3 Month Old Golden Retriever - Healthy Paws vs Pets Best

[loveourlife]

Hey everyone! My wife and I are going to be picking up our first puppy (a golden retriever) next month where he'll be 3 months old. We're super excited, and have been looking into some insurance options. After doing a ton (so much lol) research and comparisons, we've narrowed it down to Healthy Paws vs Pets Best, and we could really use some advice on going one way vs. the other. Here's the comparison for the two specific plans:

Healthy Paws: $250 deductible, 80% reimbursement, unlimited payout. $62.46/month premium.

https://imgur.com/a/mG2iLdu

Pets Best: $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement, unlimited payout. $65.06/month premium (elite plan).

https://imgur.com/a/kwBjxaJ

I know the deductible for Healthy Paws is less, so we were originally leaning towards that. However, when taking a look at what Pets Best covers, it seems like they cover accident & illness exam fees, as well as some additional things part of the elite plan. Anyone have any advice for what would be the best insurance to go with here?

We also did consider Trupanion but the premiums are practically double for the same deductible amounts.

 

[mclovindaboss11]

@loveourlife Personally I'd call or email some vets and see what the exam fees for an emergency and vet visit are. In my area thw most expensive emergency exam is $175 and most other exams are $50-$70 so I'd feel like there was a good chance that the deductible difference would make it worth not having the exam covered.

 

[loveourlife]

@mclovindaboss11 That’s a good point, thanks! I guess if the exam fees are close to $100, it would make sense to go with Pets Best so they’re covered.

Do you know if the exam fees (for Healthy Paws or Pets Best) count towards the deductible by any chance?

 

[mclovindaboss11]

@loveourlife I'm not sure for either specifically but from when I researched for my own the companies that covered it could Ted it toward the deductible and when it wasn't covered it didn't count.

 

[loveourlife]

@mclovindaboss11 Yeah that makes sense, thanks! It was a good idea to call up and ask because it seems like the vets in our area charge ~100 for an exam fee, so it's probably a good thing to go with Pets Best even though its a $500 deductible