A Promising New Provider? – CanineJournal.com
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Lemonade hit the pet insurance market in July 2020 with a unique Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven claims process and four solid years of providing reputable homeowners and renters insurance.
For pet insurance, they offer affordable premiums, customizable policies, a wellness plan add-on, and a fast claims process they handle through their smartphone app.
But does Lemonade provide all the coverage you’ll need for your pet? And how do they stack up against their competitors?
Lemonade Pet Insurance
3.4 / 5
Pros
- Annual deductible (not per incident)
- No lifetime limits on any plan
- Wellness coverage available as an add-on
- Easy to submit claims on mobile apps
- Lower than average pricing
- Coverage available for pets aged 1 week to 20+ years
- Company makes sizeable charitable contributions to causes of their customers’ choosing
- BBB rating: B+ (with a high average of 4.25/5 stars for customer reviews)
Cons
- Vet exams for accidents and illnesses only covered in extended add-on plan
- Must pay extra for physical therapy, acupuncture, and hydrotherapy coverage
- Strict exclusions for pre-exisiting bilateral conditions
- Very limited customer service options
- Only available in 33 states and DC
- Not covered when traveling with your pet outside of the U.S.
Alternatives To Lemonade
We don’t include Lemonade (or any company with less than five years in the pet insurance industry) in our annual rankings because it takes time for providers to establish consistent pricing and customer experience. To find the best, our experts regularly analyze over a dozen established companies. Learn more about this year’s top-ranked companies.
Key Features
- Underwriter: Lemonade Insurance Agency LLC
- Requires a full medical exam from the past 12 months for pets older than one
- Bilateral exclusions (a condition or disease that affects both sides of the body) are considered pre-existing
- You can only submit claims through their app (Android | iOS), and you must file claims within 180 days of an accident or illness occurring
- Also offers homeowners and renters insurance, and you can get a 10% discount if you bundle pet insurance with one of these other policies
- Only available in 33 states and the District of Columbia: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CT, GA, IL, IN, IA, MD, MI, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, and WI.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Pet insurance providers don’t cover pre-existing conditions, but the specific definitions can vary by company. A pre-existing condition is defined by Lemonade in their policy as:
“Any Condition for which a Veterinarian provided medical advice, the pet received treatment for, or the pet displayed signs or symptoms consistent with the stated Condition prior to the Start Date of a pet insurance policy or during any Waiting Period.”
Customer Service
Lemonade offers far fewer customer service options than most pet insurance providers because it’s structured largely as a digital company. All claims are handled through their app, and their app has an AI-driven chatbot. They do provide a phone number in case of emergencies (e.g., your pet needs immediate surgery to save his life), but there’s no general customer service phone number, email, or live chat.
Waiting Periods
These waiting periods begin on your policy’s start date, and Lemonade will only consider reimbursement for your claim after the waiting period ends.
- Two days: Accidents
- 14 days: Illnesses
- Six months: Cruciate ligament events (bilateral exclusion for pre-existing cruciate ligament injuries and lameness)
What Does Lemonade Cover?
A Lemonade pet health insurance policy will cover your dog or cat for the following if they experience an unexpected accident or illness.
| Covered | Not Covered |
|---|---|
| Accidents | Pre-existing conditions |
| Illnesses | Veterinary exam fees (available with Extended add-on only) |
| Surgeries | Bilateral conditions, if your pet had at any time any pre-existing conditions consistent with that same bilateral condition on either side of the body |
| Hospitalization | Dental care (except for extraction and reconstruction of damaged teeth due to accident) |
| Specialty Care | Preventative care and wellness visits (Available with wellness coverage only) |
| Emergency care | Behavioral conditions |
| Diagnostic treatment and testing (x-rays, MRIs, blood tests, ultrasounds, etc.) | Conditions relating to and resulting from breeding or pregnancy |
| Prescription medications & injections | Prescription food |
| Congenital conditions | Physical therapy, acupuncture & hydrotherapy (available with Extended add-on only) |
| Hereditary conditions | Alternative treatments (aromatherapy, massage, herbal remedies) |
| Chronic conditions (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, skin conditions) | Cremation & burial |
Extended Accident And Illness Package
Lemonade also offers an Extended Accident and Illness package that allows you to get reimbursed for the time and labor costs your vet might charge.
- Vet exam fees for eligible accidents and illnesses
- Physical therapy, acupuncture, and hydrotherapy
Like with the basic plan, Lemonade bases prices for the Extended Plan on your pet’s age, breed, and location. When we ran quotes, prices averaged about $13/month for dogs and $3.50/month for cats.
Preventative Care Plan
If you opt to pay extra for wellness care through Lemonade, here’s what you’ll be reimbursed for. Not covered are spay and neuter surgery or microchipping, which most other companies include in their preventative care plans.
| Reimbursement Percentage | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Per Month for Dogs | $15 | $16 | $18 |
| Price Per Month for Cats | $9 | $10 | $11 |
| Annual Wellness Exam | $50 | $50 | $55 |
| Heartworm Test | $35 | $40 | $45 |
| Internal Parasite or Fecal Test | $35 | $35 | $40 |
| Bloodwork | $55 | $65 | $75 |
| Up To Three Vaccines Each Year | $65 | $75 | $80 |
| Total Annual Benefits | $240 | $265 | $295 |
Is Hip Dysplasia Covered?
Lemonade covers hip dysplasia, as long as it wasn’t a pre-existing condition.
Pricing Quotes
Lemonade offers flexible annual limits at $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000. There are no lifetime limits. You can choose deductibles of either $100, $250, or $500. You also have three reimbursement options: 70%, 80%, or 90%. Individual premium prices are based on age, breed, and location. Below are sample quotes we compiled in October 2020.
| Breed | Labrador Retriever | Mixed Breed Dog (45 lbs) | Yorkshire Terrier | Golden Retriever | Mixed Breed Cat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male or Female | Male | Female | Female | Male | Female |
| Age | 3 Years | 5 Years | 4 Years | 2 Years | 2 Years |
| Location | Virginia (22901) | Indiana (46201) | New York City (10023) | California (90210) | Virginia (22901) |
| Price Per Month | $31.50 | $26.33 | $35.17 | $33.75 | $12.75 |
| Reimbursement Level | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% |
| Annual Deductible | $250 | $250 | $250 | $500 | $250 |
| Annual Maximum | $20,000 | $20,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $20,000 |
You should expect annual increases on your premiums from any pet insurance company. These rates and increases will vary based on your location, changes in vet costs, and more.
Customer Reviews
We typically share a couple of positive and negative reviews from customers in our pet insurance reviews, but we’re unable to for Lemonade pet insurance because it’s so new. If you have experiences with Lemonade’s pet insurance, we encourage you to share them in our comment section below.
How Is Lemonade’s Business Model Unique?
Lemonade isn’t your traditional insurance company in several ways. See how they stand out for their AI-driven process, digital claims processing, and commitment to charitable contributions in this four-minute video of Lemonade’s CEO Daniel Schreiber on CNBC.
What’s Our Final Verdict?
Since Lemonade is so new to the pet insurance industry, there’s still a lot of room for this company to experience changes before establishing a solid reputation for handling claims and customer issues. However, their pricing, coverage, and flexible policies are worth considering if you’re comfortable with the lack of customer service options.
If you’re not sure if Lemonade is the right pet insurance provider for you, you’ve got lots of options. See our top three picks for pet insurance along with category winners (we rank the best providers for everything from older dogs and dental to wellness coverage and bilateral conditions) to see how Lemonade compares. And you should always get multiple quotes to compare coverage and costs to find the best value for your family.
What stands out most for you about Lemonade pet insurance?
