Embrace (Accident & illness + optional wellness) - Covers exam fees and dental illness, shrinks your deductible $50 for every claim-free year, and will re-cover a curable condition after twelve clear months Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Exam fees, dental illness, behavioural therapy and prescription food all included
- Healthy Pet Deductible drops your deductible $50 each claim-free year
- Orthopaedic wait waived after an exam and a short questionnaire
Healthy Paws (Accident & illness, one plan) - One simple plan with no annual, lifetime or per-condition payout limit — the policy that does not run out when the bill is large Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- No annual or lifetime cap — the catastrophic claim is the one that matters and this is where it pays
- Hereditary and congenital conditions covered
- Claims processed in about two days on published figures; photo upload in the app
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance (Complete Coverage) - Covers exam fees, dental illness, behavioural treatment and microchipping, insures horses too, and re-covers curable conditions after a clear year Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Exam fees, dental disease, behavioural therapy and microchipping in the base policy
- No upper age limit; horses insurable too
- Single 14-day waiting period with no long orthopaedic exclusion
Pets Best (Accident & illness, three tiers) - Three coverage tiers, an unlimited option, a three-day accident wait and direct deposit — the flexible middle of the market Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- No upper age limit — one of the few that will still enrol a senior pet
- Three-day accident waiting period, the shortest here
- Unlimited annual payout available on the Elite tier
Trupanion (90% reimbursement, per-condition deductible) - Pays the clinic directly at checkout in thousands of US hospitals, reimburses 90% with no payout limit, and charges the deductible once per condition rather than every year Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Direct payment to the vet means you never front a $7,000 surgery
- Per-condition deductible: pay it once for a chronic condition, not every renewal year
- 90% reimbursement with no annual or lifetime cap
Figo (Accident & illness, 100% option) - The only insurer here offering 100% reimbursement, with a one-day accident wait and a pet cloud app that holds records and vet chat Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- 100% reimbursement is available — no other insurer in the test offers it
- One-day accident waiting period
- Pet Cloud app stores records, finds vets and includes 24/7 vet chat
Lemonade Pet (Accident & illness + add-ons) - The cheapest quotes in our test, an app that settles simple claims in minutes, and bundling discounts with renters or car insurance Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Cheapest monthly premium on three of our four test pets
- Simple claims paid in minutes through the app
- Bundle discount with Lemonade renters, home or car insurance
Nationwide Pet Insurance (Whole Pet with Wellness / Avian & Exotic) - The only major US insurer that covers birds, reptiles and small mammals — and one of the few whose top plan includes wellness in the same policy Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Covers birds, rabbits, reptiles, ferrets and other exotics — almost nobody else does
- Whole Pet with Wellness rolls routine care into one policy
- Backed by one of the largest US insurers
What separates the picks on this page?
Eight insurers, scores from 7.6 to 8.7, prices from $32 to $68. The gap is not marketing — it is what each policy does when the bill is large.
Embrace (8.7, $47) covers exam fees, dental illness, behavioural therapy and prescription food, and drops your deductible $50 for every claim-free year. Healthy Paws (8.6, $43) has no annual or lifetime cap, but no exam fees, no wellness plan and no dental cleaning. Trupanion (8.3, $68) pays the clinic directly and charges the deductible once per condition rather than every year — the most expensive quotes in the test, by a distance.
ASPCA (8.3, $45) and Pets Best (8.3, $38) sit in the middle. ASPCA includes exam fees, dental disease, behavioural therapy and microchipping in the base policy, with a single 14-day waiting period. Pets Best has a three-day accident wait and an unlimited annual payout on the Elite tier. Figo (8.1, $40) is the only insurer here offering 100% reimbursement. Lemonade (8.1, $32) is cheapest on three of four test pets, but exam fees, dental and behavioural cover are paid add-ons. Nationwide (7.6, $62) covers birds, rabbits, reptiles and ferrets, and its Whole Pet with Wellness plan rolls routine care into one policy.
What should you check before buying?
Our scoring weights coverage at 30 points, limits and exclusions at 20, price at 20, claims and payout at 20, and wellness and extras at 10. Read the exclusions first.
- Waiting periods. Healthy Paws has a twelve-month wait for hip dysplasia, permanent for pets enrolled after age six. Figo and Lemonade both carry a six-month orthopaedic wait. Pets Best has a six-month cruciate wait. ASPCA uses a single 14-day period.
- Annual limits. Embrace runs from $5,000 to $30,000. ASPCA tops out at $10,000. Healthy Paws and Trupanion have no annual or lifetime cap.
- Reimbursement. Nationwide caps at 70% on most plans. Figo offers 100%. Trupanion pays 90%.
- Extras. Exam fees and dental are add-ons at Lemonade, Figo and Pets Best (Plus tier or higher).
Which one for whom?
If you want the widest base coverage, Embrace fits. If the catastrophic claim worries you most, Healthy Paws and Trupanion are built for it. On a tight monthly budget, Lemonade is cheapest — just price the add-ons. For a senior pet, Pets Best and ASPCA have no upper age limit. For exotics, Nationwide is the one.
Embrace suits owners who want exam fees, dental illness and behavioural therapy in the base policy. Healthy Paws and Trupanion suit anyone who needs no annual or lifetime cap, and Trupanion pays the clinic directly. Lemonade is the cheapest monthly premium, Pets Best and ASPCA enrol senior pets, and Nationwide covers birds, rabbits, reptiles and ferrets.
Questions about budget plans
*Scores: What is covered 30 · Limits & exclusions 20 · Price 20 · Claims & payout 20 · Wellness & extras 10; score = Σ ÷ 10. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.