Many pet owners in the Empire State see their pets as members of the family. If you feel the same, you might sleep better at night knowing that your dog or cat is covered by pet insurance to help you through accidents or illnesses. There are many options for pet insurance in New York state and New York City (NYC), and we understand that it can be difficult to choose the best company. We hope that we can help you decide which New York pet insurance company is the best for you and your furry family members.
Embrace
- Diminishing deductible (if no claim made in year)
- Claims are processed and paid promptly
- Extra reimbursements for things like grooming, training, etc.
- Optional wellness plan
Overall, we found that Embrace Pet Insurance offered the best value and some of the best discounts available for New Yorkers. The premiums are on the low end, and they have the option of having wellness and routine care covered. You can get reimbursed rather quickly, and there’s even a program that reduces your deductible for each year that you don’t send in a claim. This is our top pick for pet insurance companies in New York.
We looked at several different plans and policies to bring you our very best advice on choosing the right pet insurance for you. We looked at several criteria, including the monthly cost, the type of deductible available, what each company covers, and how payments work. Keep reading to learn more about our top picks in various categories as well as for important information about how to pick a good pet insurance company.
The Best Pet Insurance Companies in New York (and NYC)
Best Pet Insurance Company in New York Overall: Embrace Pet Insurance
Learn More on Embrace Pet Insurance’s secured website |
Average Customer Rating 4.6 What we like: |
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| Monthly Premium | As low as $10 for cats and $16 for dogs |
| Deductible | $200, $300, $500, $750, or $1,000 |
| Benefits Limits | 70%, 80% or 90% of annual costs |
| Age Restrictions | As young as 6 weeks and as old as 14 years |
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Visit the Embrace Pet Insurance website or get a quote for pet insurance |
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Embrace Pet Insurance made our top spot for the best pet insurance company in New York. Overall, they offer a lot of benefits, including an optional wellness plan that can cover things like vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, preventative medication, and even training. Embrace covers alternative treatments as part of its basic plan, so along with regular coverage for accidents, illnesses, surgery, and prescription medications for treatment, you will also have access to acupuncture, chiropractic care, and some other alternative treatments.
Embrace offers several discounts, including some that are valid for New York residents only. There is a multiple-pet discount and a military discount (both 5%) that anyone can ask for. For New Yorkers, there are additional discounts for those paying by ACH, for those paying for a year upfront, and for those whose pets have already been spayed or neutered.
Important Features of Embrace Pet Insurance:
- Optional wellness plan
- Discounts for New York residents
- Covers alternative treatments
- Diminishing deductible
- No lifetime limits
- Quick reimbursement
See our comprehensive review of Embrace Pet Insurance here.
Runner Up Pet Insurance Company in New York: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
 Learn More on Healthy Paws Pet Insurance’s secured website |
Average Customer Rating 4.6 What we like: |
|---|---|
| Monthly Premium | Approximately $35 for dogs and $25 for cats |
| Deductible | $100, $200, $500, or $750 |
| Benefits Limits | 70%, 80% or 90% of annual costs |
| Age Restrictions | As young as 8 weeks and as old as 14 years |
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Visit the Healthy Paws Pet Insurance website or get a quote for pet insurance |
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Close behind in the second-place spot for pet insurance companies in New York is Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. Healthy Paws premiums are competitive and the company offers a lot of coverage benefits, making it a very good value for many pet owners. One of our favorite features is that it uses an annual deductible model, so you won’t have to pay the amount more than once during a coverage year.
Alternative treatments and prescription medications for treatment are covered, as are most other treatments for accidents and illnesses. Claims are processed through an easy-to-use app, leading to a quick turnaround. It is worth noting, since hip dysplasia can be a common ailment, that there are longer-than-average waiting periods for hip dysplasia treatment and no hip dysplasia coverage for dogs over the age of 6.
Important Features of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance:
- Simple app for quick claims processing
- Covers alternative treatment
- Annual deductible
- No annual or lifetime caps
- Competitive premiums
See our in-depth review of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance for more information.
Best for Pets With Pre-Existing Conditions: Pet Assure Pet Insurance Alternative
 Learn More on Pet Assure’s secured website |
Average Customer Rating 4.3 What we like: |
|---|---|
| Monthly Premium | From $8 for cats and $10 for dogs. A multiple pet discount applies. |
| Deductible | None |
| Discount | 25% of covered services |
| Age Restrictions | None |
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Visit the Pet Assure website or get a quote for their pet insurance alternative |
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While no traditional pet insurance covers pre-existing conditions, Pet Assure is an alternative that will help you pay for these bills. Pet Assure is a discount program that you can use with participating veterinarians. Any in-house treatment or procedure is covered, including those that are done for pre-existing conditions. The discount is 25% off of the veterinarian’s regular fees. There are no deductibles, maximums, or claim forms to worry about.
Another perk of Pet Assure is that you can use it with any type of pet. If you have a small animal like a hamster, a larger animal like a potbellied pig, a bird, a reptile, or any other type of pet that you see a participating veterinarian for, you can add them to your Pet Assure policy. This is a nice perk, because most pet insurance companies only cover cats and dogs.
Important Features of Pet Assure:
- No deductibles
- No annual, lifetime, or per-procedure maximums
- 25% discount on all in-house services
- No coverage for out-of-house lab fees
- No claim forms
- Can be used for pre-existing conditions
- Can be used for exotic pets
- Only available through participating veterinarians
We have a review of Pet Assure that contains more details about this plan.
Best That Can Pays the Veterinarian Directly: Trupanion Pet Insurance
 Learn More on Trupanion’s secured website |
Average Customer Rating 4.1 What we like: |
|---|---|
| Monthly Premium | As low as $22 for cats and $36 for dogs |
| Deductible | Customizable between $0 and $1,000 |
| Benefits Limits | 90% |
| Age Restrictions | As old as 14 years |
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Visit the Trupanion website or get a quote for pet insurance |
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A few pet insurance companies will pay your New York vet directly. Trupanion Pet Insurance came in as our top choice among these companies. While you can use Trupanion at any vet, only participating veterinarians can accept the direct payments. You will want to check with your New York veterinarian before signing up for this plan if the direct-pay option is important to you. Otherwise, you will need to submit a claim and get reimbursed.
Trupanion has an adjustable per-condition deductible; you can choose an amount between $0 and $1,000. They cover all enrollees at 90 percent. Note that that is based on the veterinarian’s bill, not on a predetermined amount. If your vet charges $100 for a covered procedure and you have met your deductible, Trupanion will pay $90 and your portion will be $10. Note that examination fees are not covered, so you will always pay for those out of pocket.
Important Features of Trupanion Pet Insurance:
- Direct vet payments to participating veterinarians
- Per-condition deductible
- 90% coverage for all enrolled pets
- Pays based on vet bill amount
- Doesn’t pay examination fees
- 24/7 customer service
See our full Trupanion Pet Insurance Review for more information.
Best that Pays Based on Actual Vet Bills: Pet’s Best Pet Insurance
 Learn More on Pets Best Pet Insurance secured website |
Average Customer Rating 4.3 What we like: |
|---|---|
| Monthly Premium | As low as $13 for dogs and $8 for cats |
| Deductible | $50-1,000 |
| Coverage | 70 to 90 percent |
| Age Restrictions | Minimum: 8 weeks Maximum: none |
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Visit the Pets Best Pet Insurance website or get a quote for pet insurance |
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Among the NY pet insurance companies that pay based on the veterinarian’s actual bill, our top pick is Pets Best. Some pet insurance companies pay bills based on what they feel is usual or customary for a particular procedure. Pets Best covers a percentage of the vet’s actual charges. This is a benefit to those living in New York and other states where the cost of veterinary care is higher than average.
Pets Best offers different tiers of care, and one of them includes coverage for routine care like vaccinations. Other benefits you might choose to purchase are accident-only coverage, alternative treatment coverage, prescription medication coverage, and spay/neuter coverage. This pet insurance company has annual deductibles, a 24-hour veterinarian-staffed hotline for questions, and an app for easy claim submission.
Important Features of Pets Best Pet Insurance
- Annual deductible
- Pays based on vet’s bill
- Optional coverage tiers
- No maximum age limits
- 24-hour vet hotline
- Optional direct payments to participating veterinarians
- Easy-to-use app
Read more about Pets Best Pet Insurance on our review.
How We Chose the Best New York Pet Insurance Companies
There’s a lot to consider when weighing the different options offered by various New York pet insurance companies. While many people look primarily at the monthly premiums, we were careful to evaluate other various factors to help give our readers a well-rounded picture. Here’s some of what we considered:
Cost Per Month
The fact is that if someone cannot afford the monthly premium for a particular plan, then it doesn’t matter what is offered by the insurance company. So while this is not the only consideration, the cost per month did rate high on our list of features to think about. We looked for companies that charged what we considered a fair price for the coverage that they offered.
Different Deductible Types
In general, there are two types of deductibles offered by pet insurance companies. The first is an annual deductible. You are probably familiar with this if you have health insurance. At the beginning of the coverage period, you are responsible to pay toward the deductible until it is satisfied. After that point, you won’t pay another deductible until the following year.
The other type is a per-incident deductible, sometimes called a per-condition deductible. This is when you will pay a deductible each time your pet is diagnosed with a new injury or illness. If he needs to be treated for the same condition during the next year (or subsequent years), you won’t pay the deductible again.
We favor the annual deductible in our comparisons. This doesn’t mean that is necessarily better for you. It just means that we consider it to be better for evaluation purposes simply because pet owners will know the maximum that they will be paying toward their deductibles each year.
How Claims Are Paid
Most of the time, claims are paid via reimbursement. This reimbursement might take just a couple of days or it might take several weeks. It might be based on a set fee for each procedure, or it might be based on the veterinarian’s actual charge. In a few cases, pet insurance companies can pay some veterinarians directly. In our calculations, we favored quicker reimbursements over slower reimbursements.
What Is Covered (and Not Covered)
Finally, we took a careful look at what is covered and not covered. Except for pet insurance alternatives, these companies do not cover pre-existing conditions. All have waiting periods of some type; some are longer than others, and some have different waiting periods for different types of conditions. Some companies will not cover pets over a certain age. Some cover routine procedures, while most cover only illnesses and accidents as part of the basic plan. Various plans offer different riders and options. We prefer when consumers can customize the coverage, so companies that provide options received a higher score from us.
How to Choose the Best Pet Insurance in New York
Now it’s time for you to pick which pet insurance is best for your furry family. We recommend you follow these steps:
Check What Your Monthly Premium Will Be
While this should not be your only consideration, it is an important one. Be sure to fill out the form for a free quote for each insurance company you are considering. While we have mentioned prices, those are only averages and based on hypothetical pets. You will need to request a quote based on your New York zip code as well as the age and type of your pet. A higher deductible will result in a lower monthly fee (and vice versa), so you can often change that on your quote to see what different deductibles will cost you.
Look at the Detailed Coverage Information Available
Look carefully at what is covered. Decide whether you want to have routine care covered (either as part of the basic plan or as an optional rider that you can purchase) and look at any exclusions. Be sure that you understand whether a particular company you are considering will cover vet exam fees and prescription medications, for example.
You’ll also want to see what type of deductible is offered and what the coinsurance amount is. Remember that the percentage that the pet insurance company will cover might be based on the vet’s actual fee or it might be based on a set fee for each procedure. If you can’t tell from the website which it is, you can call to speak to a customer service agent to find out for sure.
Read Customer Reviews (Positive and Negative)
Finally, we recommend that you look at customer reviews for any pet insurance companies that you are considering. Look for those that are mostly positive as well as those that are mostly negative. You’ll want to know what people like and what they don’t like, and customer reviews are one of the best ways to get a good picture of how the company makes decisions and pays claims.
The Final Verdict
While our top pick is Embrace Pet Insurance, we also feel that quite a few others could be the best pet insurance for you. If you are in New York and you are looking for pet insurance, we encourage you to take the time to evaluate the different options available. In addition, please check out more information by reading articles such as Is Pet Insurance Worth the Cost? and What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
