Things to Consider Before Choosing Pet Insurance in Massachusetts
- The type of coverage you need: Some pet insurance plans only cover accidental injuries, while others also cover illnesses. You will need to decide what type of coverage is right for you and your pet.
- The cost of the plan: Pet insurance can be expensive, so it is important to find a plan that fits your budget.
- The deductible and reimbursement rate: The deductible is the amount of money you will have to pay out of pocket before your insurance kicks in. The reimbursement rate is the percentage of the vet bill that your insurance will cover.
- The waiting period: Some pet insurance companies have a waiting period before they will cover certain conditions. This is usually around 14 days.
- The policy limits: The policy limits are the maximum amount of money your insurance will pay out for a single claim or over the lifetime of your pet.
Introduction
Known for its long history, vast cranberry fields, and beautiful lakes, Massachusetts is the state where you can enjoy a long walk with your four-legged friend any day of the year.
But, be wicked careful – these places hold many ‘traps’ that can injure your pet. Since animals love to explore, sometimes, their curiosity can lead to them getting badly hurt.
So, what can you do to protect your pet in the Bay State?
Enter pet insurance – a simple way to keep your four-legged friend safe while you run around the cranberry bushes in Massachusetts. So, the question comes, what is the best pet insurance you can get in the state?
Read on to see our detailed review on the top pet insurance Massachusetts companies, their pros and cons, and everything you need to know about choosing one!
Best Pet Insurances in Massachusetts
Lemonade is Best Overall: Customized Plans and Coverage
Embrace Best for: Accidents and Illnesses Coverage
Healthy Paws Best for: Affordable Coverage with Quick Claims Processing
Prudent Pet Best for: Unlimited Annual Coverage
ASPCA Best for: Coverage for Cats, Dogs, and Horses
Fetch by Dodo (Petplan) Best for: Covering Multiple Types of Pets
Plans & Coverage: Lemonade
Lemonade has truly made an impact on the pet insurance market. It doesn’t just offer basic services but goes beyond that by providing certain features that other insurance companies don’t provide.
Take their plan development process, for example. Lemonade uses an AI to devise the perfect basic pet insurance plan. All you need to do is answer several questions that would give it enough knowledge to tailor the best plan for your pet.
Note that the information you give here influences the price of the insurance package. Or, better said, the price depends on the type of pet, breed, age, and any previous healthcare problems. In general, for the basic plan, the price ranges between $11 – $85.
The standard coverage includes the following:
- Diagnostics – X-rays, MRIs, blood tests, CT scans, lab work, and ultrasounds
- Medication – injections and all types of prescripted meds
- Procedures – hospitalization, emergency care, outpatient, and even surgery
To a simple package like this you can add several add-ons:
- Vet visits – the price is around $2-$5 for a cat and $3-$8 for a dog, per month
- Physical therapy – a general price of $1-$3 monthly
- Preventative care plans – there are three sub-plans – the third one being reserved for pets under 2 years of age. Each contains different types of features i.e. covers various accidents. They start from $15 and go up to $50 for dogs and $10 to $40 for cats.
Pay attention to the exclusions as well. For instance, Lemonade doesn’t cover dental care, pre-existing conditions, and injuries that have happened before the end of your waiting period – 2 days for injury, 2 weeks for illness, and 6 months for ligament injury.
This pet insurance company also allows you to customize the:
- Deductible – $100, $200, $250
- Reimbursement rate – 70%, 80%, 90%
- Annual coverage – $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, $100,000
Lemonade Pros
- Affordable plans and excellent care
- All unused funds go to a charity at the end of the year
- Offers discounts if you add another pet or take another type of insurance
Lemonade Cons
- Doesn’t allow pet insurance for kittens and puppies under 2 months
Plans & Coverage: Embrace
Embrace is a highly recognized company for pet insurance in Massachusetts, providing excellent services to all cat and dog owners. If you have an energetic pet that always finds its way to trouble, this insurance company’s plans will surely cover the accidents.
The coverage here includes:
- Accidents and injuries
- Tests, treatments, and procedures – including hospitalization and surgery
- Vet visits
- Illness and conditions – cancer, breed or genetic conditions, chronic conditions, orthopedic conditions
- Dental care
- Emergency care
- Prescriptions
- Physical therapy
Overall, the pet insurance premium goes around $10 and to around $60, naturally depending on the breed of your cat or dog, their age, and many other factors.
In addition, there is a Wellness Rewards plan. This one comes as an addition to your insurance plan and helps you save up money from the expected expenses like vaccines, yearly checkups, training and grooming, neutering, flea or tick preventative procedures, and more.
For an additional $18-$53 per month, this plan comes as 3 different annual coverages:
- $250 per year
- $450 per year
- $650 per year
However, just like every other pet insurance company, Embrace also has some exclusions. These include DNA testing, breeding, pregnancy, routine veterinary care, deliberate injury, etc.
Pre-existing conditions are part of the exclusions but Embrace only notes the last 12 months of your pet’s medical history. So, if there are some conditions that have already been cured, they would not fall under pre-existing ones.
Embrace Pros
- Different care on pre-existing conditions
- $2 go to charity for each policy they make
Embrace Cons
- Has a limited annual coverage
Plans & Coverage: Healthy Paws
This is one of the best pet insurance Massachusetts companies – and a highly affordable one.
It offers an easy-to-understand policy that doesn’t have any expensive add-ons. Its plans cost around $39 monthly for a dog and $12 for a cat. In this coverage, you can expect emergency care, surgery, chronic conditions, cancer, hereditary conditions, and many more care features.
Another good thing is that Healthy Paws has a mobile app that allows you to process your claim in a few seconds. It asks you to scan the veterinarian bill and send it to them. The brand states that, in only 48 hours, your funds will be reimbursed.
Remember that this pet insurance doesn’t cover any pre-existing conditions. But what makes it different from the rest is the fact that it also doesn’t cover wellness care which implies that you’d have to get another insurance policy for that.
A good thing about this company is that it doesn’t have an annual coverage limit. The deductibles are $250 or $500 and the reimbursement rate is 70% or 80%.
Healthy Paws Pros
- Donates to many nonprofit pet organizations for each time a quote is purchased
- Has a straightforward mobile app
- Affordable plan
Healthy Paws Cons
- Has no wellness care options
Plans & Coverage: Prudent Pet
Now, here is something to bark about in the Old Colony State!
Prudent Pet is one of the best pet insurance in Massachusetts. It offers comprehensive care with additional options that you can add. But most importantly, you will love their Ultimate plan that comes with no annual coverage limit – something that we rarely see in insurance companies.
There are three basic plans that you can choose from:
- Accident Only – covering only injuries that come from accidents like a bite wound, broken bones, dental injuries, emergency and hospitalization, and alternative therapies prescribed by a doctor. It has a $10,000 annual coverage limit and a 24/7 vet chat.
- Essential – covers accidents and illnesses like cancer or digestive problems. Plus, it has the same $10,000 annual benefit and 24/7 vet chat features.
- Ultimate – it’s the best of both worlds. Covering accidents and illnesses, it comes with an unlimited annual benefit and 24/7 vet support.
To add more strength to your insurance plan, you can choose one of the two add-ons provided:
- Wellness coverage add-ons – for $5-$12 per month you can easily cover the vet fees
- Veterinary exam – you can choose between the Low option which gets you $210 in annual coverage, the Medium option with $315 coverage, or the High option, with $460 in annual coverage.
You can customize your plan with a deductible of $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 and a reimbursement rate of 70%, 80%, or 90%.
Lastly, note the plan exclusions. Much like the rest, Prudent Pet doesn’t accept pre-existing conditions that have happened before the policy takes effect. Other exclusions include pregnancy, breeding, and holistic therapies that are not prescribed from your vet, alongside organ transplants, experimental treatments, and elective treatments.
Prudent Pet Pros
- 24/7 live chat option
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Prudent Pet Cons
- Has higher premiums than other competitors
Plans & Coverage: ASPCA
Most pet insurance Massachusetts plans offer coverage for cats and dogs. ASPCA goes a step further and includes horses in their plans. Namely, this insurance company has 2 basic plans for cats and dogs.
The first one is the Accident-Only Coverage – it covers just injuries that are a result of an accident. This includes bites, swallowing small objects, etc. The second one is the Complete Coverage plan that encompasses injuries as well as illness.
For horses, there are also 2 types of insurance plans that match the previously mentioned ones for cats and dogs.
Colic + Accidents is only for injuries that come from an accident.
Colic + Accidents + Illnesses plan adds on protection from various illnesses like cancer or hereditary conditions.
To all of these, you can include wellness riders. There are two that give different treatments for various wellness services.
Considering the low pricing of the plans – around $10-$25 per month – it’s no wonder that this is one of the best Massachusetts pet insurance policies. However, the annual coverage limits are also lower. But, there is also an unlimited option that won’t be shown to you on the page – you’ll have to call and ask for this extra.
Of course, pre-existing conditions are not covered here either. Injuries that are symptom-free for 180 days are not considered pre-existing.
ASPCA Pros
- Covers horses as well
- Has a comparison tool that allows you to compare ASPCA plans with others
ASPCA Cons
- 14-days waiting period
- $10,000 annual coverage cap
Plans & Coverage: Fetch by Dodo (Petplan)
If you want the best pet insurance in Massachusetts that allows you to cover multiple pets including rabbits, horses, and exotic animals, Fetch is your company!
They cover some issues that other companies don’t like behavioral conditions or physiotherapy. Of course, their portfolio includes hereditary issues, dental problems, cancer treatments, prescription medicine, etc.
There are two plans that you can choose from. The 12 Month Cover is only available for 1 year and offers all features. The Covered for Life provides protection to your pet for all their lifespan as long as you renew your policy.
Sadly, they don’t cover preventative care costs nor the pre-existing conditions that have happened previously or during the 15 day waiting period.
Fetch by Dodo (Petplan) Pros
- Various types of pets can be insured
- Have a 97% payout rate on their claims
- Offer a multi-pet discount
Fetch by Dodo (Petplan) Cons
- Has no wellness plan
How Much Is Pet Insurance in Massachusetts?
In general, pet insurance in Massachusetts goes around $30-$60 for dogs and $15-$30 for cats. Other pets’ insurance revolves around these numbers as well. But, just like all insurance companies, the premium of your plan will depend on several different factors.
As you can see, the first one is the type of animal you’re insuring. Cats usually have plans with lower premiums due to their more timid nature. On the other hand, dogs love to jump around so the price for their insurance plans is higher.
Then comes the pet’s age and breed. Older animals cost more because they’re expected to be more frequent at the vet. On the other hand, there are some breeds that are more prone to illness than others regardless of their age.
Customization can also play an important part in your pet insurance plan. You can choose to add a wellness plan to your insurance or several other add-ons. These will give you additional safety, but will also cost you more.
Sometimes, pet insurance companies give out discounts that can lower the price of the plan. Even the best pet insurance for Massachusetts will offer a multi-pet discount or another deduction of sorts.
FAQ
What can pet insurance in Massachusetts cover?
With pet insurance, you can practically cover everything your pet needs health-wise.
Depending on your plan, you can shield your pet from simple injuries like indigestion problems or bite marks, or get a plan that covers every possible illness and injury.
With an add-on, you can pay for wellness expenses or a trip to the vet. As per statistics, the average pet insurance plan in Massachusetts – using standard features and addons – is estimated between $30–$60 a month for dogs and $15–$30 a month for cats.
What is the best pet insurance in Massachusetts?
Each of the insurances provided in this review is some of the best ones. In general, the best pet insurance for Massachusetts residents is the one that would give you everything you need to protect your furry friend.
Is pet insurance worth it in Massachusetts?
Yes! We highly recommend that you get pet insurance in Massachusetts. You might never know when your pet needs it and you can’t keep trailing behind it, making sure it doesn’t get hurt.
