Embrace Pet Insurance Review
Owning a pet isn’t cheap, and when an unexpected accident happens… no one is ready for a $7,000 vet bill. Pet insurance is important to have before the unexpected happens! However, choosing the coverage that is right for you and your four legged family member isn’t an easy task. Not to worry though, we have you covered… in this Embrace Pet Insurance Review you will find out about different coverage offered, pros and cons, and how this pet insurance is perceived by real pet owners.
Embrace Pet Insurance Overview
Embrace pet insurance is an award winning pet insurance company based in the United States. A company that started as the first place project in the Wharton Business Plan Competition and eventually became the company it is today.
Core values that drive this pet insurance company are; being open and honest, putting the customer first, giving back to the community and environment, taking personal responsibility, seeking innovation and being passionate.
Embrace offers comprehensive coverage that allows some options for personalization. You can choose your annual maximum, deductible amount and reimbursement percentage.
The more your annual maximum, the lower your deductible and the higher your percentage rate, the higher your monthly premiums will be, so you can choose a plan that works for your budget.
Important Note: the deductible is annual, so you must pay out of pocket the full deductible amount before Embrace will start covering you.
Fixed Coverage, beyond the customizable features
- Your dog or cat is required to have a veterinarian exam completed within the last 12 months before coverage will be instated.
- Two week waiting period on claims of illness.
- 48 hours to two weeks for accidents... depending on state of residence.
- Six month waiting period for orthopedic conditions.
Are pre-existing conditions covered?
All pet insurance companies have different terms and conditions on what they consider pre-existing or not. It is always important to read the fine print, even if you have to call and talk to a customer service agent for them to explain it to you.
As long as your dog is covered by Embrace before anything happens to him, Embrace covers accidents, illnesses, genetic disorders and routine care.
Anything diagnosed before your coverage begins, by your vet or not, is considered a pre-existing condition.
“A pre-existing condition is any injury, illness, or irregularity noticed by you or your veterinarian before the end of your waiting period, even if your pet never went to see the veterinarian for it. No pet insurance company covers pre-existing conditions.”
Embrace will cover something pre-existing if it is considered curable. UTI, Respiratory infections or diarrhea and vomiting are considered pre-existing if your dog has had them before coverage, but they will generally reinstate coverage for this, at their discretion.
Examples of pre-existing conditions
“Your cat had a bout of diarrhea from Giardia eight months prior to enrolling. Two months into the policy term, he has diarrhea again and your veterinarian does not know the cause except she has ruled out Giardia. The diarrhea would be covered.
Your dog tore her right cruciate ligament before you bought your policy. She then tears the left cruciate ligament 2 years into the policy. The left cruciate tear is a pre-existing condition.”
Embrace pet insurance exclusions
Embrace pet insurance offers a snapshot of their exclusions on their site, with a link to their full terms and conditions with the full list. All pet insurance companies have exclusions, and here is what Embrace excludes:
- Pre-existing conditions.
- Breeding, whelping, and pregnancy.
- Injury caused deliberately by you or any other person or pet residing in your home.
- Injury or illness resulting from fighting, racing, cruelty, or neglect.
- Cosmetic procedures such as tail docking, ear cropping, and declawing (although covered when medically necessary).
- DNA testing or cloning.
- Organ transplants.
- Stem cell therapy not deemed medically necessary.
- Avian Flu or Nuclear War.
- Treatment for an illness related to the teeth and/or gums (They offer help paying for teeth cleanings or dental illness with Wellness Rewards).
Pros of Embrace Pet Inurance
- It’s nice that they offer a comparison to other leading insurance companies right on their website.
- Once you have signed up with Embrace, they will not change your dog’s coverage or drop them at a certain age.
- You can customize your plan so you can make your pet's insurance more affordable.
- You are allowed to visit any Vet, not just ones that they are affiliated with.
- 30-day money back guarantee if you are not happy with the coverage.
- They offer a pre-certification process, where they can pay the veterinarian instead of you paying out of pocket and them sending the money to you or if you want to be sure an extensive treatment is absolutely covered. This process takes about 5 business days.
- There’s a list of reviews about their company from the BBB, Pet Insurance Review and Yelp.
Cons of Embrace Pet Insurance
- Only Dogs under 14 years old are eligible for coverage.
- The Wellness Rewards program is not offered as a stand-alone feature.
- Limited Customer Service hours (Monday to Friday 8:30am – 8pm and Saturday 9am-1pm).
- Two week waiting period for coverage to begin and for most claims.
What exactly does Embrace cover?
The list of what Embrace covers, regardless of the annual maximum deductible and payback percentage features, are as follows:
- Breed specific conditions: this includes hip dysplasia and other genetic conditions
- Cancer Treatment
- Diagnostic testing and imaging: Xray, Ultrasounds, MRI
- Prosthetic limbs and devices
- Surgery, Hospitalization, and nursing care
- Alternative Therapies and rehabilitation: Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Homeopathic, Holistic, Veterinary orthopedic manipulation (VOM) and massage therapy, Therapeutic Laser Treatment, Hydrotherapy, Reiki, Electro acupuncture, BICOM therapy and Hyperbarics.
- ER & Specialist Care: Emergency and urgent care hospitals, Orthopedic specialists, Oncologists, Ophthalmologists, Radiologists, Internal medicine experts and Rehabilitation, physical therapy, or hydrotherapy facilities.
- Prescription Drug Coverage: Take-home drugs such as antibiotics, allergy meds, insulin & supplies, and eye & ear drops.
- Behavioral Therapy
Can you get Health Insurance for your dog?
Embrace also offers a “Wellness Rewards” program that helps the coverage of routine care. It is essentially like an optional health spending account that you add to your coverage. The options are $250, $450 and $650 per policy year.
This is a nice feature to have, if you do have an unexpected vet visit, or routine checkup, those can be expensive on their own.
The more your rewards, the more you pay per month. They claim there are no deductibles, no co-pay and no waiting period on this wellness plan, that customers can use it the day they sign up.
What does the Wellness Plan cover?
- Wellness exams
- Vaccinations and titers
- Flea, tick, and heartworm medication
- Spay/neuter surgery
- Fecal exams
- Routine blood tests
- Microchipping
- Umbilical hernia repair
- Gastropexy
- Toenail trimming
- Routine anal gland expression
- Routine chiropractic care
- Reiki
- Message therapy
- Acupunctlure
- Anesthetic teeth cleaning and dental illness
- Prescription diet food purchased at your veterinarian
- OFA & PennHIP exams and X-rays
- Nutritional supplements
- Medicated shampoos
- Behavioral/obedience/specialty training
- Pet activity monitors
- Grooming
- Cremation/burial
If your fur baby has been diagnosed with or shown symptoms of Diabetes, Cushing's disease, Addison's disease, or FeLV/FIV before enrolling, Embrace offers an accident-only plan paired with the optional Wellness Rewards.
Dog DNA Test That Check For Health Issues
Dog DNA tests focus on determining the breed heritage of a dog, some of them identify genetic markers that are associated with known canine diseases and other health issues.
The accident-only plan covers Bloat, being hit by a car, poisoning, cuts and torn cruciate ligaments. They will cover a maximum of $5,000 annually with a $100 deductible and reimburse you 90%.
This would be a good option for the older animal, but it would be unfortunate for a younger animal that doesn’t qualify for comprehensive coverage, as they’re more likely to develop any of the other ailments.
Reimbursement goes by a straight percentage of your vet bill. The options are 65%, 80% or 90%. The site also claims they can “reimburse immediately” once you set up direct deposit, which can be done with a quick phone call to customer service. Although, the majority of users claim that it takes up to 5 days for reimbursement.
How much is Embrace Pet Insurance?
Embrace offers no pricing information on their site until you ask for a quote. They provided us with three plans, noting the most popular, and then below providing us with the tools to choose a custom plan.
Important note: Deductible is annual, so you must pay out of pocket the full deductible amount before coverage starts.
Annual | Deductable | Reimbursement | Wellness Rewards | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$15,000 | $750 | 80% | NO | $42.60 |
$5,000 | $1,000 | 70% | NO | $14.99 |
$15,000 | $200 | 90% | $650 Wellness | $180.69 |
*Note: These are example pricing plans.
The maximum annual amount is $15,000. $750 deductible is the most popular plan, 80% reimbursement with no Wellness Rewards, which is $42.60 per month.
If you go for the lowest of everything, it includes a $5,000 annual maximum, $1,000 deductible, 70% reimbursement and no wellness rewards or prescription coverage and that would be $14.99 per month.
This option would be okay if you couldn’t afford a high monthly payment, but would be disastrous in the case of an emergency with a $1,000 deductible, if you are on a tight budget with not a lot of money saved. I’m not sure it would really not be ideal for anyone.
The creme-de-la-creme plan would include $15,000 annual maximum, $200 deductible, 90% reimbursement, prescription coverage and a $650 wellness plan would run customers $180.69 per month for a one-year-old, un-neutered male, mixed breed dog.
That is more than most folks pay for benefits for themselves in a month. Especially if you have more than one critter, not many pet parents would not be able to afford $362 per month for two dogs
The most important feature for me would be the Wellness Rewards and low deductible. If I am paying a monthly premium, I don’t want to have to drop $750 before my coverage starts.
Positive Embrace Pet Insurance Reviews
Embrace has very polarizing reviews on Yelp.
Happy Customer
Embrace Pet Insurance Complaints
The most common complaint on Yelp is that Embrace will do everything it can to deny claims.
California
Some Embrace pet insurance reviews complain about miscommunication and disorganization from this company, and trying to claim every submission is a pre-existing condition.
Embrace Pet Insurance Rating
Customer Service is where this company shines. However, with limited hours and steep prices for top policies, Embrace might not be affordable for all pet parents.
Conclusion
The feature we liked best about Embrace Pet Insurance is the customization options. Which allows for pet parents on a tight budget to get coverage at an affordable price.
Wellness Rewards Program is another great feature we liked. Routine checkups, exams, or visits that fall below your deductible amount can add up over the year, so this is a very helpful tool in helping to relieve that financial burden.
It also provides a level of trust that Embrace offers reviews, comparisons and tips in finding the right insurance on their site that is easy to find and navigate.
