ASPCA vs. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Comparison 2024: Pros, Cons & Verdict

You might have heard of pet insurance before but dismissed it as a luxury for the wealthy pet owner. Pet insurance is surprisingly unaffordable—unlike the emergency situations which ultimately befall every pet. ASPCA and Healthy Paws are both excellent, cost-efficient options to make sure you’re covered the next time your pet breaks into the pantry or if they need treatment for a chronic illness. Depending on the plan you choose, your insurance coverage should only cost you between $20-$60 per month, plus a $100, $250, or $500 annual deductible. We wish human health insurance was so simple!

Like any insurance company, neither ASPCA nor Healthy Paws cover pre-existing conditions. They also don’t cover breeding-related conditions such as pregnancy, or cosmetic procedures such as ear-tipping or tail-docking. Most plans also don’t pay for spay-neuter surgeries, although the Premium Preventative Care plan from ASPCA will reimburse you up to $150. Read on to deep dive into the world of pet insurance and figure out if it might be a wise investment for you and your pet.

ASPCA is the most versatile of the two options. Like Healthy Paws, you’re able to visit any vet in the country. Depending on your plan, most health conditions are covered whether it’s an emergency or office visit. There are also no age limits or discrimination based on your pet’s life-stage. A perk for a multi-pet household, ASPCA offers a 10% discount per additional pet, and they insure cats and dogs. It’s marginally more expensive than Healthy Paws, but way cheaper if you consider the additional services they provide.

The only thing we really don’t like about this company is that no matter what plan you choose, the maximum coverage amount caps at $10,000. While this doesn’t sound like a lot, certain chronic illnesses can exceed this amount annually, especially if your pet requires medical visits for any other reasons such as dental or routine exams.

Healthy Paws only offers one insurance plan, but you are able to customize your deductible and coverage. Unlike ASPCA, there’s no maximum payout amount. This makes Healthy Paws an excellent choice for pets with a long-term disability that may require several thousand dollars worth of treatment every year. They’re also a little cheaper than ASPCA, however, there isn’t a perfect comparison since ASPCA also covers more treatments. You can also take your pet to any licensed vet in the country! There’s a 15-day waiting period for accidents or illnesses after approval. It’s simple to get reimbursed when you need to file a claim. Just upload your claim by phone and receive feedback within 24 hours!

Our main beef with this company is that they offer limited coverage options. The rules are also a little vaguer than ASPCA. For instance, you can’t enroll your dog or cat after they’re 14 years old. And, if you don’t enroll your dog before they’re 6 years old they won’t qualify for hip dysplasia coverage.

Other Top Rated Pet Insurance Companies

ASPCA vs Healthy Paws: Plans Available

ASPCA

Healthy Paws

This company offers one customizable care plan geared towards emergency situations and chronic illnesses. Unfortunately, they do not cover exam fees. Their plans start around $20 per month and go up to $50. There’s no maximum payout.

ASPCA vs Healthy Paws: Reimbursements and Deductibles

Both companies have annual deductible options of $100, $250, or $500. If your annual deductible is higher, your cost per month will be lower, and vice-versa. ASPCA and Healthy Paws also both offer 70-90% reimbursement options. If you choose a higher reimbursement option, then your monthly fee will also be greater.

ASPCA

The only difference in reimbursements between ASPCA and Healthy Paws is that ASPCA caps its maximum yearly payouts between $3,000 and $10,000. Healthy Paws doesn’t have a limit, although their coverage is comparatively limited.

Healthy Paws

ASPCA vs Healthy Paws: Additional Perks

ASPCA

We like how ASPCA is non-discriminatory about which pets qualify for their program. There’s no vet exam required prior to approval and no age limits. All cats and dogs at any life-stage are welcome to join.

Healthy Paws

No expense is too great for this top-rated company. Customers say they submitted their claims with ease and typically received a response within 2 days.

Company Verdict: Which One Has the Edge?

Customer Service📞

Edge: Healthy Paws

Both companies scored 9+ reviews, but Healthy Paws has been voted as the top pet health insurance provider for the last 11 years straight!

Price of Plans💲

Edge: Healthy Paws

Although they’re a little cheaper, it might be a situation of diminishing returns because their coverage is also more limited. However, if you anticipate ongoing treatment, Healthy Paws is more qualified for your investment because there’s no limit on how much they’ll pay you back.

Areas of Coverage🌐

Edge: ASPCA

For a price that’s marginally higher than Healthy Paws, you get much more exclusive coverage that you can customize according to your pup’s perceived needs. Just remember that it takes 15 days for a new policy to activate, so don’t wait until your kitten eats a hair tie to apply.

Perks📱

Edge: ASPCA

There are no health requirements to qualify for care. Like all health insurance companies however, ASPCA will not cover pre-existing conditions.

Conclusion

	ASPCA	Healthy Paws
Our Rating	Our Rating:	Our Rating:
Multi-Pet Discount	Multi-Pet Discount:	Multi-Pet Discount:
Unlimited Plan	Unlimited Plan:	Unlimited Plan:
Preventative Care	Preventative Care:	Preventative Care:
Hereditary Conditions	Hereditary Conditions:	Hereditary Conditions:
	Compare Quotes	Compare Quotes

Though both companies have their clear advantages and disadvantages, we liked ASPCA the best overall. They offer more comprehensive coverage for a very similar price and all dogs and cats qualify for care.

While ASPCA and Healthy Paws both offer exclusive benefits, the best choice for you depends on what type of insurance you need. If you’re looking for an emergency-only plan or coverage to insure your pet against devastating costly diseases such as cancer, Healthy Paws may be the choice for you. There’s no maximum payout per year, so it doesn’t matter if your pet’s treatment costs $500 or $50,000—it’s covered.

However, unlike Healthy Paws, ASPCA offers Complete Coverage and even a Preventative Care option that covers annual wellness exams for an additional $10-$25 a month! However, this is probably not the best choice if you anticipate extremely costly treatment in the near future because there is a maximum annual payout of $3,000-$10,000 depending on your plan.