing suitable pet policies. But, as it goes with any kind of purchase, it’s always wise to compare the features of each policy before you opt for a winner.  

In this article, we will compare the PetFirst and Healthy Paws in terms of their coverage options, deductibles, reimbursements, prices, and more.

Comparing PetFirst vs Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

PetFirst Overview

The PetFirst pet enrollment process is one of the easiest in the industry. The pet insurance company offers a shorter waiting period for accident coverage than most of its competitors – 24 hours – and pet owners don’t have to disclose a vet exam. 

PetFirst insurance plans offer coverage for a wider range of conditions than many other providers and don’t have an upper age limit for enrollment. If you spend a whole year without filing a claim, you can get PetFirst’s healthy pet discount. 

Medical conditions covered by PetFirst’s pet health insurance include accident-related injuries and dental issues, hereditary or congenital illnesses, chronic diseases, and cancer.

Medical treatments covered by this provider include emergency care, specialty care, behavioral care, alternative and physical therapy, preventative care, surgery, diagnostic tests and exams, and hospitalization expenses.

Healthy Paws Overview

Healthy Paws is one of the most popular pet insurance providers among acclaimed veterinarians. With no annual limit or caps on the claims in its insurance plan policy and a 15-day waiting period for illness and injury-related expenses, Healthy Paws provides pet owners with one of the best choices for comprehensive illness and accident coverage. 

The A+ rating with BBB and the positive feedback from satisfied customers confirm the quality of this provider’s services.

Medical conditions covered by the Healthy Paws pet insurance policy include accident-related injuries, congenital and hereditary illnesses, chronic diseases, accidental, dental issues, and cancer.

Medical treatments included in this provider’s policy are hospitalization, surgery, diagnostic tests, alternative therapy, emergency, and specialty care as well as prescription drugs.

For pets at ages lower than six, Healthy Paws also covers expenses related to hip dysplasia treatment.  Pet pre-existing conditions are not covered in either provider’s plans.

PetFirst Pet Insurance Coverage Details 

PetFirst’s accident and pet illness coverage includes the standard features in the industry for a reasonable price. However, this provider stands out from the competition as they have no waiting period for orthopedic conditions, patella issues, or hip dysplasia (unlike Healthy Paws’ 12-month waiting period for this condition). 

For pet owners who seek extra coverage, PetFirst offers wellness plans to purchase as an addition to the standard plans. These pet wellness plans will get you covered with vaccinations, spaying and neutering procedures, and more expenses connected to routine care.

For these purposes, you can choose from three routine wellness coverage packages. 

PetFirst’s pet insurance gets you covered anywhere in the US, so you don’t have to worry about alarmingly high vet bills in case of an emergency during a trip with your pet. 

Another feature that makes PetFirst’s policy special is the holistic care you get in the insurance company’s Lifetime plans at no additional cost. Most of the provider’s competitors offer alternative therapy coverage for extra fees. 

This feature includes medical treatments such as hydrotherapy, chiropractic work, and other types of alternative therapy available at licensed vet offices. This makes PetFirst a good choice for older pets who may have their ailments alleviated with alternative treatments.

Healthy Paws Coverage Details 

Healthy Paws offers some of the most comprehensive pet healthcare coverage policies on the market without any caps or annual limits. This provider’s plans include all accidents and illnesses without any limitations for congenital or hereditary conditions.

Healthy Paws will also cover your vet bills linked to emergency care, surgeries, and hospitalizations. The provider offers all-encompassing pet insurance plans that cover up to 90% of your vet bills and are in alignment with actual costs.

The pet insurance company doesn’t impose any annual limits on its policies, and you’ll usually have to wait for 15 days in order for the accident and illness coverage to kick in. This can be very useful in cases when you face an emergency with your pet dog or cat that requires higher expenses than you have calculated. 

No matter how many emergency situations happen to your pet in the same year, Healthy Paws will still cover the expenses, which is a significant reassurance.

PetFirst vs Healthy Paws: Benefit Limits 

When it comes to benefit limits, the advantage of PetFirst’s pet insurance plans is that they don’t include per-incident or per-illness limits. However, they still have annual limits. 

You can choose between a limit at $5,000, $10,000, or $20,000. The $5,000 annual limit plan comes with a standard monthly deductible in the pet insurance market, whereas the other two limit plans are less affordable. 

Many competitors in the industry, including Healthy Paws, offer more budget-friendly options than the $20,000 limit plan. This higher benefit level comes with a higher monthly premium, which can be pricey for many pet parents.

The lack of per-incident limits and lifetime limits makes PetFirst a suitable option for cats or dogs suffering from illnesses that require regular vet visits and treatments, such as diabetes or cancer. 

On the other hand, Healthy Paws is one of the few providers that offer pet insurance plans with no caps or limits. No annual limits, lifetime limits, or per-incident caps are included in their policies. While there are other providers with unlimited benefits, it is the case with their most expensive plans, but Healthy Paws’ standard plan comes with an unlimited benefit option. 

As it usually goes with most pet insurance providers, Healthy Paws covers 80% to 90% of your vet bill, unless the particular procedure is linked to a pre-existing condition. This gives you an important sense of reassurance and lifts off your financial stress.

PetFirst vs Healthy Paws: Deductibles Compared 

With PetFirst, you can choose a deductible of $50, $100, $250, or $500. These low deductibles are hard to find in most other pet insurance providers’ policies. 

Lower deductible options come with higher premium rates, however, they could be a convenient solution for pet owners who can afford these monthly premiums and aren’t really able to opt for extra expenses on the deductibles.

Pet owners that choose an insurance plan from PetFirst can upgrade or downgrade their coverage at any given moment in the duration of their policy, which is a rare benefit among other pet insurance providers. 

In addition to that, you only pay a deductible for the first medical treatment of a particular health issue, like an eye infection. For all further vet visits and procedures connected to the same infection, PetFirst will cover the full reimbursement percentage of your vet bill.

Healthy Paws, on the other hand, includes an annual deductible in its pet insurance plans.

The level of deductible is customizable and you can control your premium by choosing a suitable cost – the higher deductible you opt for, the lower the premium you pay.

Healthy Paws offers three possible levels of deductible, priced at $100, $250, and $500. So, for example, if you go for the lowest deductible ($100), your per-incident payout will be higher as well as your monthly premium.

PetFirst vs Healthy Paws: Reimbursement Compared 

With PetFirst, you can choose from three reimbursement rates – at 70%, 80%, or 90% of your vet bill. Similar to other acclaimed pet insurance providers on the market, this insurance company will get you cover on the actual vet bills. 

As for Healthy Paws, pet owners can choose from the same reimbursement levels (70%, 80%, and 90%) and get reimbursed depending on the expenses of their actual veterinary bill.

The provider will take care of your pet healthcare costs after you meet the deductible and your co-pay. Similar to the deductible system, you will get a higher reimbursement rate for your claims by choosing a higher monthly premium. 

PetFirst vs Healthy Paws: Pricing 

What makes PetFirst a solid option for your pet insurance is the lower annual limit plans that come with generally average monthly deductibles in comparison to similar policies. Nevertheless, PetFirst’s higher limit plans tend to be more expensive than the ones offered by some of the company’s competitors. Pet parents who enroll in a pet insurance policy online can get $10 to $20 off of the monthly premium. Multiple pet owners get a 5% discount for adding a second pet to the policy and a 10% discount for the third pet involved. There’s also a 10% animal care employee discount, 5% to 10% corporate employee member discount, and 5% discount for members of the military. 

If you choose to pay your whole annual bill upfront, you get a $24 discount. 

On average, the monthly premium for cat owners starts at $9, while the premium for dog owners starts at $17 per month. There are also 10% lifetime discounts for animal welfare volunteers and members of alumni organizations as well as groups like AAA, AARP, or Costco. 

At Healthy Paws, the average monthly premium for cats starts at $17.19, and $32.80 for dogs. Taking into consideration that Healthy Paws has no annual limits and includes customization of deductibles and payout percentage, this provider’s plans are quite affordable and budget-friendly. 

In general, Healthy Paws offers convenient plans for mixed-breed dogs, mutt, or crossbreed dogs. On the other hand, owners of medium to large-sized purebred dogs may find PetFirst’s plans a bit more affordable. Healthy Paws is usually a better choice for small purebred dogs than PetFirst.

PetFirst vs Healthy Paws: Enrollment and Waiting Periods

PetFirst offers a shorter pet insurance waiting period for accidents and illnesses than most competitors in the industry. While most pet insurance plans from other providers (including Healthy Paws) can take a whole year to start covering genetic conditions such as hip dysplasia, with PetFirst you’ll need to wait for only 14 days.

PetFirst’s enrollment procedure doesn’t require a vet exam and their coverage for accident-related injuries begins on the day of purchase, while the illness coverage starts after two weeks. You’ll have no fee to cancel and unlike many providers, PetFirst has no upper age limit. However, the lower age limit for enrollment of new dogs or cats is 8 weeks. 

Healthy Paws, on the other hand, does have an upper age limit – your dog must not be over 13 years old at the time of enrollment, while the starting age is the same as PetFirst’s (8 weeks). The waiting period is 15 days for accidents and illnesses, whereas you’ll have to wait for 12 months for hip dysplasia coverage.

PetFirst vs Healthy Paws: Claims and Service

PetFirst is one of the few competitors in the pet insurance industry that offers a healthy pet discount for owners who spend a whole year without making a claim. In addition to that, PetFirst won’t increase your premium depending on the number of claims on a yearly basis. So, even if your pet requires frequent vet visits for a particular illness or injury, you won’t have to pay more. 

The pet insurance claim procedure goes as standard for most providers. You pay your vet expenses up front, then file a claim form containing all relevant receipts and invoices via email, fax, postal mail, or the PetFirst’s online MyPets portal. When the customer service team processes your claim, they will email you the reimbursement check between 10 to 14 days after the date of claim filing.

Healthy Paws stands out from other pet insurance companies due to its quick and easy reimbursement of pet owners’ claims. The provider’s customer support team is effective and available 7 days a week during work hours. They will process your claim within several days.

Which One is Better for Your Pet?

All in all, both PetFirst and HealthyPaws have favorable features regarding customer service and claims. While PetFirst offers more affordable prices, Healthy Paws benefits owners with older or more vulnerable pets, thanks to its limitless coverage – regardless of frequent vet visits.

Related Topics: