I'm currently on Healthy Paws for my 4 year old mixed breed (40 lbs). I was living in Illinois and it was 55$, but moved to Minnesota and its now 75$. Ive considered switching for a cheaper price, and because I have seen a lot of reviews here that the prices for Healthy Paws have exploded. Originally I was considering Pets Best but also saw a lot of reviews that they have gone down hill. So here are my questions 1) I have seen Chewy offers lemonade or trupanion in my state, and both seem to be well regarded. Why would I get the insurance through Chewy vs direct? 2) My dog definitely has seasonal allergies which I've been getting the cyto shot for. This falls under a pre-existing condition right? Would it be worth it to stay on Healthy Paws just for this? 3) If I did switch, there can be waiting periods for 2-4 weeks, so should I keep HP for an extra month while waiting? 4) Are any of the add-ons recommended? Ive seen that preventative is probably not, but Lemonade mentions vet fees, dental, end of life, behavioral, physical therapy... Would other insurances already include this?

I adopted my kitten in 2018, which is when I also signed up for Healthy Paws. The monthly premiums started at $24.57 and went up reasonably every year so it's now $43.17, but I just got a notice that premiums are doubling to $86.60 in 2 months. I see there are many reports of insane increases, esp. in CA where I am, so I don't know if that's why or if it's bc she hit 7 years, but I thought I'd check - is $86 reasonable for her age? The policy has been 90% w/$250 deductible. She's been pretty healthy w/only annual check-ups, so I was thinking I could change to 80% w/$500 to make it more reasonable.

My five year-old spayed female Pomeranian mix has been insured by Healthy Paws since I got her at eight weeks. They have reimbursed me for the full amount of my coverage within 36 hours every time, no questions asked, and our monthly premium has only increased slightly over the last five years ($40 to $45). However, I have heard a lot of stories about people who have had their monthly premiums with Healthy Paws increase by obscene amounts as their dogs get older. My pup does not have any history of medical issues so far—I am considering switching to something else while she is still young and healthy. Is that a good idea? What would be a better option? Any advice would be appreciated. We live in Los Angeles. Thanks!

I need some insight from others who seem to be having the same issue with rate increase on their dog’s premiums. My senior dog is going from $179 to $410. I cannot afford it but i need something in case he has an accident / medical emergency. What are you doing if you’ve also received a high rate increase? I understand pre existing conditions are not covered if we switch up. He is currently on an Apoquel medication for lifelong allergies, and so far so good healthwise. He is also a Saint Bernard so as a giant breed, they do not have a longer lifespan. We live in California. A quick search showed me ASPCA pet insurance, which i didn’t know existed… Any advice is appreciated and thanks in advance. Edit: typo on ASPCA 😅

Healthy Paws Deleting Comments re: Massive Premium Increases on Instagram.

Here it is, the Healthy Paws rate filing so you do not need to struggle to find it. HP requested a 44.8% increase... and got it approved. (Remember, the last several years already had similar increases). Still doesn't answer how I got a 180% increase, so sit tight... Taking my case aside, let it sink in: They asked for, and got, a 44.8% increase. Vet costs, even in CA, went up that much in a year huh? So remember when they spit out the canned response online of: *In accordance with the terms of the Policy and the associated rating rules, monthly premiums may change for all policyholders. Premiums are determined based on the rates and rating rules filed with and approved by (where required) each states insurance regulator. Premiums reflect the cost of treatment advances in veterinary medicine, characteristics of the individual pet, and other factors, in addition to the overall claims experience for the program within the region where the pet resides. Please note that premiums are not based on a given pets individual claim history; rather, premiums are based on the collective experience of all pets insured. We do our best to be transparent regarding annual premium increases by including this information on the "Frequently Asked Questions" page of our website. The Healthy Paws Team* remember: 1) THEY.ASKED.FOR.THESE.INCREASES. They then use this corporate jargon to say it went up in accordance with the rate filing (WHICH.THEY.ASKED.FOR). 2) The "transparency" is not transparent. Look how much digging one had to do to find the above screenshot, when all their FAQs again say: Will my premiums increase? In accordance with the terms of the Pet Health Insurance Policy and the associated rating rules, monthly premiums may change for all policyholders. Premiums are determined based on the rates and rating rules filed with and approved by (as applicable), each state's insurance regulator, which reflect the cost of treatment advances in veterinary medicine, individual pet's breed, gender, age, and other factors, in addition to the overall claims experience for the program within the region where the pet resides. Premium increases are not based on your individual claim submissions.

I have a 9 year old mixed lab. He was insured as soon as we got him through Healthy Paws and he has been relatively healthy since; however, we received a notice last week his premiums would be increasing from $84/mo to $194/mo. I found via reddit this was common for other California customers and reached out to a contact I found on reddit, only to receive a canned response about “increased vet costs” - no sir, vet prices do not increase 128% YoY. We also started at less than $40 a month, so costs for us had already doubled in 9 years. My dilemma: I can find pet insurance from Spot, Figo, PetsBest (literally anyone) for cheaper than $194. His only preexisting condition is hip arthritis at this point, although he does have random lumps that the vet said were harmless. No idea if those are in his medical history. Do I sign up for a different insurance company knowing I risk them doubling rates next year, and/or possibly claiming everything falls under preexisting conditions? Do I start putting away money each month and hope for the best? What would you do? I’m so frustrated as we bought into the pet insurance thing and would have been better off starting a savings account for him 9 years ago. But now here we are, tens of thousands paid to a company who actively wants to screw us over so we cancel and no savings specifically for the dog or money to throw around for vet bills.

Attaching the response(s) from Healthy Paws' CEO and team, including mine back. You can't make this stuff up.... Original context: Protected Since: 06/08/2011 • Current Monthly Premium: $431.58 • New Monthly Premium Starting in 63 Days: $1,207.12 Oh- and they limited comments on their Instagram after I have been posting this increase there too.

**Context:** Policy Information • Protected Since: 06/08/2011 • Current Monthly Premium: $431.58 • New Monthly Premium Starting in 63 Days: $1,207.12 Posted yesterday here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/1jttro5/healthy\_paws\_pet\_insurance\_warning/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/1jttro5/healthy_paws_pet_insurance_warning/) *"I understand that premium increases, like any increase in something we use or pay for regularly, can be a stress financially. Our goal is to keep your premiums as low as possible while still providing the policy’s features and benefits. Premium rates are based on many factors, including the increasing cost of veterinary medicine, the pet’s age, breed, sex, and zip code. Insurance regulations require us to charge a premium that is sufficient to cover anticipated claims. Premium increases are filed and approved, where required, with your state’s insurance regulator.That being said, you do have options for decreasing your monthly premiums.  If you would like to decrease the cost of your monthly premium, you can do so by assuming more financial responsibility in the cost of your pet's health care. You can do this by increasing your pet's coinsurance and/or annual deductible.  If you would like more information on those options and what those premiums are, just let me know via replying to this email and I will be happy to send those over to you.If you would like to speak with me to review the matter further, you can simply reply to this email noting a few dates/times that work best for you, and I will be happy to call you back at your desired time. Please note that I am available Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Pacific Time."*