Owning a pet is a big responsibility. In fact, it is similar to having your own child in so many ways.  They are our little bundle of joy, our companion, our friend and our family member. The only difference is, unlike humans, our pets need constant care, especially during their old age.

Pets are dependent on their owners for everything – from grooming to meal prep, to checkups and vet appointments. Because of that, it is hard to rely on just anybody else when it comes to these things, especially with regards to their health and their life.

That is why choosing a suitable pet insurance is necessary and beneficial for your fur baby. Selecting the most appropriate pet insurance is important, as it performs as a safety net for your beloved companion.

It is supposed to cover the veterinary bills and act as a preventive care to ensure that you will have more years to bond with your healthy pet. Having pet insurance is also beneficial, as it will save you more money in the long run in terms of caring for your companion’s wellbeing.

It provides an easy way to budget your beloved pet’s care costs, preventing you from dipping into your own emergency fund in case a fortuitous event happens. What’s more, you are able to decide which payment plan best suits your needs and budget.

That being said, in this article, I will review Embrace Pet Insurance, a company passionate in helping animals and the environment.

Consumer Advice Rating:Correct as of April 2018Our Rating:Read the reviews on AmazonRead our guide on 5 of our favorite insurance providers for pets

About Embrace Pet Insurance

Embrace is an environmentally-friendly, Ohio-based company that provides insurance to pet owners. Founded in 2003, it was not until 2006 that they were able to sell their first policy.

However, with dedication, honesty and hard work, they were able to establish a stable company that offers excellent assistance in taking care of your pet’s needs.

Embrace puts their clients first and they believe that providing quality programs and services should revolve around the customers’ preferences and needs. By giving you the freedom to let them serve you better, they will be able to deliver up to your standards and more.

Always striving to do the right thing for their customers, Embrace is focused on providing an exceptional customer service experience, giving you more than you expect from them.

Aside from customer focus being their top priority, they also give back to our community, as they practice and advocate for animal rights and environmental preservation.

For instance, they help animals in shelters and raise funds for charity events as well as recycle and reduce waste consumption. On top of that, they do not take shortcuts when it comes to serving the clients and this is why they succeed in providing us with excellent service.

Through their continuous efforts to build a trusting relationship and maintain their ties with their clients, Embrace incessantly seeks innovations and new ideas to improve.

They have learned from the past and continue to do so to further their goal of being the most trusted and reliable pet insurance company.   

Features

Wide-ranging Wellness Plan

Embrace’s comprehensive wellness plan covers your pet’s health – from exams to testing, to emergency care, to surgeries and therapies, even up to cremation or burial.

Their wellness plan is highly customizable too, as you are able to choose which coverages you want and need to apply for your pet’s insurance.

Highly-rated Underwriters

You are able to trust that Embrace only uses top-rated insurance underwriters from the American Modern Insurance Group for all states in the U.S. This includes the District of Columbia and American Southern Home Insurance for Florida.

No Out of Pocket Expenses

All your wellness visits are covered in your policy, which means they do not require out of pocket expenses. This is unlike most insurers who take coverage from your deductible, requiring you to pay out of pocket until you reach your deductible limit.

Great Customer Care

The company’s top priority is to take care of their clients and their pets. This is why Embrace strives to ensure that they deliver the utmost customer care you deserve. In fact, they are known to provide quality customer service all around the country.

What They Cover

As a client-centered company, every service Embrace provides you is all for your convenience. While most insurance companies stick to “in-network” veterinary clinics, Embrace clients are free to see and use any vets you prefer.

This gives you the freedom to choose your most trusted and most reliable veterinary to look after your loved one.

Additionally, you do not have to worry about set amounts when it comes to your claim refunds. This is because your refund is based on the actual veterinary bills that you have submitted. In general, their standard comprehensive plan covers:

• Exam fees
• Testings (including laboratories, allergies and biopsies)
• Hospitalizations
• Surgeries
• Imaging (such as MRI, X-ray, CT scans, ultrasound)
• General
• ​Specialty and emergency care
• Therapies
• Medications
• Accidents
• Genetic and chronic conditions
• Cancer treatment
• Dental trauma
• Cremation or burial (additional fee)

They also offer optional coverages that you are able to purchase to provide a more extensive care to your pets, such as prescription drug coverage for pets in need of constant medication due to chronic health conditions.

There’s also wellness rewards or preventive measures such as:

• Wellness exams
• Vaccines and titters
• Flea/tick and heartworm medication
• Spay/neuter surgery
• Microchipping
• Behavioral training
• Fecal and blood examinations
• Alternative therapies
• Nutritional supplements
• Grooming

However, as comprehensive as their plan looks, they do not cover treatment for the following:

• Dental or gum illnesses
• Pre-existing conditions
• DNA testing or cloning
• Injuries deliberately caused by you or someone in your household
• Injuries caused by neglect, cruelty, or fighting
• Breeding
• Pregnancy or whelping
• Organ transplant
• Cosmetic surgery
• Avian flu
• Nuclear war

Furthermore, since they center their service to us clients, we are free to customize their whole extensive coverage according to our pet’s needs and your budget. Aside from that, they also offer a 30-day money back guarantee, if by any chance we are not satisfied with their services.

Qualification Process

In order to get an insurance policy set up for my pet, all I had to do was follow several easy steps and fill in the application form I found on the Embrace Pet Insurance website, under the “Get Quote” section.

First, I had to provide some basic information about my pet, including the name, breed and age. Besides that, I also entered my zip code and email address.

Then, I moved on to selecting the insurance plan, where I was able to choose between three recommended options based on the information I have previously provided.

However, you are also able to make your own customized insurance policy option by changing the key features, such as:

• annual maximum amount for vet bills you want to reimburse
• your annual deductible
• the percentage of reimbursement
• optional coverage for prescription medication
• additional option of reimbursing the routine care costs as well

When my mind was set on the best possible option for my pet, I moved on to providing my contact and payment information and purchased the insurance policy.

When you check out, that means you have accepted the terms and conditions regarding the payment process and services the company provides. However, in order for the application to be accepted, there are some other conditions that have to be meet as well.

For example, your pet needs to have had a physical in the previous 12 months. If that is not the case, there would be an additional 2-week waiting period to provide your pet with one.

However, as mentioned, if your pet has any conditions before enrollment, this will be excluded from your insurance policy.

On top of that, if you own a dog, you will have to go through an additional 6-month waiting period to make sure he or she is not showing any signs of an orthopedic illness or injury.

The only way around this is to pay for a specialized examination and have your veterinarian sign a Canine Orthopedic Waiver.

Pros

Wellness Reward Plans

The company offers an additional option of wellness reward plans you are able to join with your basic insurance policy. This means you are able to get reimbursement for your pet’s annual veterinarian check-ups and vaccines as well.

This is very convenient because the cost of routine veterinarian visits for pets tend to add up and overall, costs more than the emergency procedures. These plans also include dental prevention care and procedures such as teeth cleaning and treatment of dental illnesses.

This means you are able to provide top-notch health care for your pet while saving money at the same time.

Annual Deductibles

Your claims are counted on an annual basis, which means you don’t have to worry about being denied for reimbursement because your pet has had too many procedures of the same kind.

Many Conditions Are Covered

Embrace Pet Insurance covers many conditions that are specific to some breeds as well as the genetic and hereditary conditions that your pet may be predisposed to having.

In addition to this, the insurance policy covers some alternative methods of treatment such as homeopathic therapy and acupuncture and you are able to get them through any vet that provides this kind of services.

No Lifetime Limits

With Embrace Pet Insurance, I have found a health care for a lifetime. This is because there are no special coverage limits, as long as I regularly pay for my monthly premiums.

Trusted Company

Embrace has a solid reputation on the market, which is proven not only by the numbers of their loyal customers, but also by the A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Customer Care

The company invests maximum effort in its customer care and works hard to provide you the kind of service you wish to receive. What’s more, you will even receive a reward for being a loyal customer.

After you have set up an automatic payment method for your monthly premiums, you will receive a permanent 5% discount on your insurance rates.

Cons

Waiting Periods

As mentioned previously, if your dog requires an orthopedic treatment, you will have to wait up to six months for the treatment coverage to take effect with this company.

Also, if your pet has already had orthopedic issues during the application process, you will not be entitled for compensation at all. In every other case, you will have the right for compensation, but would still have to wait at least 2 days for accident and illness coverage to start.

Different Breed Prices

Different dog breeds, based on the company’s risk assessment, will require different amounts of payment for the insurance policy.

However, the difference in prices is not extreme and you still get compensated for many specific conditions, as I have already mentioned. On top of that, wellness plans cost the same for every dog breed, which is fortunate.

Upper Age Limit

Although you are able to get lifetime insurance with Embrace, they still do not accept dogs after the age of 14. This is rather unfortunate, as many owners do not see the need for pet’s health care insurance until he or she gets older.

Prosthetics

Prosthetic limbs are not covered as well, no matter if your pet has lost its leg before or after the insurance policy has been signed.

Prescribed Medications

Prescribed medications are also not covered by the standard insurance policy and you will be charged with an extra premium on this one.

​Conclusion

Embrace Pet Insurance offers a wide selection of options to choose from, allows you to customize their products and invests a lot of effort to make sure you receive the service you are looking for.

The company excludes existing conditions, but, on the other hand, provides a fair compensation for many hereditary disorders your pet might develop.

That being said, the thing I like the most about this company is the fact that it provides a wellness rewards program that allows compensation for regular check-ups as well as the vaccines.