# PetPlan changes?



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Wow, this is new and extremely upsetting! They have lower themselves to no better than any of the rest!
I guess I am stuck for Teaka, but going to have to shop around for Timi and Trulee!


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## Keowee (Jun 3, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Wow, this is new and extremely upsetting! They have lower themselves to no better than any of the rest!
> I guess I am stuck for Teaka, but going to have to shop around for Timi and Trulee!


I wondered if you knew! I don't know that it affects existing policies -- I would be surprised if it did -- but it certainly is a blow. After all of the great experiences I've read about here, I'm disappointed in them.

It seems to me that it still beats out Healthy Paws due to PetPlan's coverage of exam fees, and the PetPlan premium from my quotes is still lower at $200/90% than Healthy Paws' at $250/90%. Of course, Healthy Paws has unlimited coverage, so that's something to consider.

One other thing I noticed about the PetPlan quotes -- not sure if this is a "new" thing, but there's now a $25 initiation fee. On the plus side, there is a discount for paying quarterly or annually. They don't state it when you go through the quote process, but I did the math when I switched to see the monthly/quarterly/annual premiums, and it's about $15-20 cheaper a year to pay quarterly than to pay monthly. A very small difference beyond that for paying annually.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Ari's policy (which was in effect before the change and just renewed for the year) is the same except the monthly premium is $3 higher, which is what I had expected since they raise the premium as dogs age. So it seems the change is only for new policies.

Regardless, BOO, PETPLAN, BOO! also I am glad I had already signed Ari up and set her policy to auto-renew. Guess I have to be very careful to never let the policy lapse now...


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Keowee said:


> I wondered if you knew! I don't know that it affects existing policies -- I would be surprised if it did -- but it certainly is a blow. After all of the great experiences I've read about here, I'm disappointed in them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Who knows if they even cover exam fees anymore, we have not seen the actual new policy yet, have we!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

sophie anne said:


> Ari's policy (which was in effect before the change and just renewed for the year) is the same except the monthly premium is $3 higher, which is what I had expected since they raise the premium as dogs age. So it seems the change is only for new policies.
> 
> 
> 
> Regardless, BOO, PETPLAN, BOO! also I am glad I had already signed Ari up and set her policy to auto-renew. Guess I have to be very careful to never let the policy lapse now...



From what I am reading, when your policy renews you will be changed over to the new policy - gonna call them and find out for sure...


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Tiny Poodles said:


> From what I am reading, when your policy renews you will be changed over to the new policy - gonna call them and find out for sure...



Yes, confirmed with them that is correct, everyone gets changed over when the policy renews. 
They do still cover Vet exam fees, and now everything, including Specialists is covered at a max of 90%. 

Has anyone here tried Nationwide (formally VPI) since they were bought out?
Last I looked, their highest level of policy seemed comparable to Petplan's old policy. But, if they still fight you tooth and nail like VPI used to when it came time to pay, better coverage wouldn't be worth much...


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Yes, confirmed with them that is correct, everyone gets changed over when the policy renews.
> They do still cover Vet exam fees, and now everything, including Specialists is covered at a max of 90%.
> 
> Has anyone here tried Nationwide (formally VPI) since they were bought out?
> Last I looked, their highest level of policy seemed comparable to Petplan's old policy. But, if they still fight you tooth and nail like VPI used to when it came time to pay, better coverage wouldn't be worth much...


Odd. Maybe because mine renewed before the change it's the same until 2017 now? I'll have to call and find out tomorrow and will let you all know what I find out.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

sophie anne said:


> Odd. Maybe because mine renewed before the change it's the same until 2017 now? I'll have to call and find out tomorrow and will let you all know what I find out.



Yes, I think that it stays the same until it renews. Timi just renewed last month, but Teaka renews in September.
I hope that the price quote on the website is not the same as renewing, because according to the website calculator, if I was signing Teaka up now for the same coverage only at 90% instead of 100% would be almost $500 a month! I can't see doing anything that would cost more than $6,000 to a 14 y/o poodle, so we would just cancel her policy.
And shop around for Timi and Trulee...


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Yes, I think that it stays the same until it renews. Timi just renewed last month, but Teaka renews in September.
> I hope that the price quote on the website is not the same as renewing, because according to the website calculator, if I was signing Teaka up now for the same coverage only at 90% instead of 100% would be almost $500 a month! I can't see doing anything that would cost more than $6,000 to a 14 y/o poodle, so we would just cancel her policy.
> And shop around for Timi and Trulee...


Ugh I hope that it is not that expensive for Teaka!!! HOLY :shocked:

Please do let me know what you find re: other options. This is the type of change that makes me consider dropping coverage, especially when there was no easy way to find out that it was going to happen unless you happened to try to make a new quote on the website.... gr.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

sophie anne said:


> Ugh I hope that it is not that expensive for Teaka!!! HOLY :shocked:
> 
> 
> 
> Please do let me know what you find re: other options. This is the type of change that makes me consider dropping coverage, especially when there was no easy way to find out that it was going to happen unless you happened to try to make a new quote on the website.... gr.



I know that in the past when I did price calculations on the website like it was a new dog, the prices for my girls came out way higher, so I hope that is still the case. But who knows what other little changes they will try to slip in. We really need to see a copy of the actual policy...
Even if nothing else has changed, the loss of 100 percent just irks me! I got such comfort knowing that if I paid my premiums and my $200 deductible, that was it, everything else no matter how expensive was free!


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## Keowee (Jun 3, 2016)

Yuck, what a mess. Thanks, Tiny Poodles, for doing the legwork and checking in with them about the changes. It's awful that they are changing the terms of existing policies, too... and it sounds like they might not have notified you had you not found out! Shameful.

As long as they still cover exam fees, they're ahead of the competition for me, but it is SERIOUSLY worrisome to me that they have made this change with virtually no fanfare. I feel like they're trying to pull one over on us all. I am thinking about going with Healthy Paws out of principle, but I have a few weeks to simmer down before I make any decisions.


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## Wren (Jul 2, 2013)

Hmmm, I just submitted a claim to petplan last week for Jonah's bout with pancreatitus in late April. They paid everything except the $200 deductible, the special food I was given (6 cans for $22) and the bordetella shot.

His plan renewed at the beginning of this month. It went up about $50 a year I think, but I didn't see any other changes. I thought that was a big increase, but I didn't want to take any chances around renewal time since Jonah's illness was so recent. Besides, the vet bill even after the deductibles was more than I paid in premiums since I've had the insurance.

Guess I've got a little while to reconsider whether to stay with petplan or to look for an alternative.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Keowee said:


> Yuck, what a mess. Thanks, Tiny Poodles, for doing the legwork and checking in with them about the changes. It's awful that they are changing the terms of existing policies, too... and it sounds like they might not have notified you had you not found out! Shameful.
> 
> 
> 
> As long as they still cover exam fees, they're ahead of the competition for me, but it is SERIOUSLY worrisome to me that they have made this change with virtually no fanfare. I feel like they're trying to pull one over on us all. I am thinking about going with Healthy Paws out of principle, but I have a few weeks to simmer down before I make any decisions.



Yes, I have a couple of months until Trulee arrives to research the other companies. Timi has like 11 months left on her current policy and Teaka renews in September. If I take her off Petplan, she won't be covered at all....


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## BentleysMum (May 22, 2016)

I was wondering about the 100% reimbursement thing too, I've been reading on Facebook people complaining that they no longer off the 100% reimbursement. But when I go to their website to get a quote they still have the 100% reimbursement option. So not sure if I should choose the 100% option if they're going to change it after a year.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

BentleysMum said:


> I was wondering about the 100% reimbursement thing too, I've been reading on Facebook people complaining that they no longer off the 100% reimbursement. But when I go to their website to get a quote they still have the 100% reimbursement option. So not sure if I should choose the 100% option if they're going to change it after a year.



That is not what I see on their website at all! Maybe somehow your browser has not refreshed, but I would say that if you can still get the old plan, grab it!


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

I can't speak to PetPlan, but I have Embrace for Asaah and I'm happy with it. I had Healthy Paws but switched - they don't cover the exam fee, AND they raised my premium after one year with no claims! Healthy Paws doesn't have a lifetime limit, which is one reason why I went with them in the first place - you can go over $15,000 in a year with one emergency or serious illness with a Great Dane pretty easy. But it was too expensive and didn't cover exam fees. Embrace does cover the exam fee. You can choose your deductible and coverage level. My quote for Embrace was half that for Healthy Paws for me. When researching insurance, I didn't find any that reimburse at 100%. Plus doesn't PetPlan do reimbursement based on usual and customary charges, not what your vet actually charges? Or was that VPI? Basically they covered a set amount for a certain condition based on national averages or some thing, so if you live in an area with more expensive vet costs, you're out of luck. Embrace reimburses based on actual cost. 

I do have some Dane friends with Nationwide who are happy with it, but I never looked into it.


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## Keowee (Jun 3, 2016)

BentleysMum said:


> I was wondering about the 100% reimbursement thing too, I've been reading on Facebook people complaining that they no longer off the 100% reimbursement. But when I go to their website to get a quote they still have the 100% reimbursement option. So not sure if I should choose the 100% option if they're going to change it after a year.


You're in Alberta, correct? I would guess that PetPlan Canada hasn't changed over yet (whether or not they plan to).


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

oshagcj914 said:


> I can't speak to PetPlan, but I have Embrace for Asaah and I'm happy with it. I had Healthy Paws but switched - they don't cover the exam fee, AND they raised my premium after one year with no claims! Healthy Paws doesn't have a lifetime limit, which is one reason why I went with them in the first place - you can go over $15,000 in a year with one emergency or serious illness with a Great Dane pretty easy. But it was too expensive and didn't cover exam fees. Embrace does cover the exam fee. You can choose your deductible and coverage level. My quote for Embrace was half that for Healthy Paws for me. When researching insurance, I didn't find any that reimburse at 100%. Plus doesn't PetPlan do reimbursement based on usual and customary charges, not what your vet actually charges? Or was that VPI? Basically they covered a set amount for a certain condition based on national averages or some thing, so if you live in an area with more expensive vet costs, you're out of luck. Embrace reimburses based on actual cost.
> 
> 
> 
> I do have some Dane friends with Nationwide who are happy with it, but I never looked into it.



No, those usually and customary fees are VPI, not Petplan. Petplan paid me 100 percent of whatever the Bill was. Except for specialists (unless it was an emergency), they only paid 80% for that no matter your plan.
Thanks, I will look at Embrace and Nationwide when the time comes.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> No, those usually and customary fees are VPI, not Petplan. Petplan paid me 100 percent of whatever the Bill was. Except for specialists (unless it was an emergency), they only paid 80% for that no matter your plan.
> Thanks, I will look at Embrace and Nationwide when the time comes.


Why do they only pay 80% for specialists? That seems odd. I believe Embrace pays whatever you choose for your reimbursement no matter what vet you see. Be sure to get the Rx coverage if you go with Embrace. I know I had to check the Rx box, but I don't think it actually cost more, can't remember off the top of my head. They do have a new Wellness option now too which you'll have to look into. I didn't choose to get that.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

oshagcj914 said:


> Why do they only pay 80% for specialists? That seems odd. I believe Embrace pays whatever you choose for your reimbursement no matter what vet you see. Be sure to get the Rx coverage if you go with Embrace. I know I had to check the Rx box, but I don't think it actually cost more, can't remember off the top of my head. They do have a new Wellness option now too which you'll have to look into. I didn't choose to get that.



Extra price for rx coverage? Everyone has a catch, don't they! Wellness options are not normally cost effective.
Don't know why Petplan had that 80% coverage for Specialits, but I always managed to work around it pretty well with the cardiologist. I would go to the regular vet first o get bloodwork and X-rays if needed done first, that would be covered at 100 percent. Then go to the cardiologist for the ultrasound, the deductible would be around $100, then have the regular Vet fill or call in the prescriptions that the cardiologist ordered, so that too would be covered at 100 percent. Petplan is really screwing themselves on this because IF I continue Teaka's coverage, since both Vets will now be covered at 90%, I would just go straight o the cardiologist and let her do everything, and the prices at the specialty hospital are much higher, so Petplan will probably pay more at 90% than they were paying at 100 percent at the regular vet prices.
This is giving me a headache - if I am going to pay so much for insurance, I just want everything covered, why is that so difficult to find!


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

RATS! I was just getting ready to sign Mackey up for Petplan because of Tiny Poodles luck with that company. I've never done pet insurance before, but I know that the most likely time to get a big vet bill is either when the dog is still a youngster, or when they are old. 

After reading about Zooeysmom's experience with Maizie eating the toy, my own experience with bloat surgery on my previous spoo, and another experience with a Scottie pup who swallowed a rock, I wanted to do insurance with this pup, signing him up BEFORE we have any problems. I'm looking forward to hearing others thoughts on the insurance choices!


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

I'll be switching Ari to Embrace when her coverage changes over to the new system with PetPlan in 2017.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I haven't received any notification that my coverage has changed. Maybe at renewal?


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

sophie anne said:


> I'll be switching Ari to Embrace when her coverage changes over to the new system with PetPlan in 2017.



Please tell us why you are picking that company!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Mfmst said:


> I haven't received any notification that my coverage has changed. Maybe at renewal?



Yes, at renewal. You can look at their website to see what that new deal is.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Yes, it's at renewal.

I just called PetPlan and there was an error on my account (I had a feeling, which is why I called). The policy renewed in May but shouldn't have renewed till July, meaning that I would have had an extra year on the old coverage if I hadn't tried to get some more info about the change. Now they fixed my renewal date, so I'm bum outta luck in July.... shouldn't have called at all! Then again, if I had submitted a claim later this year they might have noticed the error anyway and then not reimbursed me as much as expected per the new policy, which would have been really upsetting.

:2in1:

I had them run through some new quotes for Ari so that I can directly compare Embrace vs. the new "PetPlan". But apparently the quotes are not easy to do so I'm still on hold waiting for the results. Rrgh. Will update with results, but I'm 95% sure I'm going to switch to Embrace after this experience if the costs are remotely comparable.

This is really disappointing, but it's a good thing Keowee said something.

A big plus with Embrace is the wellness coverage, which looks very easy to use and is basically an across the board discount on vaccines, heartworm preventative, and flea and tick meds. It'll cover an annual dental cleaning, too, which I am determined to make happen for Ari after Sophie's tooth situation towards the end of her life.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Well so far, here is what I can see are still positives with Petplan.
1) They cover the Vet visits - seems like most of the other companies don't, so that right there is like an extra deductible every time that you go to the vet with the other companies
2) There is more flexibility in the plan - you can choose annual or per incident deductible, and the amount of the deductible. You can choose the amount of coverage that you want, all the way up to unlimited. And in having these choices, you can tweak the amount of your payments much more than you used to be able to.
3) For me they have a history of not being difficult about paying their claims, they actually seem to interpret the policy in favor of the consumer and will work with you to get the most money back. Of course we will have to see if this still holds true under the new policy....
4) They cover virtually any treatment that you could hope for, and knees and hips are covered immediately as long as the vet documents that they are without deficit upon exam right away.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Well so far, here is what I can see are still positives with Petplan.
> 1) They cover the Vet visits - seems like most of the other companies don't, so that right there is like an extra deductible every time that you go to the vet with the other companies


Embrace also covers vet visits.



Tiny Poodles said:


> 2) There is more flexibility in the plan - you can choose annual or per incident deductible, and the amount of the deductible. You can choose the amount of coverage that you want, all the way up to unlimited. And in having these choices, you can tweak the amount of your payments much more than you used to be able to.


You can choose the deductible from $200-$1000 with Embrace, but it is an annual and not a per incident deductible (no option there). For every year that you don't make a claim, you get $50 off your deductible with Embrace, so after 4 years of no claims, you would have a $0 deductible (but after you make a claim for $0, it resets). Whether these details are a plus or a minus for Embrace vs. Petplan, remains to be seen based on the new pricing for Petplan. Petplan is certainly much more similar to Embrace now than it was.



Tiny Poodles said:


> 3) For me they have a history of not being difficult about paying their claims, they actually seem to interpret the policy in favor of the consumer and will work with you to get the most money back. Of course we will have to see if this still holds true under the new policy....


I agree that this is important and you know I've also had a great experience with PetPlan (and the personal experience with the company counts for a lot), but Embrace seems to also get good reviews.



Tiny Poodles said:


> 4) They cover virtually any treatment that you could hope for, and knees and hips are covered immediately as long as the vet documents that they are without deficit upon exam right away.


This is the same with Embrace, and the form for the ortho cert is a little easier to find on the Embrace website than the procedure for doing the same on PetPlan. One interesting difference is that PetPlan covers dental disease and illness, while Embrace does not.

There is also a 30 day money back guarantee with Embrace, in which they will review your pet's past veterinary history and inform you as to whether they are going to include any past history as a pre-existing condition. If you don't like the results, you get your money back as long as you haven't made a claim. If I switch, I'll leave Ari on PetPlan, sign her up for Embrace, do the review, and then cancel one plan or the other based on the results.

Embrace Terms and Conditions
PetPlan Terms and Conditions

If both Embrace and PetPlan are going to consistently/honestly reimburse at 90% with a $200 deductible for the same conditions including vet exams.... the cost of the monthly/annual plan becomes an important factor in the choice. Add in potential savings from the Wellness option with Embrace on top of the essentially equivalent accident/illness coverage, and suddenly PetPlan is starting to fall behind where they were always ahead before!

I'm not saying that one vs. the other is necessarily better than the other, but this type of change definitely warrants a review by everyone who has a PetPlan policy to make sure that they are still getting a good value. The loss of the 100% reimbursement option with PetPlan is a pretty big blow, because that was the biggest thing that set them apart from Embrace back when I first chose Ari's insurance.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

If both Embrace and PetPlan are going to consistently/honestly reimburse at 90% with a $200 deductible for the same conditions including vet exams.... the cost of the monthly/annual plan becomes an important factor in the choice. Add in potential savings from the Wellness option with Embrace on top of the essentially equivalent accident/illness coverage, and suddenly PetPlan is starting to fall behind where they were always ahead before!



I'm not saying that one vs. the other is necessarily better than the other, but this type of change definitely warrants a review by everyone who has a PetPlan policy to make sure that they are still getting a good value. The loss of the 100% reimbursement option with PetPlan is a pretty big blow, because that was the biggest thing that set them apart from Embrace back when I first chose Ari's insurance.[/QUOTE]


Thank you for the comparison! And thank you for pointing out that Embrace does not cover dental disease - if everything else is equal, that alone might be reason enough to stick with Petplan. Just months after signing up, they paid me $3,500 on dental work on Tangee and Teaka. And they also paid around $800 for Timi to have a misaligned adult tooth pulled (including pre-op check, anesthesia, etc and they did not deduct a dime even though all of that also went for the uncovered spay).
Of course those reimbursement amounts would now be reduced by over $400, but still that is close to $4,000 more in my pocket with Petplan than Embrace....
Really going to have to do a cost comparison on the plans... I wonder if they all charge a higher rate for new customers of the same demographics than existing customers like Petplan seems to....


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Also noted that Embrace does not cover over the counter treatments.
Petplan does indeed pay for such things - $35 packs of Prostora (which I think Teaka now has to stay on long-term), $20 an 8 ounce bottle of dandruff shampoo and Biotin supplements are covered for Timi, and $35 a bottle fish oil supplements for Teaka's heart are all covered by Petplan. Of course in the future at 10 percent less, but hey 90 percent is better than nothing....


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

OK feeling better after a long phone convo with Petplan. 
First of all when the new policies are going to come in will vary by state, and lucky me, it won't be in NY until 2017, so I will still get the old policy for Teaka's renewal, and it won't be at the crazy prices quoted on the website.
Trulee though will have to get the new policy.
And although I am unhappy about losing that 100 percent coverage, I am still convinced that there are a number of points that still make them the best company out there.
They are trying to work-up a chart for me to show you that will highlight the differences between them and the other major companies.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Appreciate your review of this Tiny.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

For what it's worth, when I signed up for PetPlan (in California), there was no option for 100% reimbursement and you couldn't choose between an annual or per-incident deductible unless I seriously missed something. For me it came down to PetPlan or Healthy Paws as they had the best coverage, premiums, and reviews (both customer reviews and those from consumer organizations had them in the top 1 and 2 spots). 

The big advantage to Healthy Paws was the annual deductible vs per-incident with PetPlan (again, I never saw an option for an annual deductible).

The advantage of PetPlan was that they cover vet visits, while Healthy Paws does not.

When we ran the numbers, we saved more money with PetPlan than we did with Healthy Paws, so that's what we have.

EDIT: I didn't look closely at Embrace, and I can't remember why.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

lisasgirl said:


> For what it's worth, when I signed up for PetPlan (in California), there was no option for 100% reimbursement and you couldn't choose between an annual or per-incident deductible unless I seriously missed something. For me it came down to PetPlan or Healthy Paws as they had the best coverage, premiums, and reviews (both customer reviews and those from consumer organizations had them in the top 1 and 2 spots).
> 
> The big advantage to Healthy Paws was the annual deductible vs per-incident with PetPlan (again, I never saw an option for an annual deductible).
> 
> ...



Yes, it is really difficult to keep track of "this company offers that, but doesn't offer that", but I know that at the time that I researched it every other company had one or two points that stood out to me as a "deal breaker" that Petplan didn't have.
That is why I asked the woman that I spoke to if she could try to work up a comparison chart for me, and she is going to try to do that. All of the points that we discussed over the phone certainly convinced me that Petplan is still the best, but it would be nice to be able see everything in a side by side comparison. She was very honest with me, even told me about a brand new company that does offer 100% coverage like they used to, but she also explained two possible issues with the company. One, they are not making the claims decisions - they send all of their claims to their underwriter, who does not have a single medical person on staff, so I can just imagine the battles that a customer would have to go through to get them to pay a claim. (Petplan makes all of their own decisions, sends you a check, and THEN sends it to their underwriter to get paid back). And secondly she told me that they are charging the same rates as Petplan, but also including wellness coverage. Sounds great, but she warns that she expects that they will have huge rate increases once they make it through their first year and realize how much money they have lost on that wellness coverage. So nope, no way that I would risk signing up for a company like that who has been open for only 8 months while my youngsters might gather what would be ore-existing conditions if they went bad and I wanted to change....
And you are correct about those Vet visits being a big thing - with her heart condition, for Tangee that must have worked out to an extra $1,000 - $1,500 a year that Petplan paid me.
And now with the new policy, you will have the option of choosing per incident or annual deductible, and how much you want that deductible to be. And something that I have always wanted, the ability to choose unlimited coverage rather than an annual maximum.
And after years ago having survived the horrid VPI where every claim was like going to war, I can tell you that something that you cannot find written in the policy, but I have learned from experience - that Petplan pays their claims happily and without argument, actually working with you to get the most money possible back, is truly priceless.
The woman that I spoke to today was telling me how she can always tell when a former VPI customer calls because they start out so hostile and defensive - she has to "talk them down" and try to explain to them that they don't have to be like that, Petplan doesn't treat their customers like that - and I really had to laugh, because I remember being like that the first few times that I called, and just look at me now - Petplan's biggest advocate!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Mfmst said:


> Appreciate your review of this Tiny.



I felt I had to look into this, not only for my girls, but because so many of you signed up because of my recommendation!
You should call them though if you want to find out when the new plans will come into effect in your State. I was relieved to find out that Teaka has another 14 months and Timi 10 under the old plan, so I have plenty of time to debate which options I will choose. 
Well unless I get Trulee, I would have to decide for her when she comes home the end of August - beginning of September...


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## Kassie (Apr 7, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> I felt I had to look into this, not only for my girls, but because so many of you signed up because of my recommendation!
> You should call them though if you want to find out when the new plans will come into effect in your State. I was relieved to find out that Teaka has another 14 months and Timi 10 under the old plan, so I have plenty of time to debate which options I will choose.
> Well unless I get Trulee, I would have to decide for her when she comes home the end of August - beginning of September...


I think I am feeling Lazy, but it is true, I read previous reviews and I was impressed with all the research Tiny Poodles put into insurance policies. I am grateful that I signed up Fenton a few weeks ago. We are in Canada, so maybe we have time..but, I'll follow this thread and keep an open mind going forward. 
Thank you members for this informative post.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Kassie said:


> I think I am feeling Lazy, but it is true, I read previous reviews and I was impressed with all the research Tiny Poodles put into insurance policies. I am grateful that I signed up Fenton a few weeks ago. We are in Canada, so maybe we have time..but, I'll follow this thread and keep an open mind going forward.
> 
> Thank you members for this informative post.



Hopefully they will get that comparison chart for us soon, she just had to clear it with the higher-ups. I think that will make it much easier to understand.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Meanwhile, if you have any questions, here is the contact info of the woman that I spoke to, she asked me to share it.
Name: Heather Lyn Johnson
Phone: 866-467-3875 (x1541) or ask for me at the call center. There are multiple Heather’s so specify “Johnson”!
E-Mail: [email protected]
Hours: Monday-Friday and I leave between 4-6pm EST on average


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Meanwhile, if you have any questions, here is the contact info of the woman that I spoke to, she asked me to share it.[/email]
> Hours: Monday-Friday and I leave between 4-6pm EST on average


Thanks TP!!! STILL waiting on my quotes that I requested yesterday... I never got off hold after an hour and ended up hanging up. I'll have to try again with Heather—it sounds like she is much more informed.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

sophie anne said:


> Thanks TP!!! STILL waiting on my quotes that I requested yesterday... I never got off hold after an hour and ended up hanging up. I'll have to try again with Heather—it sounds like she is much more informed.



Yes, Heather I believe is the one who trains all of the "happiness managers", so she really knows her stuff!
Tell her that you are one of my poodle people and she will take extra good care of you ?


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Kassie said:


> I think I am feeling Lazy, but it is true, I read previous reviews and I was impressed with all the research Tiny Poodles put into insurance policies. I am grateful that I signed up Fenton a few weeks ago. We are in Canada, so maybe we have time..but, I'll follow this thread and keep an open mind going forward.
> 
> Thank you members for this informative post.



Heather told me that they hope to have the new policies in Canada very soon, but don't have a date set for it yet. But since you just signed Fenton up under the old plan, you have almost a year before you have to worry about that - each policy lasts for a year, and they cannot change it mid-policy, only when it is time to renew!


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## Keowee (Jun 3, 2016)

Thank you so much, Tiny Poodles, for doing a thorough accounting of the changes. I wasn't sure if I was going crazy or not, but I'm glad I pointed it out.

I checked out Embrace because the "Wellness" component seemed valuable, but you basically just pay for it amortized throughout the year as an extra part of your premium -- you pick the amount of Wellness benefits you want, in a few increments topping out at $650 I think, and a hefty chunk gets added on to your premium each month. The quote I put together ended up at something like $90/month for a puppy. Definitely not a good value, comparatively, at least from my perspective.

Still leaning towards PetPlan. We'll see. Glad to have such an active discussion to look back on and see pros and cons.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Keowee said:


> Thank you so much, Tiny Poodles, for doing a thorough accounting of the changes. I wasn't sure if I was going crazy or not, but I'm glad I pointed it out.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes, any time that I have looked at wellness plans it seems like you are paying exactly what you would get back or more, because you are unlikely to do all of the wellness things in one year, every year. 
And the good thing about the changes in Petplan is that you are able to "tweak" the coverage to get the price that you want much more easily. I think that I would go for low annual deductible and unlimited coverage for puppies first year, and after that, if they are healthy with no issues, raise the deductible, and make it per diagnosis, which would greatly lower the price, for the next 8-9 years. When they get to be seniors, they need all the coverage that they can get!


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Just had another thought about changing pet plans. If your dog had a medical problem that Petplan covered and would cover again if they had it again (along with a deductible), what would happen if you changed to another program like Embrace? Would Embrace consider that problem (bad knees, hip problem, Addison's Disease, etc) a pre-existing condition and not cover it?

If our dog has a medical problem like one of those mentioned above, aren't we stuck with our pet plan instead of changing to another one that would not pay for that same problem if it happened again?


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

MiniPoo said:


> Just had another thought about changing pet plans. If your dog had a medical problem that Petplan covered and would cover again if they had it again (along with a deductible), what would happen if you changed to another program like Embrace? Would Embrace consider that problem (bad knees, hip problem, Addison's Disease, etc) a pre-existing condition and not cover it?
> 
> If our dog has a medical problem like one of those mentioned above, aren't we stuck with our pet plan instead of changing to another one that would not pay for that same problem if it happened again?



Yes, you are absolutely correct, if your dog has had any problems, they won't be covered if you switch to a new plan. That is why I could not even consider switching Teaka who already has a heart murmur!
And Heather was even telling me that some of the other plans (forget which ones she named, but they were big ones) are super strict about pre-existing. While Petplan will cover your dog for things that they consider cureable after a period of time (like diarrhea or an eye infection), not only will some of the other plans not EVER cover that pre-existing diagnosis, they will not cover anything for that body part ever! So if, your dog once had diarrhea, and five years later had a stomach ulcer, sorry not covered! If your dog once had an eye infection, then five year later had an eye ulcer, not covered!
The only thing that Timi has had is dandruff, but I wonder, would that mean that if she needed a lump biopsied ten years from now would that mean she wouldn't be covered?! She also had that tooth pulled, but I guess that does not mater because other plans don't cover dental disease.... And she swallowed that gum with xylitol. Would that mean that she wouldn't be covered if she ever swallowed something else that she shouldn't? (Speaking of which, I think that many of the plans, but not Petplan won't cover a second foreign object ingestion in a 1-2 year period, so that is something for the folks with dogs who are prone to that to consider).

Yup, the more we talk about it, the more it makes sense to stick with Petplan. We did loose one thing that made them better than the rest, but there are still quite a number of ways that they are better. And having pre-existing conditions when switching to another company is a major issue.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Pretty much every insurance company is going to consider any existing health issue a pre-existing condition if you switch companies. I did switch from Healthy Paws to Embrace, but I didn't have any pre-existing conditions. That's why it's a good idea to do your research, choose your company, and sign your puppy or dog up as soon as possible - then you have hopefully can avoid any pre-existing conditions.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

oshagcj914 said:


> Pretty much every insurance company is going to consider any existing health issue a pre-existing condition if you switch companies. I did switch from Healthy Paws to Embrace, but I didn't have any pre-existing conditions. That's why it's a good idea to do your research, choose your company, and sign your puppy or dog up as soon as possible - then you have hopefully can avoid any pre-existing conditions.


True, and that is what many of us have done, but Petplan is making some big changes in their coverage, which changes the game. We could not have predicted those changes when doing our research. That is why we are exploring other pet plans.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

MiniPoo said:


> True, and that is what many of us have done, but Petplan is making some big changes in their coverage, which changes the game. We could not have predicted those changes when doing our research. That is why we are exploring other pet plans.



And I guess any company could do that. It really is unfair when you are basically married to them because of a pre- existing condition.
But don't forget, much as we don't like it, it really is only the one thing that they reduced to equal what everyone else does, and they are still better on several other factors. It isn't like they got worse than the other companies.
Interestingly Heather told me that the vast majority of their customers picked 80% anyhow. I guess that we who hang out on poodle forums are the only ones who were concerned enough to get 100 percent...


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

I'll bet petplan covers alot more than Medicare................


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## PoodleTail (Jun 9, 2016)

I am very glad to come across this thread - am currently trying to decide between Healthy Paws and Pet Plan.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

MiniPoo said:


> True, and that is what many of us have done, but Petplan is making some big changes in their coverage, which changes the game. We could not have predicted those changes when doing our research. That is why we are exploring other pet plans.


That's what happened to me with Healthy Paws. They didn't actually change my plan, but my premium went up significantly after having it for one year and never even making a claim  It's about as bad as dealing with human insurance companies, which is enough to make your hair grey!


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

PoodleTail said:


> I am very glad to come across this thread - am currently trying to decide between Healthy Paws and Pet Plan.


I don't have Pet Plan, but lots of good info in this thread about it. FYI about Healthy Paws, they don't cover any preventative type care (vaccines, spay/neuter, etc) if you are looking for coverage for that. They also don't cover the exam fee, which could end up costing you if you have an issue that requires frequent vet visits for monitoring, etc. I needed up switching away from Healthy Paws because of that and they also raised my premium by I think $18 a month after the first year, and I hadn't even had any claims!


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

seminolewind said:


> I'll bet petplan covers alot more than Medicare................


Ugh, don't even get me started on Medicare/Medicaid! Sometimes the durable medical equipment fairy used to visit my patients and give them the equipment they need because we (their care team) got sick of waiting months for a patient to get a stinking shower chair or wheelchair!


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## Keowee (Jun 3, 2016)

oshagcj914 said:


> I don't have Pet Plan, but lots of good info in this thread about it. FYI about Healthy Paws, they don't cover any preventative type care (vaccines, spay/neuter, etc) if you are looking for coverage for that. They also don't cover the exam fee, which could end up costing you if you have an issue that requires frequent vet visits for monitoring, etc. I needed up switching away from Healthy Paws because of that and they also raised my premium by I think $18 a month after the first year, and I hadn't even had any claims!


How awful about Healthy Paws! $18 a month is a BIG change. How old was your dog when the premium changed?


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Keowee said:


> How awful about Healthy Paws! $18 a month is a BIG change. How old was your dog when the premium changed?



Oh they all go up almost every year, but it is not based upon how many claims you file. It is based upon the breed, the dog's age, and most importantly the prices where you live.
But existing customers with the same demographics always pay a lower rate than new customers, so it usually does not pay to switch companies because the rate went up. If you are getting a lower rate with another company it is probably because you are getting less coverage.


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## Keowee (Jun 3, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Oh they all go up almost every year, but it is not based upon how many claims you file. It is based upon the breed, the dog's age, and most importantly the prices where you live.
> But existing customers with the same demographics always pay a lower rate than new customers, so it usually does not pay to switch companies because the rate went up. If you are getting a lower rate with another company it is probably because you are getting less coverage.


Oh, I know that, but I was surprised at the large increment. Someone else mentioned a $3 change earlier.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Keowee said:


> How awful about Healthy Paws! $18 a month is a BIG change. How old was your dog when the premium changed?


He was just over a year old. I got him and signed him up at 9 weeks old.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Oh they all go up almost every year, but it is not based upon how many claims you file. It is based upon the breed, the dog's age, and most importantly the prices where you live.
> But existing customers with the same demographics always pay a lower rate than new customers, so it usually does not pay to switch companies because the rate went up. If you are getting a lower rate with another company it is probably because you are getting less coverage.


I'm paying the same price for 2 Great Danes with Embrace that I was paying for 1 Great Dane with Healthy Paws. And my coverage is basically exactly the same as far as deductible, reimbursement, etc, except Healthy Paws has no yearly cap and Embrace does ($15,000).


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Keowee said:


> Oh, I know that, but I was surprised at the large increment. Someone else mentioned a $3 change earlier.



? I just got Teaka's renewal letter for September. 14 year old Teaka living in Manhattan. Put it this way, for the amount that her plan is increasing, you could probably insure a new puppy, and cover puppies first couple of Vet visits too. For the price of her annual plan, I could buy a new puppy, pay for the Nanny to fly her here and cover the first couple of vet visits!
I am seriously thinking of reducing her coverage to $10,000 a year, depending upon what that would save me. 
I am having trouble envisioning anything that I would do to a 14 plus y/o dog that would cost more than $10,000. She has a slight heart murmur, but at this point it does not require meds, and of course I would treat that if needed. But when Tangee had her heart condition, it cost around $4,000 a year to treat...
Please tell me if I am missing something? Yes prices are high here, but I cannot imagine anything medical costing over $10,000 a year, and I really cannot imagine ever doing anything surgical to a dog of her age. Maybe if she needed a tooth pulled, but I am trying hard to avoid that...


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> ? I just got Teaka's renewal letter for September. 14 year old Teaka living in Manhattan. Put it this way, for the amount that her plan is increasing, you could probably insure a new puppy, and cover puppies first couple of Vet visits too. For the price of her annual plan, I could buy a new puppy, pay for the Nanny to fly her here and cover the first couple of vet visits!
> I am seriously thinking of reducing her coverage to $10,000 a year, depending upon what that would save me.
> I am having trouble envisioning anything that I would do to a 14 plus y/o dog that would cost more than $10,000. She has a slight heart murmur, but at this point it does not require meds, and of course I would treat that if needed. But when Tangee had her heart condition, it cost around $4,000 a year to treat...
> Please tell me if I am missing something? Yes prices are high here, but I cannot imagine anything medical costing over $10,000 a year, and I really cannot imagine ever doing anything surgical to a dog of her age. Maybe if she needed a tooth pulled, but I am trying hard to avoid that...


What is her yearly cap now? The thing I liked about Healthy Paws was the lack of cap on coverage...but I also have young Great Danes. They are NOT a cheap breed to own, and it wouldn't be too hard to break a $15,000 cap. But I agree that a 14 year old toy dog shouldn't need more than $10,000. I've never lived in Manhattan though, and Indiana has pretty cheap everything


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

oshagcj914 said:


> What is her yearly cap now? The thing I liked about Healthy Paws was the lack of cap on coverage...but I also have young Great Danes. They are NOT a cheap breed to own, and it wouldn't be too hard to break a $15,000 cap. But I agree that a 14 year old toy dog shouldn't need more than $10,000. I've never lived in Manhattan though, and Indiana has pretty cheap everything



Right now she has the maximum, $22,000 a year I think? That is one of the advantages of the new plan, you can choose unlimited coverage if you wish. But The changes don't come into effect in NY until 2017, so Teaka gets to renew in September for another year at 100% coverage, which I am happy about.
The most that I ever spent on one dog in a year was Taylee's final year, about $15,000. But she was a little younger, and we did not have a definitive diagnosis and she spent over a week hospitalized and had surgery before she passed. I like to think that I am a little wiser now and that I would not put my 14 plus year old dog through such a thing. Medical treatment yes, but hospitalization and surgery, I seriously doubt that there would be a scenario in which I would think that was the right thing to do for her.
And don't forget, that amount is per policy period. If say she got sick next week, come September she would have another $10,000 to spend...


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Right now she has the maximum, $22,000 a year I think? That is one of the advantages of the new plan, you can choose unlimited coverage if you wish. But The changes don't come into effect in NY until 2017, so Teaka gets to renew in September for another year at 100% coverage, which I am happy about.
> The most that I ever spent on one dog in a year was Taylee's final year, about $15,000. But she was a little younger, and we did not have a definitive diagnosis and she spent over a week hospitalized and had surgery before she passed. I like to think that I am a little wiser now and that I would not put my 14 plus year old dog through such a thing. Medical treatment yes, but hospitalization and surgery, I seriously doubt that there would be a scenario in which I would think that was the right thing to do for her.
> And don't forget, that amount is per policy period. If say she got sick next week, come September she would have another $10,000 to spend...


Mine is per policy period as well, and I hope that I never have to spend more than $15,000 in a year! But if I do, then I'll just pay it. I really just got insurance to make sure that I'd never have to choose to put a dog down just because of money. I'm sticking with Embrace for Asaah because she's hypothyroid, but I'll have to look into PetPlan and compare with other companies for my future spoo. Love threads like these, it's so helpful to hear from actual people!


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## ashcash (Aug 30, 2016)

I know this thread is months old but it's been extremely helpful so far. 

My mpoo will be coming home tonight and I want to get insurance for her but I'm still torn between Petplan and Embrace :argh:. Any advice is much appreciated. Which would you choose?

*Embrace Quote*:
Annual Max: $10,000
Annual Deductible: $500
Reimbursement: 80%
Wellness Rewards: $250
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$56.39/month ($62.15 if I get the Rx coverage)
If I increase the reimbursement to 90%, it'll be roughly an additional $10/month


*Petplan Quote*:
Annual Coverage: $15,000
Annual Deductible: $250
Reimbursement: 90%
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$37.88/month


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

ashcash said:


> I know this thread is months old but it's been extremely helpful so far.
> 
> My mpoo will be coming home tonight and I want to get insurance for her but I'm still torn between Petplan and Embrace :argh:. Any advice is much appreciated. Which would you choose?
> 
> ...


Even the new Petplan looks like a way better deal...


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

ashcash said:


> I know this thread is months old but it's been extremely helpful so far.
> 
> My mpoo will be coming home tonight and I want to get insurance for her but I'm still torn between Petplan and Embrace :argh:. Any advice is much appreciated. Which would you choose?
> 
> ...


Your Embrace quote is probably so high because of the Wellness coverage. I personally didn't think it was worth it, so I didn't go with any Wellness coverage and I pay about $26/month with Embrace for a Dane. Does Petplan cover the stuff that Embrace covers plus the Wellness plan? If so, that's your better deal. If not, check what each plan covers and does not cover, and go from there.


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