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USAA is a financial services company that provides insurance, banking, and investment services exclusively to military members and their families. Customers must meet membership qualifications and successfully sign up for a USAA membership to receive services.
USAA doesn’t directly provide pet insurance. Instead, the company works with Embrace Pet Insurance and acts as a third party to give its members access to pet insurance. What makes USAA unique is that it offers exclusive benefits and discounts to its members so that members can make significant savings on their pet insurance plans.
Along with member discounts, several different factors will affect your premium prices. On average, the USAA pet insurance costs a monthly premium of $49 for dogs and $25 for cats. We understand that finding the right pet insurance plan can get overwhelming. So, here’s a breakdown of the costs and the coverage that you can expect if you enroll your pet in a USAA pet insurance plan.
The Importance of Pet Insurance
Pet insurance is an important part of pet health care that may help you save a significant amount of money on veterinary care costs. Veterinary care services continue to rise in the US, and you could easily end up having to spend thousands of dollars on your pet.
Pet insurance takes out a lot of the guesswork from budgeting for veterinary care costs because you have a set premium and deductible that you must pay consistently. It prevents you from having to use money set aside from an emergency fund. It also enables you to have more options when having to make important medical decisions for your pet by making operations and treatments more affordable.
How Much Does USAA Pet Insurance Cost?
USAA Pet Insurance will vary depending on several different factors. Dogs tend to have more expensive premiums than cats. On average, customers will pay a monthly premium of $49 for dogs and $25 for cats.
One of the most significant factors that affect costs is your pet’s age. Older pets tend to have more expensive premiums than younger pets. Your pet’s breed may also affect your premium prices. Pet breeds known for developing health conditions or having significant genetic illnesses have higher premiums. For example, if you have a French Bulldog or a Persian cat, you can expect to pay more than a mixed-breed pet.
Lastly, USAA offers different options for deductible amounts, reimbursement rates, and annual limits. You can save a few more dollars a month if you choose a plan with higher deductibles and lower reimbursement rates and annual limits. The most expensive plans will have high reimbursement rates and annual limits.
Cost Examples
Here are some examples of costs for different types of pets with a USAA accident and illness insurance plan:
| Medium Mixed Breed Dog, 1 year old | Labrador Retriever, 6 years old | Mixed Breed Cat, 1 year old | Munchkin, 6 years old | |
| Reimbursement Rate | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 |
| Annual Limit | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Monthly Premium | $33.50 | $63.30 | $12.75 | $31.75 |
Benefits of USAA Pet Insurance
All USAA members are eligible for pet insurance. If you’re a USAA member, you can save up to 25% on your premiums with the following discounts:
Along with membership discounts, you can save more with USAA’s diminishing deductibles. For every year your pet remains claim-free, you’ll get $50 off the following year’s deductible.
USAA pet insurance also isn’t restricted to a network. So, your pet can receive coverage anywhere, even when you’re stationed abroad or traveling.
What Kind of Plans Does USAA Pet Insurance Offer?
USAA offers accident-only plans and accident and illness plans. Accident-only plans are the more affordable option and are great for young and active pets that don’t have any health concerns. This plan will help pay for costs related to any injuries caused by unforeseen accidents.
Accident and illness plans are the most popular type of pet insurance plan. USAA places an age restriction on pets older than 14 years old, so older pets can enroll in an accident and illness plan. However, they can enroll in an accident-only plan.
One great thing about USAA is that any pets with accident and illness plans can stay on the same type of plan for their whole lifetime. So, you don’t have to worry about losing coverage or getting reduced coverage when your pet becomes 14 years old.
USAA doesn’t offer a standalone wellness plan to help pay for routine care costs. However, you can opt for its Wellness Reward Program, which can help pay for some basic costs.
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What Does USAA Pet Insurance Cover?
In general, accident and illness plans from any insurance company will cover surgeries, hospitalizations, and diagnostic testing. When you opt to add Wellness Rewards to your accident and illness plan, you can receive reimbursements for several different routine care services.
The following includes USAA’s accident and illness plan coverage for veterinary care services and wellness plans services that may eligible for reimbursement:
What Doesn’t USAA Pet Insurance Cover?
Pet insurance companies have exclusions that they won’t reimburse. USAA will not cover pre-existing conditions, which are illnesses that your pet has before applying for pet insurance. Illnesses and injuries that your pet incurs within the plan’s waiting period are also considered pre-existing conditions and won’t be covered.
USAA will not cover cosmetic procedures, like tail docking or ear cropping unless they’re medically necessary. None of its plans will cover costs related to breeding, pregnancy, and whelping. DNA testing, cloning, and stem cell therapies that aren’t medically necessary also aren’t covered.
Lastly, USAA doesn’t cover preventable illnesses and injuries and won’t cover any costs due to fighting, racing, abuse, or neglect.
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Conclusion
USAA provides pet insurance for members only. So, if you’re a military member, you may want to consider taking advantage of this exclusive benefit and enrolling your cats or dogs in an insurance plan. You may be eligible for different kinds of discounts and can customize your pet insurance plans to get the most affordable price.
If you aren’t a USAA member, you can still get pet insurance directly from Embrace. You may not get the same discount benefits, but you can still find similar plans and make a few customizations to give your pet the best coverage possible.
Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock
