Lemonade vs. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance: 2023 Comparison

Lemonade and Healthy Paws are reputable pet insurance providers that offer coverage if your pet experiences an accident or becomes ill. Learn more about each company using the chart below.

*Restrictions may apply. Healthy Paws limits its reimbursement rate and deductible options based on your pet’s age.

Launched in New York in 2015, Lemonade is a fully digital insurance provider that offers comprehensive coverage and easy policy management from your mobile device. The company uses artificial intelligence to power its pet insurance enrollment, claims processing and customer support.

Lemonade offers a fixed accident and illness plan that you can personalize by adjusting your annual coverage limit, deductible and reimbursement rate. Coverage includes veterinary treatment related to unexpected pet injuries and ailments such as broken bones, chronic conditions, hip dysplasia, infections and more.

Lemonade’s pet insurance plan will cover the following services:

• X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds
• Cytology and other diagnostic lab work
• Blood tests and urinalysis
• Emergency inpatient care, hospitalizations and surgery
• Outpatient or specialty care
• Vaccines and intravenous medicines
• Prescription medications

You can maximize your coverage by choosing a preventive care plan to cover routine services such as annual checkups, spaying or neutering, microchipping, vaccinations, heartworm and parasite treatments, and more. Lemonade offers two preventive care packages for adult pets and another specifically for puppies and kittens.

You can also choose from individual add-ons that cover the following:

• Vet exam fees
• Physical therapy
• End-of-life and remembrance costs
• Dental illness
• Treatment for behavioral conditions

However, Lemonade is not yet available nationwide. Only cat and dog owners in 37 select states can access coverage.

Lemonade Coverage Exclusions

Both Lemonade and Healthy Paws enforce age restrictions regarding enrollment eligibility. For example, neither company will cover dogs or cats aged 14 or older. Lemonade may also limit enrollment for dog breeds known to have shorter life expectancies.

In terms of pet insurance coverage, Lemonade excludes veterinary expenses related to:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Prescription diet food and supplements
• Boarding or kenneling
• Dental illness care
• Behavioral training
• Controversial cosmetic procedures
• Grooming, anal gland expression and nail trimming
• Illnesses and injuries that arise from neglect
• Breeding and pregnancy-related care
• Cremation, burial and funeral expenses

Keep in mind that your policy will include pet dental coverage, behavioral treatments and end-of-life expenses if you purchase an add-on.

Lemonade extends waiting periods of two days for accidents and 14 days for illnesses. The company will not cover orthopedic conditions like hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament injuries for six months.

Lemonade boasts standard coverage that starts as low as $10 per month. Based on the quotes we gathered, the average cost of a Lemonade pet insurance policy is $37 per month for dog insurance and $15 for cat insurance.

Opting for a preventive care plan and other coverage add-ons will increase your monthly premium. For example, the basic wellness plan can add $15 per month for dogs and $10 for cats, whereas the puppy and kitten plan can add $40. Individual add-ons like physical therapy coverage can increase your premium by $1 to $3.

Lemonade Discounts

Lemonade offers discounts if you bundle your pet insurance policy with another insurance product, like homeowners or renters insurance. It also extends discounts for multiple pets and pet owners who pay their annual premium upfront.

Lemonade Monthly Pricing

To give you an idea of how much Lemonade costs each month, we gathered sample quotes for a variety of pets in Asheville, N.C. The below figures are based on accident and illness coverage with an 80% reimbursement rate, a $20,000 annual coverage limit and a $250 deductible.

Keep in mind that pet insurance costs may vary depending on your location, policy selections and your pet’s age and breed.

Healthy Paws has a single accident and illness policy designed to cover pet emergencies with unlimited coverage. While the provider is not as digitally focused as Lemonade, it offers a simple claims submission process through its mobile app, with an estimated turnaround time of two days.

While Healthy Paws offers unlimited coverage if your pet is injured or gets sick, it will not cover non-emergency expenses like routine care or pet wellness exams. Unlike Lemonade, Healthy Paws does not offer preventive care plans or other coverage add-ons. The company specifically covers the following:

• Congenital and hereditary conditions
• Chronic conditions
• Diagnostics (X-rays, ultrasounds, bloodwork, etc.)
• Non-routine dental care
• Hospitalization, emergency care and surgery
• Cancer diagnosis and treatment
• Alternative therapies like acupuncture, hydrotherapy and chiropractic care
• Prescription medication
• Euthanasia

In addition to unlimited annual coverage limits, Healthy Paws allows you to choose from different deductible and reimbursement options. But it does restrict coverage based on age, so pet owners with older animals may have limited options.

For example, if your pet is under five years old, you can choose a reimbursement rate of up to 90%. But if you have a pet eight years or older, the maximum reimbursement rate is 60%. Healthy Paws also disqualifies cats and dogs enrolled at age six or older from hip dysplasia coverage and caps enrollment eligibility entirely at 14 years old.

Healthy Paws Coverage Exclusions

In addition to preventative care and pre-existing conditions, Healthy Paws won’t reimburse vet bills related to:

• Vet visit fees
• Elective cosmetic procedures
• Grooming, general hygiene and dental cleanings
• Boarding or kenneling
• Behavioral modification or training

Healthy Paws extends a 15-day waiting period for accidents and illnesses.

Based on quotes we gathered, accident and illness coverage through Healthy Paws costs around $40 per month for dogs and $20 for cats.

Since Healthy Paws does not offer wellness care plans or add-ons, you can only customize your policy by choosing your annual deductible and reimbursement rate. Your selections may influence your monthly premium.

Healthy Paws Discounts

Healthy Paws does not currently offer discounts for pet owners, whereas Lemonade offers three.

Healthy Paws Monthly Pricing

The chart below outlines sample monthly costs we pulled for a Healthy Paws accident and illness policy. The estimates are based on different pets based in Asheville, N.C., with an 80% reimbursement rate and a $250 deductible.

We analyzed dozens of online customer reviews to help you get a feel for Lemonade’s customer service experience. The company holds a 4.3 out of 5-star rating on Trustpilot, with many policyholders praising its customer service. But while Lemonade’s AI-powered pet insurance can offer quick response times and easy policy management, other customers have complained about their experiences.

“Lemonade has been great for taking care of my pets. After filing a claim, the response has been extremely fast and the reimbursement to my account has been almost as expeditious. Highly recommended for those looking for fantastic coverage at an affordable price.” —Stanley A. via Trustpilot

“Luckily, I’ve not yet had to file a claim with Lemonade. From what others say, its claims performance is really bad, so I’m not looking forward to that. What annoys me the most about Lemonade is that it seems like no actual human beings are running the company.” —Stacey A. via Trustpilot

While Healthy Paws provides a comprehensive accident and illness plan with unlimited coverage, it may not be the best option for older pets due to age restrictions. The company has 4.4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot with many customers who seem satisfied with their coverage. But other policyholders note issues with customer service and response times.

“My six-year-old dog Leo has had a policy with Healthy Paws his whole life. We’ve had to file several claims over his life, a couple being substantial because of surgery. Each claim was super easy and no hassle at all. Within a matter of days, I was reimbursed via direct deposit.” —Devan K. via Trustpilot

“Horrible customer service [when] trying to get my claim resolved for my dog. I have called at least six times in the last two months and each time I received a different response. Once this claim is paid I will be dropping [Healthy Paws]. I have paid premiums for five years and can’t get a simple claim paid.”—Gina M. via Trustpilot

Lemonade and Healthy Paws both offer pet insurance coverage if your pet is unexpectedly hurt or falls sick. However, the right plan for your pet will depend on their specific healthcare needs and your monthly budget.

While Lemonade offers more policy customization with optional wellness care plans and other add-ons, Healthy Paws extends unlimited emergency coverage to all policyholders. But Healthy Paws may be more expensive due to its comprehensive coverage, and it restricts selections for deductibles and reimbursement rates based on your pet’s age at the time of enrollment.

Lemonade is also known for offering a digital experience with fast customer service and claims processing. But customers have also praised Healthy Paws in online reviews for easy claims filing and quick payouts. Like with any insurance product, we suggest you request quotes from both providers and compare available coverage options before purchasing a policy.