A reliable insurance company for your pet is essential as vet bills can add up — and any pet owner knows the pain of seeing their pet suffer because they couldn’t get treatment. Read on for our experts’ USAA pet insurance review and find out more about its pet insurance policy plans.
Pros
- Discounted coverage from 15% to 25% for military personnel and their family members
- Hereditary and congenital conditions included
- Flexibility to choose insurance coverage you want to purchase
- Easy claims filing and reimbursement within five days
- Choose up to 90% reimbursement
- Beneficiaries have the option to add wellness rewards plans
- Receive coverage even when you’re abroad
- Use any licensed veterinarian in the U.S
- Up to $650 allowance for dental care
Cons
- Only available to USAA members, former and current military personnel and their families
- Doesn’t offer unlimited coverage
About USAA
The USAA (United Services Automobile Association) was created in 1922 to help military members and their families with discounted and affordable insurance, banking, and investment solutions. The association partnered with the leading Embrace Pet Insurance Agency, LLC, a pet insurance company, to provide discounted accident and illness insurance to its members who own pets.
USAA Pet Insurance Features
USAA is well-known for its comprehensive pet insurance plans and excellent customer satisfaction ratings. Here are some of the amazing USAA Pet Insurance features that we will cover in this USAA Pet Insurance review.
Availability
The USAA Pet Insurance is available to all members of USAA across the United States, to all members who are former and active military personnel stationed in the US and abroad, and their family members.
Insurance Plans
The basic pet health insurance plans offered by USAA for pets are accident-only coverage and accident and illness coverage. These plans pay for the most necessary vet services that are required to treat injuries and illnesses.
The accident-only policy covers bloat, foreign body ingestion, car accident injuries, torn cruciate ligament, poisoning, cuts and lacerations, and prescription drugs for covered conditions. You can go to any licensed vet in the USA and have your fees reimbursed.
The accident and illness insurance plan offer coverage for cancer treatment including chemotherapy; congenital conditions; dental trauma; diagnostic testing; examination fees; chronic conditions like allergies; prescription drugs; allergy testing; genetic conditions like hip dysplasia; CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, and ultrasounds; general treatment; specialist treatment; pet emergencies; hospitalization and surgery alternative therapies like acupuncture, lab tests and biopsies, behavioral therapy, and physical therapy like hydrotherapy. Orthopedic conditions are also covered for dogs but with a six month waiting period.
Whether you choose accident-only policies or accident and illness policies, you have the flexibility to choose your deductible and reimbursement amounts which will affect the annual premium you have to pay. However, there are annual limits on your coverage of $30,000.
There are generally waiting periods to prevent fraud, but you can undergo the waiver process to reduce this waiting period. USAA also does not cover pre-existing conditions for your furry family member.
Wellness Plans
USAA Pet Insurance also helps its members to cover preventive pet care through its wellness plans, called Wellness Rewards. The wellness rewards plan gives members a reimbursement for vaccinations, checkups, and other services that are considered routine.
Our expert team found that the wellness coverage plans aren’t stand-alone plans but are an additional cost to the comprehensive pet insurance policies. Some of the procedures under the wellness plans are reiki; dental care; flea prevention; heartworm; vaccines; annual vet visits; spaying and neutering; and other preventative pet care, such as medicated shampoos, nutritional supplements, ear cleaning drops, prescription diet food, and flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives.
The wellness plans feature the wellness rider, which enables users to set money aside for routine pet health services. It ensures your dog’s optimum health.
Dental and Prescription Coverage
USAA offers dental and prescription coverage as unique features which our experts didn’t find in many other plans. The dental coverage covers dental accidents up to the member’s policy limit and up to $1,000 coverage for dental illnesses every year. The dental accident and injury under this coverage include periodontal disease, stomatitis, root canals and crowns, gingivitis, extractions, and broken, chipped, and fractured teeth.
The prescription coverage offers reimbursement for prescription medications, including homeopathic drugs and FDA-approved drugs prescribed for pets under the accidents and illnesses insurance plan.
The covered prescription drugs include anxiety medication, pain relievers, steroids, oral chemotherapy, antibiotics, eye and ear drops, insulin and supplies, and allergy medication.
(Planning to get a new fur baby? Then, we have a list of the best Kentucky pomsky puppy breeder here)
Exceptions to Plans
Here are notable exceptions to the USAA pet insurance cover:
- Pets over 14 years can’t sign up for a new accident and illness plan without having prior coverage.
- Pet owners would have to pay for the cost of treating illnesses for which a vaccine was made available but they failed to vaccinate their pets
- Only certain “curable” pre-existing conditions are covered under the USAA plans. These are vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal disorders; urinary tract and bladder infections, and respiratory infections. Note that these conditions will only be covered if your pet goes a year without showing signs and symptoms or requiring treatment for these pre-existing conditions
- Certain “incurable” pre-existing conditions aren’t covered by USAA. These pre-existing conditions include urinary or bladder crystals or blockages; hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism; lipomas or skin lumps; diabetes; cancer; allergies; orthopedic exam; illnesses or injuries on the opposite side of a prior injury
- USAA pet insurance plan will not cover avian flu; cloning, stem cell therapy not deemed medically necessary; DNA testing; injury or illness resulting from racing, fighting, cruelty, or neglect; cosmetic procedures; breeding; pregnancy; injury caused deliberately by the pet owner or any other person or pet residing with the pet owner; and whelping
- If you opt-in for the accident-only plan, the following conditions are excluded: dental illness; cancer; chronic conditions; congenital conditions; breed-specific and genetic conditions; and illnesses
Pricing
Pricing varies depending on the insurance plan chosen by pet owners, the age of the pet, and the type (dog or cat) and breed of the pet. Generally, our team found USAA pet insurance cost affordable. The wellness coverage is slightly more expensive regardless of type, age and breed of pet.
Discounts
Available discounts include:
- Automatic 15% discount for USAA members on the cost of full coverage pet insurance.
- 5% discount for active-duty military members
- 5% discount for insuring multiple pets
This shows that you can enjoy up to a 25% maximum discount on your coverage when you buy USAA pet insurance.
Customer Support
USAA Pet Insurance has excellent customer support. Users can call USAA customer support on 1-210-531-USAA, send emails, or connect via Twitter at @USAA_Help. Customer support is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm and on Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm ET.
Embrace is in charge of administering the USAA’s pet insurance plans. Embrace has 4.1 star ratings with Consumer Affairs and has over 80 5-star reviews in the past year. However, some users left USAA pet insurance reviews complaining that the process of filing a claim is challenging.
USAA Pet Insurance Alternatives
If you’re not eligible for USAA Pet Insurance or are not USAA members [1], you can register directly with Embrace for its pet insurance plan. Embrace is one of the leading pet insurers. Other alternative pet insurance companies include Healthy Paws, PetFirst, 24PetWatch, and so on.
(Want to know more about pet insurance? Then, you can check if your pet insurance also covers prescription pet food here)
FAQ
Does USAA have good pet insurance?
Yes, USAA has good pet insurance. If you’re eligible for a USAA pet insurance policy, this pet insurance is affordable. It also allows you to customize your deductible and reimbursement options as well as a policy that best suits your needs.
USAA Pet Insurance Review Conclusion
If you’re an USAA member, former or current member of the armed forces, or a family member to one, you can enjoy heavily discounted pricing through USAA Pet Insurance. Otherwise, you’ll have to look somewhere else for pet insurance with comprehensive coverage. One good alternative is Embrace Pet Insurance which is the provider behind USAA Pet Insurance.
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