Compare Coverage, Pricing & More

*Waiting periods for Maine are as follows:

• Accidents – 0 days
• Illnesses – 14 days
• Cruciate Ligament Conditions – 30 days
• Routine Care – 0 days

†Healthy Paws only offers hip dysplasia coverage to dogs enrolled before the age of 6.

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers some of the best coverage in the pet insurance industry. As you can see, it covers several items that Healthy Paws excludes in its policies. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance also has a 14-day waiting period across the board, which is fewer days than Healthy Paws.

Healthy Paws’ underwriter is top-notch, with an A++ rating by A.M. Best (a measurement of financial stability). This means Healthy Paws is considered lower risk than an unrated or lower-rated company. But, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance’s underwriter has a good rating, too, with an A.

Another key deciding factor for you may be the age restrictions attached to Healthy Paws, which doesn’t enroll pets older than 14 years old. Additionally, Healthy Paws will not enroll pets older than four years old in New York state. And if you choose to enroll your pet with Healthy Paws after their sixth birthday, you’ll notice plan customization restrictions and exclusions for hip dysplasia coverage.

Overall, the winner is ASPCA Pet Health Insurance because it excludes fewer conditions, has shorter waiting periods, and has no age restrictions.

Healthy Paws has one of the best reputations in the pet insurance industry. The majority of Healthy Paws customer complaints are from customers who, unfortunately, didn’t read or understand their policy (a common customer complaint about all pet insurance providers).

This is why we feel it is crucial to explain all the pet insurance details so pet parents fully understand what is and isn’t covered. We also focus on explaining the policies in layman terms, making it easy to comprehend and feel confident about what you are getting before you buy.

As for ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, there are many complaints from customers regarding low reimbursements, slow claim processing, conditions flagged as pre-existing, and more. This is frustrating for customers because they purchase a policy expecting certain things to be covered and reimbursed but feel disappointed by what they actually get when they need ASPCA Pet Health Insurance the most.

In the end, Healthy Paws has a better, consistent reputation, which is why it wins this category.

Healthy Paws pays most of its claims within two days. This is shorter than many pet insurance competitors, including ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, which averages 15-30 days for claim processing.

One perk you may wish to explore for ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is to have them pay your vet directly. If your vet office allows this, you could work with your insurance company to have them pay the vet directly for the covered portion of your bill. In this case, you are not left paying a hefty vet bill in advance and then waiting for reimbursement. But this isn’t available everywhere, so check with your vet to see if it’s an option for you. No matter which veterinarian you use, Healthy Paws doesn’t offer a direct payment option.

Because Healthy Paws has a much shorter claim processing period, it’s the winner of this category. However, you may be able to avoid waiting for a claim reimbursement altogether if your vet is willing to receive direct payments from ASPCA Pet Health Insurance.

Healthy Paws has no transaction or enrollment fees. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance has no enrollment fees but a $2 per month transaction fee. It is common for providers to allow customers the option to pay their full annual premium at once each year, saving you monthly transaction fees.

Healthy Paws has unlimited payouts on all plans, but there are some restrictions on available reimbursement and annual deductible amounts, depending on your pet’s age at enrollment.

• Dogs and cats 5 years and under:
  • 90%, 80%, and 70% reimbursement
  • $100, $250, and $500 deductible
• Dogs and cats 6 and 7 years old:
  • 80%, 70%, or 60% reimbursement
  • $250, $500, or $750 deductible
• Dogs 8 years and older: 
  • 50% or 60% reimbursement
  • $750 or $1,000 deductible

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers customizable options with no age restrictions. You can choose your annual payout option from $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, or $10,000. They also offer reimbursements of 70%, 80%, or 90% and annual deductibles of $100, $250, or $500.

We’re disappointed that Healthy Paws has so many plan restrictions based on your pet’s age. But we’re also bummed that ASPCA Pet Health Insurance doesn’t offer as wide a range of annual payout options and deductibles as other insurers, which is why this category is a tie.

Healthy Paws is the pet insurance winner in this comparison against ASPCA Pet Health Insurance. With its outstanding customer service and reputation, fast claim processing, and oftentimes better pricing, it’s hard to beat Healthy Paws. However, if you need coverage for behavioral therapies, alternative/holistic therapy, and sick exam fees, you may want to consider ASPCA Pet Health Insurance (Healthy Paws does not cover these).