Fortunately, top pet insurance companies offer policies that may cover vet visits and in turn, save you money on out-of-pocket expenses. Here’s what you need to know about pet insurance and vet visits.
Does Pet Insurance Cover Emergency Vet Visits?
If your pet is facing any of the following issues, an emergency vet visit is likely a good idea:
breathing issues
physical trauma
loss of balance or unconsciousness
ingestion of poison or foreign objects
severe vomiting or diarrhea
inability to urinate or defecate
Whether or not you’ll receive insurance coverage for it depends on your particular plan and situation.
Expert Tip
"Pet insurance usually does cover emergency vet visits, but each policy is different and each policy will have different deductibles and limits,” says Joe Spector, CEO of Dutch, a company focused on telemedicine for vets.
Most plans help pay for emergency vet visits related to a number of emergencies, such as broken bones, ingestion of foreign objects, and accidental poisoning. Some insurers like Embrace, however, will cover an unlimited amount of visits.
In most cases, you’ll file a claim with your pet insurance company and they’ll reimburse you for a percentage of your vet bill. This may be 70%, 80%, 90% or more, depending on the specifics of your coverage. A few insurers offer direct vet pay, meaning they’ll pay your vet directly so you won’t have to foot the bill upfront.
Best Pet Insurance for Emergency Vet Visits
If you’re in the market for a pet insurer that will make emergency vet visits more affordable, here are a few options to consider:
Embrace
Embrace advertises coverage for unlimited vet visits. As long as you take your pet to a licensed vet or service provider, the pet insurance company will cover the trip. This holds true regardless of if it’s a planned visit or required for an emergency. All you have to do is submit a claim and disclose the reason for your service.
Fetch
With a Fetch pet insurance plan, you may secure coverage for up to 90% of your emergency vet bills. Once you cover the cost upfront, you can take pictures of your vet records and file a claim through the Fetch mobile app or website. Then, the pet insurer will reimburse you.
Lemonade
Lemonade covers vet visits for emergencies through its accident and illness plans. You can choose from a reimbursement rate of 70%, 80%, or 90% and collect the funds after you submit a claim.
Does Pet Insurance Cover Routine Vet Visits?
Routine vet visits can allow you to be proactive about your pet’s health through wellness exams, vaccinations, spay/neuter procedures, microchipping, dental care, and more.“Standard pet insurance policies typically focus on unexpected veterinary expenses, such as accidents and illnesses, rather than routine care,” explains Dr. Liza Cahn, veterinarian at Embrace. “However, some providers offer optional wellness plans to help cover preventive care costs.”
Wellness plans are usually an add-on to traditional accident-only or accident and illness coverage. While some pet insurance companies offer one wellness policy, others have several tiers to accommodate varying budgets and needs. You may also find wellness plans that are specifically for puppies and kittens or adult cats and dogs.
Best Pet Insurance for Routine Vet Visits
For comprehensive wellness coverage, including routine vet visits, these pet insurance companies are worth exploring:
ASPCA Pet Health
ASPCA’s Preventive Care is an add-on for dogs, cats, and even horses. You can select from two tiers: Basic and Prime for cats and dogs or Routine and Platinum for horses. The dog and cat policies cover annual exams, vaccinations, blood screenings, flea and heartworm prevention, spay and neuter surgery, and dental cleanings.
Rates are $9.95 per month for Basic Preventative Care (annual coverage of $250) and $24.95 per month for Prime Preventive Care (annual coverage of $450), based on a 4-year old male Beagle with a 11004 zip code (New York City).
Pumpkin
Pumpkin offers two options for wellness coverage: the Preventive Essentials package and the Wellness Club. You can add on Preventive Essentials to your accident and illness plan. The coverage you receive will depend on whether you have a dog or cat. The dog plan, for example, helps pay for 1 annual wellness exam, 2 vaccines, 1 fecal test, and 1 blood test.
If you’re looking for standalone coverage for routine vet visits, Pumpkin’s Wellness Club might make more sense. Available in two tiers, this is a subscription service that will reimburse you for annual exams, vaccines, and more. The Wellness Club also comes with a 24/7 pet health line and exclusive discounts from popular pet brands.
For the Preventative Essentials plan, we received a quote of $22.95 per month, based on a 4-year old male Beagle with a 11004 zip code (New York City). The Wellness Club starts as low as $19.95 per month for dogs and $14.95 per month for cats.
Pets Best
If you buy an accident-only or accident and illness plan from Pets Best, you can add on wellness coverage. The entry-level EssentialWellness plan offers up to $305 in total annual benefits while BestWellness provides up to $535 in annual benefits. Both plans include wellness exams, microchipping, blood tests, and urinalysis but BestWellness also covers spay/neuter surgery and teeth cleanings.
Premiums are $16 per month for the EssentialWellness plan and $26 per month for BestWellness, based on a 4-year old male Beagle with a 11004 zip code (New York City).
Read our full Pets Best review
Spot
Spot’s wellness coverage is offered in two tiers: Gold and Platinum. Gold will reimburse you for services like wellness exams, dog heartworm or FeLV screening, and deworming. Platinum adds on dental cleanings or spay/neuter procedures as well as health certificates. Quotes for a 4-year old male Beagle with a 11004 zip code (New York City) are $9.95 per month for Gold and $24.95 for Platinum.
How to Save Money on Vet Visits
These tips from Dr. Cahn can help you reduce your out-of-pocket expenses on emergency and routine vet visits.
Invest in a wellness plan
As we explained above, many pet insurance providers offer optional wellness plans that reimburse for routine care expenses like vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, and spay/neuter procedures. “These plans help spread out costs and ensure you don’t skip important preventive care due to budget concerns,” said Cahn.
Schedule regular checkups
The saying “prevention is better than cure” is important to remember if you’d like to save on vet bills. Preventive care can catch health issues early before they become more serious and expensive. Annual exams, bloodwork, and dental cleanings can help avoid costly emergency treatments down the road.
Compare vet prices
Veterinary costs can vary between clinics. It’s worth shopping around and comparing prices for exams, procedures, and medications, especially for routine care. You may overpay if you go with the first pet insurer you find. If you’re on a really tight budget, it might make sense to explore non-profit or low-cost vet clinics with lower rates for visits.
Consider veterinary payment plans
Some vet offices offer payment plans or accept medical credit options like CareCredit, which can help break up larger expenses into manageable payments. Don't hesitate to ask your vet whether these plans are an option.
Prioritize preventive care at home
Regular grooming, dental care, and a healthy diet can help prevent health issues that lead to expensive vet visits. “Brushing your pet’s teeth, keeping up with parasite prevention, and maintaining a proper diet can go a long way in reducing vet bills,” explained Dr. Cahn.
Try telemedicine
In recent years, telemedicine has become more and more popular for pets. According to Spector, this method of care is significantly less expensive than routine vet visits in-person. Fortunately, some pet insurance companies, including Fetch and Lemonade cover telemedicine.
Take advantage of discounts
Many pet insurance companies offer discounts that can help you save on your coverage and routine vet visits. Several of the most common discount opportunities include annual payment discounts, multi-pet discounts, military discounts, and bundling discounts. You might also score discounts for being a veterinary or healthcare employee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pet Insurance Cover Every Vet Visit?
Whether pet insurance pays for all vet visits depends on your particular plan and the pet insurance policy you choose. Embrace is one example of an insurer that will reimburse you for unlimited vet visits.
How Much Does a Vet Visit Cost?
National costs for a routine vet visit range from $25 to $186, according to the most recent data from CareCredit. Factors like your location and vet will play a role in vet costs.
Are ER Visits Covered by Pet Insurance?
Sometimes, pet insurance plans will reimburse you for emergency room visits. Embrace, Fetch, and Lemonade are all examples of pet insurance companies that offer this type of coverage.
