Embrace Pet Insurance Review

About Embrace Pet Insurance

Embrace Pet Insurance is an Ohio-based pet health insurance provider offering comprehensive, personalized insurance products for dogs and cats across the United States. The company was founded in 2003, sold its first plan in 2006 and in 2022, was named number one in Pet Insurance by Forbes. Since its inception, Embrace has partnered with numerous nonprofits and local organizations to give back and help pets in need.

Embrace Pet Insurance Pros & Cons

There are a few things you’ll want to consider before signing up for a pet insurance policy, and that includes taking a look at the pros and cons of each company. Here’s what you need to know about Embrace Pet Insurance:

Pros:

• Embrace has the most options when it comes to reimbursement limits and deductibles, which means more pricing flexibility
• Their comprehensive plan includes complementary treatments like acupuncture and chiropractic
• Optional Embrace Wellness Rewards plan is a separate add-on that reimburses your pet’s routine care, like annual exams, vaccines, flea and tick medications and more*
• 10% multi-pet discount available, perfect for those who have more than one pet
• 30-day period for money-back cancellations if you change your mind

Cons:

• Routine dental care is not covered under Embrace’s insurance plan, however it can be added on via the Wellness Rewards preventative care plan
• Not as many discounts as some other pet insurance companies; but Embrace does offer multi-pet discounts unlike other brands

*Wellness Rewards is offered as a supplementary, non-insurance benefit administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency in the United States. Wellness Rewards is not available in Rhode Island.

Embrace Insurance Plan & Pricing

Embrace offers a comprehensive insurance plan for cats and dogs, as well as a supplemental plan that covers preventative care and routine wellness exams. Here’s an overview of each plan option:

• Accident & Illness Policy—This is Embrace’s pet insurance plan, which covers accidental injuries, illnesses, emergency care, diagnostic testing and more. Basically, this is equivalent to car insurance for your pet—it provides a safety net for unexpected events, but does not cover routine care costs or pre-existing conditions. Pets aged six months to 14 years old are eligible for this plan. Pets 15 and older are eligible for an accident-only plan.
• Wellness Rewards*—Offered as a separate, optional plan that can be purchased in addition to the Accident & Illness policy, this is a preventative plan that helps you budget for your pet’s routine care, including vaccines, flea and tick treatments, annual exams, preventative teeth cleanings and more. Basically, it covers many things that your insurance policy doesn’t, creating a full-coverage option when paired with your pet’s insurance plan.

*Wellness Rewards is offered as a supplementary, non-insurance benefit administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency in the United States. Wellness Rewards is not available in Rhode Island.

Embrace Pet Insurance Coverage & Restrictions

Here’s a breakdown of what is typically covered under Embrace Pet Insurance:

• Accidents, injuries and illnesses
• Breed-specific, congenital and genetic conditions like hip dysplasia, allergies and intervertebral disc disease
• Chronic conditions like arthritis and diabetes
• Preventable conditions like lyme disease, parasites and parvo 
• Orthopedic conditions like ligament tears, broken bones and osteosarcoma
• Cancer and all related testing and treatments 
• Dental accidents and illnesses (tooth repair, extractions and gingivitis treatments up to $1,000 per year)
• Vet visit fees for illness or injury 
• Diagnostic tests, procedures and treatments
• Follow-up care like prescriptions, pain management and physical therapy
• Complementary treatments 
• Emergency care
• Hospitalization and surgery 
• Specialist care like oncologists, internal medicine experts and behaviorists 

And here are the things that are not covered under Embrace Pet Insurance:

• Pre-existing conditions 
• Breeding, whelping or pregnancy
• DNA testing or cloning
• Deliberate injury by anyone in your household 
• Injury from fighting, racing, cruelty or neglect
• Cosmetic procedures like tail docking and declawing
• Routine vet care

While these lists are not exhaustive, Embrace does offer a sample pet insurance policy on their website where you can review a more comprehensive listing of all coverages and exclusions.

Embrace Pet Insurance Cost

Next we’ll cover the cost for Embrace Pet Insurance. As with all pet insurance plans, there are several factors that help determine what your premium will be, including pet type (dog or cat), breed, age and where you live.

Embrace stands out from its competitors for having more options to choose from when it comes to annual reimbursement limits, annual deductible amounts and reimbursement percentages. These are all flexible options that allow you to get the coverage that will work best for your pet, at a price that will work best for your wallet. Here’s how it all works:

• Annual reimbursement limit:
  • The maximum dollar amount you can be paid back per policy year
  • Choose from: $5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000 or $30,000
  • The higher your annual reimbursement limit, the more you’ll pay per month
• Annual deductible amount:
  • The fixed dollar amount you’re responsible for paying before your insurance kicks in
  • Choose from: $200, $300, $500, $750 or $1,000
  • The lower your deductible, the more you’ll pay per month
• Reimbursement percentage:
  • The percentage of each covered vet bill you’ll be paid back after you meet your deductible
  • Choose from: 70, 80 or 90 percent
  • The higher your reimbursement rate, the more you’ll pay per month

Additional options may be available; contact Embrace for an exhaustive list.

We’ve gathered some sample quotes to illustrate how premium prices may fluctuate given the different options that Embrace offers. Our quotes are based on a three-year-old mixed-breed dog (31 to 50 pounds) living in Atlanta†:

• For a plan with a $5,000 annual reimbursement limit, $1,000 annual deductible and 70 percent reimbursement rate, the monthly premium would be $17.32.
• For a plan with a $30,000 annual reimbursement limit, $200 annual deductible and 90 percent reimbursement rate, the monthly premium would be $49.98.

By comparison, here are our sample quotes for a three-year-old domestic shorthair cat living in Atlanta†:

• For a plan with a $5,000 annual reimbursement limit, $1,000 annual deductible and 70 percent reimbursement rate, the monthly premium would be $10.12.
• For a plan with a $30,000 annual reimbursement limit, $200 annual deductible and 90 percent reimbursement rate, the monthly premium would be $29.18.

†These amounts reflect the options at the time of this review and are subject to change.

Optional Features & Inclusions

Embrace’s Wellness Rewards plan is offered as a separate, optional add-on to their pet insurance. This preventative plan helps you proactively budget for your pet’s routine care. 

Here’s a breakdown of what is reimbursable under the Wellness Rewards preventative plan:

• Yearly exams and checkups
• Vaccines
• Heartworm, flea and tick preventions
• Preventative teeth cleaning 
• Prescription food
• Spaying or neutering services 
• Training
• Grooming
• Microchipping
• Nutritional supplements 
• Medicated shampoos
• Nail trims
• Alternative therapies like reiki, massage and acupuncture
• Anal gland expression
• Wearable pet monitors 
• Cremation or burial services

Wellness Rewards is available in three different allotment amounts†:

• $250 annual maximum (100 percent reimbursed) = $18.75 per month
• $450 annual maximum (100 percent reimbursed) = $35.42 per month
• $650 annual maximum (100 percent reimbursed) = $52.09 per month

How do you know which coverage option is best for your pet? Puppies and kittens usually require more vet visits their first year, so $650 is a solid option for new pet parents. An older pet who only needs updated vaccines and flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives may only need $250.

*Wellness Rewards is offered as a supplementary, non-insurance benefit administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency in the United States. Wellness Rewards is not available in Rhode Island.

†These amounts reflect the options at the time of this review and are subject to change.

Differences Between Embrace Dog Insurance & Cat Insurance

Cats tend to need medical attention less frequently than dogs, which is why you’ll notice that policy premiums are often considerably cheaper for our feline friends. 

Outside of the price difference between cats and dogs, Embrace’s plans offer similar coverages for both pet types, and the same options for annual reimbursement limit, annual deductible and reimbursement percentages.

Embrace Pet Insurance Discounts

Embrace also offers a few ways to save on pet insurance premiums, including:

• Multi-Pet Discount: 10 percent discount for pets in the same household
• Military Discount: 5 percent discount for active and retired members of the U.S. military

Embrace Pet Insurance Comparisons: How It Stacks Up

So now that you know the basics of Embrace Pet Insurance, it’s time to see how it compares to some of the other top pet insurance companies. Here’s how Embrace stacks up against Healthy Paws, Trupanion and Pets Best:

Embrace vs Healthy Paws

Healthy Paws and Embrace are popular pet insurance companies known for their comprehensive coverage and good reputation with customer reviews. After a review of both brand’s offerings, we found a few differences to consider:

• Healthy Paws has fewer options when it comes to choosing annual deductibles, which gives customers less pricing flexibility.
• Healthy Paws’ pricing is higher, too. We performed the same sample quote for both companies, and Healthy Paws’ lowest premium for a three-year-old mixed-breed dog (31-59 pounds) in Atlanta was $33.63 per month, versus Embrace’s lowest option at $17.32 per month.†
• The difference in price is partially due to the fact that Healthy Paws has no annual or lifetime payout caps, which is great for those who want extra coverage but doesn’t offer the pricing flexibility that Embrace does for those who don’t need large annual payout limits.
• Healthy Paws does not have an upper age limit for coverage, where Embrace only offers accident coverage to pets 15 and older. So, if you’re looking for pet insurance for an older pet, Healthy Paws may be a better option.

†These amounts reflect the options at the time of this review and are subject to change.

Trupanion vs Embrace

Trupanion is another well-known company that offers comprehensive pet insurance coverage, much like Embrace. Here’s how the two brands differ:

• Recovery and complementary care is included with Embrace, but only offered as an add-on with Trupanion (for an additional fee).
• Trupanion does not offer any wellness or preventative plan options.
• Trupanion pays the hospital directly, which means less out-of-pocket expenses for you.
• Trupanion offers unlimited payouts for the life of your pet; Embrace caps out at $30,000 per year on its most robust plan available online.
• Unlimited payouts make Trupanion’s plans more expensive, and not all pets require a large payout limit.

Embrace vs Pets Best

Pets Best pet insurance is similar to Embrace in that both companies offer comprehensive coverage plans. But there are some differences to be aware of when making your decision:

• Pets Best has a 180-day claim submission deadline, which is generous, but Embrace allows claim submissions at any time during the policy term plus 60 days after it ends.
• Pets Best looks at 18 months of medical history for your pet, where Embrace only requires 12 months of medical records.
• Embrace has more options for price flexibility based on annual payout limit.
• Pets Best plans start at a lower price point than Embrace, and they offer three plan levels, each with different coverage. Embrace keeps it simple with one main plan and clearly defined coverage. 

Our Verdict

When it comes to peace of mind for your pet’s health and wellbeing, pet insurance is the way to go. Embrace sets the bar high with comprehensive plans, more coverage options for annual reimbursement limits, annual deductible amounts and reimbursement percentages than other brands and a solid track record for approved claims and online customer reviews. 

We also love that they offer a preventative plan, making Embrace a one-stop shop for everything your pet needs to have a ball-chasing, tail-wagging, head-scratching, good life.

Embrace Pet Insurance FAQ

What does Embrace Pet Insurance cover?

Embrace Pet Insurance plans cover accidents, illnesses, cancer, emergencies, genetic conditions and more. In addition to their standard insurance plan, you can also purchase separate, optional coverage for routine care through their Wellness Rewards plan to help you proactively budget for things like preventative dental cleanings and flea and tick medications.*

*Wellness Rewards is offered as a supplementary, non-insurance benefit administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency in the United States. Wellness Rewards is not available in Rhode Island.

How does Embrace Pet Insurance work?

Embrace Pet Insurance works by reimbursing you for veterinary bills. You pay your vet upfront and then submit a claim to Embrace for reimbursement of covered medical expenses.

Does Embrace cover dental?

Embrace’s policies cover treatment for dental accidents and illnesses that affect the teeth and gums. Coverage includes broken, chipped and fractured teeth, extractions, gingivitis, root canals and crowns, periodontal disease and more. Dental accidents are covered up to your policy limit and dental illnesses are covered up to $1,000 per policy year.

Does Embrace Pet Insurance cover hip dysplasia?

Yes, Embrace Pet Insurance covers hip dysplasia. Embrace covers diagnostic testing, surgery, rehabilitation, and more for every hereditary or genetic condition, including hip dysplasia.

How much does Embrace Pet Insurance cost?

The price of Embrace Pet Insurance will vary based on the type of pet you have (cat or dog), breed, age and location. Embrace offers a multitude of options for annual reimbursement limits, annual deductible amounts and reimbursement percentages, all of which can make your plan cheaper or more expensive, depending on your pet’s stats and coverage needs.

Based on our sample quotes for a three-year-old mixed-breed dog (31 to 50 pounds) in Atlanta, Embrace’s premiums would range from $17.32 per month to $49.98 per month. Insurance coverage for a three-year old domestic shorthair cat in Atlanta would range between $10.12 per month and $29.18 per month.†

†These amounts reflect the options at the time of this review and are subject to change.