Pet insurance for pre-existing conditions

What it is

A pre-existing condition is any illness, injury, or sign of a problem that was present before a policy started or during its waiting period. It is a coverage category rather than a single disease, and it can apply to anything from an ear infection to a torn ligament.

What treatment typically costs

There is no treatment bill for this topic in the way there is for a surgery. The cost that matters is the cost of the conditions it governs, and those are priced on their own pages.

How policies treat it

Insurance generally does not pay for pre-existing conditions, because the problem started before coverage did. Some policies treat a condition as curable and may cover it again after the pet has been free of signs and treatment for a set period, while chronic conditions usually stay excluded.

Embrace: A pre-existing condition is a chronic condition observed before the end of the waiting period, or an illness or injury that first occurred or showed clinical signs before the end of the waiting period, including related and undiagnosed conditions with the same signs. Temporary, curable conditions are no longer treated as pre-existing after 12 consecutive months with no clinical signs and no treatment. Embrace's own pre-existing page says curable conditions are reevaluated after the pet has been symptom free and treatment free for 12 months. Chronic conditions are not cured under this rule.

Fetch (Fetch by The Dodo): A pre-existing condition is any condition the pet shows signs of, or that occurs, before enrollment or during the waiting period of up to 15 days. Curable pre-existing conditions can become covered again: Fetch says the pet must go 1 year completely symptom free from the issue for the condition to be considered curable, and examples given are urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, bite wounds and conjunctivitis.

Lemonade: A pre-existing condition is any condition the pet showed signs of, was diagnosed with, or was treated for before the waiting period ended. In most states, temporary pre-existing conditions or injuries that resolve without recurrent symptoms or continued treatment for at least 12 months can become eligible again as curable pre-existing conditions. Lemonade states knee or ligament conditions and chronic conditions such as diabetes and allergies cannot be cured and therefore cannot be covered as curable pre-existing conditions.

Healthy Paws: A pre-existing condition is a condition for which, before the policy effective date or during a waiting period, a vet provided medical advice, the pet received previous treatment, or the pet had signs or symptoms directly related to the condition, based on verifiable sources. Healthy Paws' coverage page says curable conditions that fully resolve and remain symptom free and treatment free for a continuous period of 365 days may be eligible for coverage again.

What a claim would pay

Breeds most associated with pre-existing conditions