Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Both Healthy Paws and Trupanion offer standard coverage, little customization, and have the option to pay the vet directly. Their major difference lies in how they’re priced, with Trupanion policies being significantly more expensive than Healthy Paws.

Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion

If you’re debating between Healthy Paws and Trupanion, consider the main differences between the two to help make your decision:

	Healthy Paws	Trupanion
Deductible Options	Between $100 and $1,000	Between $0 and $1,000
Reimbursement Options	50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%	90%
Wellness Add Ons?	No	No
Customizable Coverage?	No	No
Waiting Periods	15 days, starting at 12:01 AM the day after you enroll 6 month waiting period for hip dysplasia for pets enrolled under the age of 6	5 days for accidents, 30 days for illnesses
Average Customer Review	2.71 to 4.4 out of 5	1.2 to 4.3 out of 5
Average Reimbursement Timeframe	Within 10 days	24 hours to 2 days
Accepted By Every Vet?	Yes	Yes
Pays the Vet Directly?	Yes (optional)	Yes

Coverage Comparison

Healthy Paws offers one standard plan intended to cover accidents and illnesses. This plan covers expenses, such as:

• Surgery
• Prescription medication
• Hospitalization
• Dental care (related to a traumatic incident)
• Hereditary conditions
• Diagnostic testing (eg. x-rays and blood tests)
• Euthanasia (if medically necessary for a covered condition)

Trupanion also offers one pet insurance plan, covering the same expenses, plus prescription supplements and food. They also offer two optional add-ons, one covering non-clinical procedures, and the other covering care outside the vet like cremation and burial.

	Healthy Paws (Standard Plan Only)	Trupanion (Standard Plan Only)
Accidents	✓	✓
Illnesses	✓	✓
Emergency Care	✓	✓
Hospitalization	✓	✓
Diagnostic Testing	✓	✓
Hereditary Conditions	✓	✓
Chronic Conditions	✓	✓
Cancer	✓	✓
Hip Dysplasia	✓	✓
Euthanasia	✓	✓
Prescription Pet Food	X	✓
Prescription Supplements	X	✓
Spaying/Neutering	X	X
Pre-Existing Conditions	X	X
Cosmetic Surgery	X	X
Alternative Treatments	X	X

Wellness Coverage

Healthy Paws does not offer wellness add-ons, and neither does Trupanion. That said, Trupanion does offer optional add-ons that cover what typical wellness plans do — they just don’t call them wellness add-ons.

Age Restrictions

In some cases, pet insurance companies will exclude pets below or above a certain age from coverage. Both Healthy Paws and Trupanion have no lower age limit, but they do have an upper age limit of 14. While they won’t give already enrolled pets the boot on their 14th birthday, they won’t allow new pets to enroll if they’re 14 or older.

Customization/Flexibility

Both Healthy Paws and Trupanion offer one policy, providing little room for customization. That said, Trupanion does offer two optional add-ons, which allow you to pick and choose additional levels of coverage if you’d prefer.

Cost Comparison

Both Healthy Paws and Trupanion plans come with a deductible, reimbursement level, and annual maximum that impacts the premium you’d pay.

	Deductible Options	Reimbursement Levels	Annual Maximums
Healthy Paws	Between $100 and $1,000	50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%	No limits
Trupanion	Between $0 and $1,000	90%	No limits

Here’s how rates for a male pet in Dallas, Texas would stack up against each other.

	Healthy Paws Standard Plan, with no annual limit, a 70-80% reimbursement rate, and a $250-$1,000 deductible	Trupanion Standard Plan, with no annual limit, 90% reimbursement rate, and $200 deductible
8-week-old Labrador Retriever	$50.69	$102.60
8-week-old German Shepherd	$50.69	$102.27
5-year-old French Bulldog	$88.80	$266.90
5-year-old Poodle	$60.71	$108.79
Senior Golden Retriever	$78.39	$228.88
Senior Exotic Shorthair Cat	$84.44	$183.89

While Trupanion’s plan offers a bit more coverage, in terms of the lower deductible and higher reimbursement rate, their rates are significantly higher. It’s important to note that neither company offers a multi-pet discount, so there isn’t room to lower the rate other than opting for less coverage.

Enrollment, Waiting Periods, and Submitting Claims

Purchasing a policy with either insurance company is fairly easy — simply get a free quote on their website and follow the onboarding process from there.

Once enrolled, you’ll be subject to specific waiting periods, which are as follows:

	Healthy Paws	Trupanion
Injuries	15 days	5 days
Illnesses	15 days	30 days
Cruciate Ligament Events	N/A	N/A

If you enroll your pet with Healthy Paws when they’re under the age of 6, you’ll also be subject to a 12 month waiting period for hip dysplasia.

Both Healthy Paws and Trupanion have similar claims processes, which are:

• Healthy Paws: Log into the Healthy Paws Mobile App or their online Customer Center. Then, follow the prompts to complete the claims form. You may also send the bill via mail, email, or fax if you’d prefer to do so.
• Trupanion: Log into Trupanion’s online claims tool to submit an itemized receipt from your visit.

After submitting the claim with Healthy Paws, you’ll need to wait for reimbursement. This takes around 10 days, on average. If you opt to have them pay the vet directly, you’ll still need to submit a claim, but you won’t have to wait for a reimbursement check.

In most cases, Trupanion will pay the vet directly. If they don’t, you’ll need to submit a claim and wait for reimbursement. While they don’t advertise the average timeline of this process, customers report anywhere from 24 hours to 2 days. 

Customer Reviews

Before purchasing a pet insurance policy, always read customer reviews. Here’s how Healthy Paws and Trupanion stack up against each other based on popular review websites:

	Healthy Paws	Trupanion
Trustpilot	4.4/5	4.3/5
Better Business Bureau	2.71/5	1.2/5
Yelp	3/5	2.5/5

While the coverage is comparable, Healthy Paws generally receives more positive reviews. However, keep in mind that customers are more likely to leave incredibly positive or negative feedback — reviews for average experiences are less common, so these metrics may be exaggerated one way or the other.

Bottom Line: Which is Better?

The pet insurance policy that’s best for you will depend on your pet’s needs and your preferences as a pet parent.

Both companies offer unlimited annual payouts and comparable coverage. However, if you’re looking for the most coverage, Trupanion might make more sense given their optional add-ons. If you’re comfortable with standard coverage and want to save a few bucks, Healthy Paws might be a stronger option.