When it comes to pet insurance, making a mistake could be costly. It’s designed to protect both pets and pet parents, keeping pet health care affordable, but it only works if you get the right kind of coverage from the right kind of provider.
If you’re wondering whether Petcube’s Emergency Fund or Embrace pet insurance is right for you, please allow me to make things nice and simple.
Content:
- What is Covered by the Insurance
- What is Not Covered by the Insurance
- How Many Pets Can Be Insured
- What is the Waiting Period for Insurance
- How Much Does Insurance Cost
- How to Cancel Pet Insurance
What is Covered by the Insurance
Does your pet have pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, epilepsy, or hip dysplasia? If they have any kind of medical issue that’s ongoing and already diagnosed, you’re probably not covered for healthcare related to that complaint.
Thankfully, there is a solution.
Petcube Emergency Fund
The Emergency Fund is designed for emergencies that require urgent treatment. You know your pet better than anyone else, and you know what’s ‘right or normal for them. and what’s not.
Emergencies previously covered by the Emergency Fund include:
- Breathing difficulties;
- Trauma caused by falls, bumps, and vehicle collisions;
- Canine bloating;
- Wounds causing severe blood loss;
- Fits and seizures;
- Toxic poisoning;
- Prolonged or consistent vomiting and/or diarrhea;
- Inability to urinate or defecate.
Embrace Pet Insurance
Embrace Pet Insurance is a full-coverage pet policy, covering an extensive list of medical conditions and illnesses, plus diagnostic testing, longer-term care and management, and treatments.
Embrace does reimburse for treatment for certain elements of pre-existing conditions, which puts it ahead of other conventional pet insurance policies. Other coverage providers usually look at two years or more worth of medical history; Embrace requests only 12 months’ worth.
You will also have access to emergency dental care for your pets with Embrace for problems such as root canals, tooth extractions, chipped or broken teeth, and gingivitis.
What is Not Covered by the Insurance
Always read the small print when it comes to insurance, especially insurance for your pampered pets. What’s not covered is even more important than what is.
Petcube Emergency Fund
If your pet’s health problem is not an emergency that requires urgent medical attention, you will not be able to claim on the fund. It is solely for life-threatening events, such as those mentioned above.
A little bit of an upset stomach is not a medical emergency unless it has persisted for longer than is necessary or if your pet displays other symptoms at the same time. The same applies to a splinter in your dog’s paw, a cat needing their claws clipped, or a bit of a gunky eye.
The following are also not included in Emergency Fund coverage:
- Vaccinations;
- Parvovirus;
- Neutering/spaying;
- Microchipping;
- Non-emergencies;
- General checkup appointments after urgent care;
- Worming treatments and other types of preventative care.
Think of the Emergency Fund service as the furry equivalent of 911. If you wouldn’t call 911 for a problem with yourself, you probably shouldn’t call the Emergency Fund for a problem with your pet.
Thankfully, the fund comes with access to fully qualified vets with just a few taps and flicks on your tablet or cell phone. They are there for questions and concerns just as much as they are for urgent medical assistance. Don’t be afraid to ask. Your pet’s life could be on the line, after all.
Embrace Pet Insurance
Preventative care, such as flea treatments, worming treatments, vaccinations, and other forms of routine care, is not covered by Embrace’s pet insurance full coverage plan.
The same applies to the following:
- Wellness checks;
- Routine checkups;
- Nuclear war (yes, it says that);
- Organ transplants;
- Undiagnosed vomiting and/or diarrhea;
- Pregnancy-related conditions;
- Wounds arising from aggressive acts or previously aggressive dogs;
- Multiple counts of ingesting foreign objects and requiring removal under anesthesia;
- Treatments administered against or without consulting a vet;
- Neglect, cruelty, or abuse-related injuries or illnesses;
- Problems related to mutilation, such as tail cropping and ear docking;
- Core vaccine diseases (because you didn’t get your pet(s) vaccinated).
How Many Pets Can Be Insured
If you have a multi-pet household, finding an insurance provider with multi-pet discounts is a good idea. Not all providers offer discounts, and some alternatives offer blanket coverage for more than one pet.
Petcube Emergency Fund
The Emergency Fund can reimburse you for emergency treatments for up to six pets in your household.
You can only submit one claim per year for one pet. When the policy renews after twelve months, you are back to having full coverage for up to six pets and can submit a claim if necessary.
Embrace Pet Insurance
You can get a 10% discount on additional pets with Embrace pet insurance.
What is the Waiting Period for Insurance
Waiting periods are common in insurance policies and are used to avoid scams and fraud. During this period, you are not permitted to make a claim. You have no coverage for that time.
According to Forbes, the average waiting period for illnesses is 14 days, and for injuries, it is between 1 and 15 days.
Petcube Emergency Fund
Once you have signed up for Petcube’s Emergency Fund, there is a 14-day waiting period. You won’t need to keep track of this date because Petcube will do it for you. Once the waiting period is over, you’ll receive an email stating so.
Embrace Pet Insurance
The waiting period for an accident with Embrace Pet Insurance is 48 hours. It extends to 14 days for illnesses.
Dogs with orthopedic issues have a 6-month waiting period unless you sign a waiver.
This coverage restriction begins at the start date of the policy, which is delayed if you haven’t taken your pet to the vet in the previous 12 months. Embrace gives customers 14 days to get their furry friends checked out and provide examination documents.
How Much Does Insurance Cost
Although it shouldn’t be, the cost is very often a crucial factor when pet parents pick insurance for their four-legged children. Healthcare costs can vary massively from company to company, state to state, and pet to pet. There is rarely a one-size-fits-all option.
Petcube Emergency Fund
The Emergency Fund was designed to be simple to avoid any extra stress while you’re already experiencing a stressful situation. There is one simple payment, with no additional costs or packages.
Cost of the Petcube Emergency Fund: $29 per month. ($348/year.)
There is no sign-up fee, admin fee, or deductible, but the remainder of the yearly payment will come out of your reimbursement.
For example:
You signed up for the Emergency Fund three months ago. 3 x £29 = $87.
There is still $261 left to pay out of the original $348 per year. If your emergency vet bill is $1,500, Petcube will pay $1,500 minus $261 = $1,239. You will be responsible for $261 out of the total bill.
Embrace Pet Insurance
I based my quote on a seven-year-old indoor cat who is female, intact (not spayed), and has no pre-existing medical conditions. With Embrace, you can choose between five different annual reimbursement limits:
- $5,000
- $8,000
- $10,000
- $15,000
- Unlimited
You can pick your annual deductible from:
- $1,000
- $750
- $500
- $250
- $100
There is also another option: the reimbursement percentage. This is the amount that Embrace Pet Insurance will reimburse you after the deductible is met.
Embrace offers a wide range of options to suit every pet insurance need, but the process can get a little complicated. There are additional packages available, such as reimbursement for vet-prescribed drugs and routine care.
With a $100 deductible, $15,000 worth of reimbursement, and an 80% reimbursement percentage (the three most popular options), insuring my cat will cost $39.87 per month.
Discounts are available for former or active military personnel and for paying annually rather than monthly. Additional costs include a one-time admin fee of $25 and an insurance installment fee of $1.
This brings the monthly cost of Embrace pet insurance to $40.87, with a $25 admin fee.
How to Cancel Pet Insurance
You might decide that your policy doesn’t suit you after you’ve signed on the dotted line. In such cases, knowing how to cancel your pet insurance policy is vital.
Petcube Emergency Fund
You can cancel Emergency Fund by Petcube on the app on your phone or via the website. There is no need to call and talk to anyone or spend time writing an email. It’s as simple as tap-tap-tap.
Embrace Pet Insurance
You can cancel your pet insurance with Embrace by calling their customer service advisors or sending an email. You may be eligible for a prorated refund.