ASPCA Pet Insurance Review

If you’ve been considering getting pet insurance to protect your cat or dog, this ASPCA pet insurance review is a great place to start your research.

As the first humane society established in the United States, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a reputation for its tireless efforts to improve the lives of our pets. For cats and dogs, the organization extends its efforts one step further by offering pet insurance policies to safeguard their health and well-being.

If you are concerned about the potential costs associated with the medical care of your cat or dog, you may be wondering whether getting pet health insurance is a good idea for your current situation.

When choosing health insurance for your pet, it’s important to review your options thoroughly to make sure you find the best insurance company that can meet your specific needs.

How Does ASPCA Pet Insurance Work?

ASPCA pet insurance is offered through the Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group, which was established in 1997 and has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2015.

It is known for excelling in the realm of digital customer experience by offering simplified online quoting and claims processes and a convenient mobile app to manage policies on the go.

It’s important to note that the company’s default approach to policy renewal entails opening a new policy each year, something which has generated some complaints due to the non-payment of claims made for conditions diagnosed at the end of the previous year but treated in the next. This situation can be avoided, however, by adding the continuing care endorsement offered by the company.

Multiple policy customization options, including a selection of deductibles, coverage caps, and reimbursement percentages, ensure that pet owners can obtain pet health insurance that equally satisfies their needs and budget.

The age range available for coverage is favorable, with lower age limits starting at eight weeks and with no upper limit, which makes ASPCA policies perfect for those with senior cats and dogs who are currently lacking coverage. The following table offers an overview of a few features that stood out when comparing 33 insurance carriers for this ASPCA pet insurance review.

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ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Coverage Options

ASPCA pet insurance coverage is offered for cats and dogs, featuring three policy options that can help pet owners recover the expenses from any necessary medical care (such as medical imaging and prescription medication) due to illness, accidents, or hereditary conditions, provided they are not related to pre-existed conditions, breeding, or cosmetic procedures.

Like most pet insurance plans, policyholders are free to take their pets to any veterinarian they choose within the 14-day waiting period. That applies to illness and ligament/knee conditions.

Pets are eligible for coverage at the age of eight weeks—the average for the industry—and the company enforces no upper age limits.

Although preventive care isn’t covered under its standard insurance policy, this kind of coverage can be purchased by selecting one of the ASPCA preventive care add-on options.

Pet owners also can choose accident-only coverage if they find a more extensive policy unnecessary. Preventive care can be added to an accident-only policy.

Accident & Illness Policy

As the organization’s most comprehensive plan, the ASPCA Pet Accident & Illness policy is designed to cover the cost for major medical care related to accidents, illness, hereditary conditions, and behavioral issues, including costs incurred by hospitalization and surgery.

Coverage extends to materials and medication needed for treatment and even includes alternative therapies, such as stem cell therapy and chiropractic care.

Approved reimbursements are calculated as a percentage of the total cost for the covered pet care. Although this policy doesn’t include coverage for general wellness, pet owners have the option to add preventive care coverage.

An accident-only policy is also available for those who choose to opt-out of illness coverage. If the accident and illness policy is chosen, the following treatments are covered:

General Coverage

• Microchip implantation by a veterinarian

Illness Coverage

• Veterinarian provided or referred behavioral modification
• Treatments for cancer
• Any accident coverage, if necessary, to treat illness

Accident Coverage

• General Veterinary Care for Illnesses or Accidents (lab tests, consultations, and examinations that aren’t considered preventive care)
• Medical Imaging (MRIs, CT scans or X-rays)
• IV Medications and Fluids
• Poison Control Consultations
• Prescriptions Medications (must be prescribed by a veterinarian and FDA-approved)
• Prescription Food (if required to treat an existing condition)
• Supplements (if required to treat an existing condition)
• Tooth Extractions
• Alternative Therapies
• Medical Supplies
• Hospitalization and Surgery
• Stem Cell Therapy
• End of Life Expenses

Accident-Only Policy

The Accident-Only policy allows pet owners to forgo illness coverage, resulting in lower premiums. This plan covers any medical care associated with new, accident-caused emergencies and injuries, such as broken bones, bite wounds, torn ligaments, poisoning, and the ingestion of foreign objects. Treatments include:

• Alternative therapies (such as chiropractic care or acupuncture)
• Diagnostic efforts
• Exams
• Surgery and hospitalization
• Prescription medication and food needed for treatment of accident-related injuries

Preventive Add-ons

Preventive Care coverage may be added to either of the previously mentioned policies in the form of basic and prime policies. There are no waiting periods for coverage and no deductible required for payouts.

These riders are designed to cover routine wellness care for cats and dogs and include the following treatments:

Basic

• Dental cleaning
• Wellness exam
• Deworming
• DHLPP vaccine/titer
• Rabies or Lyme vaccine/titer
• Fecal test
• Heartworm test

Prime

• All coverage in the Basic option
• Health certificate
• Flea/heartworm prevention
• Bordetella vaccine/titer
• Blood test
• Urinalysis

Costs & Benefit Limits

The premiums for pet insurance vary greatly and can be affected by many factors.

• Different breeds may be genetically predisposed to some medical conditions so insurance companies may charge more for covering them.
• Often, a pet’s age is also a factor, and prices may fluctuate between locations.
• Perhaps the biggest determining elements of a pet insurance policy’s premiums are the coverage options selected, such as the deductibles and the annual limits.

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance premiums can be as low as $23.39 per month when insuring an eight-week-old mixed breed dog or Siamese cat with an annual limit of $5,000, 70 percent reimbursement, and a $250 deductible.

When comparing accident and illness plan premiums from other carriers for this ASPCA pet insurance review and the national averages calculated by the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, the ASPCA premiums for cats and dogs were found to be the lowest in the industry.

• ASPCA Pet Insurance Accident & Illness Policy: This policy is highly customizable, with annual coverage caps ranging from $5,000 to unlimited. Deductibles are paid yearly and are available as low as $100 or as high as $500. Deductibles must be met annually, and pet owners have the option of choosing 70, 80, or 90 percent reimbursement policies.
• ASPCA Pet Insurance Accident-Only Policy: The Accident-Only policy offers the same coverage options as the Accident & Illness policy.
• ASPCA Pet Insurance Preventive Add-On: Preventive add-ons have no deductible and follow a benefit payment schedule that maxes out at $250 annually.

Discounts

Insurance companies are known for offering discounts to tempt potential policyholders into purchasing coverage. Common examples include life insurance companies cutting premium costs for non-smokers and large insurers offering bundling discounts to policyholders who purchase and combine multiple types of coverage, such as home and auto insurance.

ASPCA only insures pets, and therefore offers no bundling discount across multiple insurance types, but does provide similar savings for those who bundle more than one pet.

• Multiple Pet Discount: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers discounts for policyholders who enroll multiple pets, with savings of up to 10% on the base plan premium.

ASPCA’s premium prices are considered relatively standard for the industry. It is important to keep in mind that older animals will cost more to insure than younger puppies and kittens, and that certain breeds are known to be more prone to health issues.

How To File a Claim with ASPCA

Policyholders who need to file a claim have several options available to them, with the ASPCA accepting the ASPCA pet insurance claim form submissions online and through email, fax, mail, or its convenient mobile app. Claim payouts can be quoted online, allowing pet owners to stay informed about claims they intend to file.

The company offers a lengthy 270 days to file claims, which is three times the industry standard of 90 days.

How Good Is ASPCA Pet Insurance?

In addition to being one of the oldest pet insurance companies in the business, ASPCA is also one of the better reviewed.

We also rated ASPCA on our top 10 pet insurance providers list, thanks to the flexibility allowed in choosing reimbursement amount and annual deductible for your plan, the comprehensive coverage that includes hereditary conditions and behavioral issues, and the ability to visit any licensed veterinarian, regardless of network.

ASPCA’s backer, the Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group, has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2015, and currently boasts a perfect A+ BBB Rating.

The insurer has an average of just one out of five stars from BBB customer reviews, though that number is based on only 4 customer reviews.

On Trustpilot, the company enjoys a much higher reputation, with an average of five out of five stars based on 1,564 reviews. Additionally, ASPCA pet insurance policies are underwritten by the Crum & Forster group, which was rated A or “excellent” by AM Best in 2016

ASPCA Pet Insurance Contact Information

• Homepage URL: https://www.ASPCAPetInsurance.com/
• Company Phone: 1-866-204-6764
• Headquarters Address: 1208 Massillon Rd, Suite G 200, Akron, OH 44306
• Founded 1997