What pet insurance really costs - and what it never covers
Verified 2025 premiums for dogs and cats, the exclusions every insurer shares, every state's consumer-law status, and the honest worth-it math - so the enrollment decision is yours, made early enough to matter.
Accident-and-illness pet insurance across the United States averages $836 a year for dogs and $435 for cats in 2025 industry data, with about 6.98 million pets insured.
Sixteen states have adopted the NAIC pet insurance model law since 2023 - a 30-day free-look refund window, limits on waiting periods and mandatory separation of wellness plans from insurance - and this guide tracks every state's status with official sources.
A single emergency surgery in the United States commonly bills $3,000-$8,000, and in a large owner survey only about 34% of insured owners got back more than they paid - while 67% still called the coverage worth it. Both numbers belong in the decision.
This guide prices pet insurance honestly for every U.S. state: verified industry averages, the exclusions every insurer shares, each state's consumer-law status, and the worth-it math nobody puts in ads. Pick your state below.
What pet insurance costs (2025 industry averages)
| Coverage | National average (2025 industry data) | The catch to price in |
|---|---|---|
| Dog - accident & illness | $836/yr (about $70/mo) | Premiums roughly double as a dog reaches senior years |
| Cat - accident & illness | $435/yr (about $36/mo) | Indoor cats claim less - but illness, not accidents, drives most claims |
| Dog - accident only | $190/yr | Covers the broken leg, not the allergy, infection or cancer |
| Cat - accident only | $112/yr | The budget floor - price it against a savings-account alternative |
| Typical plan structure | 70/80/90% reimbursement after a $100-$500 deductible | The annual cap is the quiet weak link in cheap policies |
| Waiting periods | accidents days; illness ~14 days; orthopedic up to 6 months | Model-law states limit these - your state's status is below |
Get a real quote - then compare it before buying
Two honest starting points: a direct quote you can complete online in minutes, and a free licensed-broker comparison that shows multiple insurers side by side. Quotes are free and do not affect your pet's record.
External links go to the providers' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above. Premiums shown on this page are national industry averages, not quotes.
What pet insurance covers - and what it never will
Typically covered (after waiting periods)
- Accidents: broken bones, swallowed objects, bite wounds
- Illnesses: infections, allergies, cancer treatment
- Diagnostics, surgery and hospitalization for covered conditions
- Hereditary and congenital conditions - if enrolled before symptoms
- Cured conditions, at some insurers, after 180+ symptom-free days
Excluded everywhere or sold separately
- Pre-existing conditions - excluded by every insurer, permanently if chronic
- Conditions appearing during a waiting period
- Routine and preventive care - unless bought as a separate wellness plan
- Breeding, pregnancy and cosmetic procedures (standard exclusions)
- Anything diagnosed before the policy's start date, regardless of premium paid
Why only these two paths
The most expensive pet insurance is the policy you buy after the diagnosis. Pre-existing conditions are excluded by every insurer in the market - the enrollment date, not the premium, decides what your policy can ever cover.
Hard bar, verifiable by anyone: quotes free to the buyer and completable online, and a comparison path run by a licensed broker with standardized commissions disclosed - so ranking is not pay-to-play. Insurers whose only path is a phone pitch are not listed - and any listed path that drops below the bar gets removed. Where a listed insurer does not operate in a state, that state's page says so instead of pretending.
| Path | What it is | Why it made the bar |
|---|---|---|
| Lemonade Pet | Direct digital insurer (42 states + DC) | Free online quote in minutes; instant-decision claims model |
| Pawlicy Advisor | Licensed-broker comparison marketplace | Free to buyers; standardized commissions disclosed - ranking is not pay-to-play |
Common questions
Is pet insurance actually worth it?
The honest answer has two halves: in one large Consumer Reports survey only about 34% of owners got back more in claims than they paid in premiums - yet 67% still said the coverage was worth it. Pet insurance is not an investment; it is protection against the $3,000-$8,000 emergency you could not otherwise pay. If you could absorb that bill from savings, self-insuring is rational too.
Why did my premium go up even though I never filed a claim?
Two forces, both structural: your pet aged (premiums roughly double from young-adult to senior years), and veterinary costs have been rising around 5-6% a year - about double general inflation. Claims you file are usually not the driver. Ask your insurer for the age-and-cost breakdown; in several states disclosure rules now require clearer answers.
Do wellness plans count as insurance?
No - they are prepaid care packages for predictable costs like vaccines and checkups, and in model-law states they legally must be sold separately from insurance. Run the arithmetic before adding one: if the plan costs more than the services it prepays, it is a financing convenience, not a saving.
What is a free-look period?
A window - 30 days in states that adopted the NAIC model law - during which you can cancel a new policy for a full refund if no claim was filed. It exists precisely so you can read the exclusions after buying without being trapped. If your state's page says the model law applies, the 30-day window is a legal right, not a courtesy.
What reimbursement level and deductible should I pick?
The common menu is 70%, 80% or 90% reimbursement after a $100-$500 annual deductible, up to an annual cap. The honest rule: pick the highest emergency bill you could comfortably absorb as your deductible, and let the reimbursement percentage - not the cap - be where you economize. A $5,000 cap on a $50 premium is quietly the weakest link in cheap policies.
What are waiting periods and why do they matter?
The gap between buying a policy and coverage actually starting: commonly a few days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses, and up to 6 months for orthopedic conditions like cruciate ligament injuries - though several insurers waive or shorten the orthopedic wait with a vet exam. States that adopted the NAIC model law limit these waits further. A condition that appears during a wait counts as pre-existing.
Should I get accident-only or full accident-and-illness coverage?
Accident-only costs a fraction ($190 a year for the average dog) and covers the broken-leg and swallowed-toy scenarios, but not the far more common illness claims - allergies, infections, cancer. If the full premium fits your budget, accident-and-illness is what the coverage debate is actually about; if it does not, accident-only still caps your worst single day.
Can I insure an older pet?
Usually yes for accident-and-illness - but expect premiums roughly double the young-adult rate, and some insurers stop new enrollments at ages 8-14 while a few have no age cap. Anything already diagnosed stays excluded as pre-existing. This is the strongest argument for enrolling young: you lock the pet in before the medical record fills up.
Get a real quote - then compare it before buying
Two honest starting points: a direct quote you can complete online in minutes, and a free licensed-broker comparison that shows multiple insurers side by side. Quotes are free and do not affect your pet's record.
External links go to the providers' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above. Premiums shown on this page are national industry averages, not quotes.