Alexandra Ramirez
Trupanion is a great choice for pet insurance. They scored well in over 30 aspects that we reviewed.
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History of Trupanion Pet Insurance – How it all Started
Founder of Trupanion, Darryl Rawlings has a unique look and air about him that isn’t like most entrepreneurs. You’ll most often find him sitting on the floor of the office playing with the office dogs in his “uniform” of shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops, rather than a business suit, but don’t let that fool you. He demands excellence from himself and everyone he meets but he inspires those around him to product excellence, making him a unique and valuable person to work for.
His one goal of helping pets live longer, healthier lives is why Trupanion is flourishing as a leading pet insurance provider. He founded Trupanion, also known as Vetinsurance, in Canada) in 1999 with the proceeds he made selling the Canadian Cigar Company, a business he grew to successful proportions in Canada. From 1999 to 2005 he worked on the pet insurance product and business model in Canada.
2004 saw his company becoming the first profitable North American pet health insurance provider around. The growth of the company grew 4% each month for the next 24 months, proudly having the highest retention rates and policyholder satisfaction in the industry.
The United States benefited from his excellent business in 2005 and he became the first North American pet insurance provider to get licensed and do their own underwriting. The company rebranded as Trupanion in 2007. They have been industry firsts in many areas including adding enhanced coverage for breeding pets, search and rescue dogs and law enforcement animals. In 2013 they added hip dysplasia to their core coverage, another first, and became licensed to write pet insurance policies in all 50 states.
Trupanion is a company that is founded on a love of animals and of helping them live healthy lives. They live the human-pet bond every day with their pet-friendly office where the staff is surrounded by dog and cats that inspire them to do what they do every day. With a puppy play area in the lobby and pet beds at almost every cubicle, it is a great, loving reminder of how important Trupanion is to the policyholders that trust them with their health care needs for their beloved pets.
Trupanion is involved in helping many pet charities and even gives their policyholders the chance to give back to their favorite charities by adding a dollar to their monthly premium and choosing the charity that they want it to go to. In 2013 alone, they donated over $93,000 to animal charities. They are regularly involved in helping and participating in many pet charities including:
- American Humane Society
- The Seeing Eye
- National Canine Cancer Foundation
- Noah’s Wish
- National Mill Dog Rescue
- The Farley Foundation
- Hope for Wildlife
They have been featured all over the internet for their dedication to helping animals including providing potential policyholders with the ABCs of Pet Insurance that explains in detail the things to look for when it comes to deciding on a pet insurance company.
Another possible first in the industry is the attention that Trupanion gave ensuring that the pets and staff in their office was safe in the event of a fire and worked hard to come up with a very workable fire safety evacuation plan for their office staff AND pets. Their focus on pet safety and health should inspire pet owners everywhere to ensure that their pet members of the family are given the same consideration in the event of an emergency that people do.
They have a checklist that includes training certain employees on how to properly and safely evacuate the other employees and pets, giving the fire rescue personnel floor plans of the building, designated meeting areas around the building where staff and office pets should meet and other very important factors. This is a company that takes pet health and safety seriously and they practice what they preach.
When it comes to finding a company that focuses on providing more than just the bare minimum, Trupanion tops the list. Every week on their social media pages, they offer consumers the chance to win prizes such as gift cards, pets’ toys and more. They’ve done such creative things as Trupanion Trivia, themed photo contests, guess the dog count, match the dog with their owner and more. They also have a unique refer-a-friend program that you don’t even have to be a policyholder to participate in. You can refer people and earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards and charity donations.
It is a company where what matters is the happiness of the pet and pet owner and not simply another sale. They go above and beyond, offering coverage on things that no other pet insurance company offers, adding the little personal touches that make a company real to its consumers, and they do their best to give pet owners peace of mind that with a Trupanion pet insurance policy, their pets are going to be healthier, happier and they’re going to live longer too.
Qualification Process for Getting Your Pet Insured
Getting a quote from Trupanion starts with clicking on the Get Quote button; you will be taken to the next page where you will fill out the following information:
- Pet name
- Choose dog or cat
- Breed
- Age of pet
- Male or female
- zip code
Once those fields above are filled out you will click on the button at the bottom and proceed to the next page. This next page will have a starting amount at the top and here you have the chance to customize your coverage including:
- choosing your deductible from $0 to $1000 per year
- Is your pet spayed/neutered?
- Is your pet a service or therapy animal?
- Select extra coverage (optional) includes choices such as the Recovery and Complementary Care Rider and/or the Pet ownership Assistance Program.
Now you can add another pet at the bottom of this page or continue on. Once you get to the next page your personal information needs to go here. This will be where your monthly premium is and there COULD also be a $25 dollar onetime fee for set up and processing if applicable. Fill out all of your personal information on this page including name, mailing address, telephone, the name of your pet’s veterinarian if you have one, and input your email and choose a password for your account.
There is some information at the bottom of this page that is important to read over, as it talks about the specifics of the policy, including info about waiting periods and warranties. This is all important information that will ensure you know your policy and what it provides and doesn’t provide.
Coverage Plans Trupanion Pet Insurance Offers
Trupanion’s coverage plan is easy to understand and there is one plan to choose from. You do have the option of adding a couple of different add-ons that will be outlined in more detail below. This will make it very easy for you to understand what you are getting because you don’t have to look at several different plans and try to see which one is the best.
Everything listed below is what is included in the plan for illness and accident or injury, unless it falls under the pre-existing category or is on the exclusion list.
- Hereditary disorders
- Congenital disorders
- Surgery
- Medications
- Hospitalization due to illness or injury
- Chronic or recurring conditions
The following is covered under the Recovery and Complementary Care Rider: (this is an optional add-on)
- Physical therapy
- Acupuncture
- Hydrotherapy
- Chiropractic care
- Behavioral modification and therapy
- Homeopathy
- Naturopathy
The following is covered under the Pet Owner Assistance Rider (this is an optional add-on)
- Liability coverage for 3rd party property damage
- Advertising and reward in the event pet is lost
- Boarding fees
- Holiday vacation cancellation costs
- Cremation and burial
The following is covered under the Breeding Rider (this is an optional coverage)
- Illnesses and injuries related to breeding, pregnancy and whelping
The following is typically NOT covered under the Trupanion Plan
- Routine Care
- Veterinary Exam Fees
- Pre-existing conditions
- Applicable sales tax
There is a 5 day waiting period from the time the policy begins for accident coverage and illness coverage, including hereditary and congenital disorders begins 30 days after the policy effective date. You can transfer your pet’s insurance plan to another owner with two stipulations; the policy premiums are up to date and current and both parties submit a request in writing to have the transfer done.
You will be responsible for paying your deductible, sales tax, and coinsurance. Trupanion pays 90% reimbursement for the vet bill for illness or injury but you have to pay the bill in full and will not get reimbursed for the deductible, tax or coinsurance.
There are no limits on the number of claims you can submit for an incident or per year. There is also no payout limit. Your coverage is as it is listed above and all of those things, in the event of an illness or injury will be covered.
Once you are officially enrolled, your pet will receive an engraved pet tag with your policy number and Trupanion’s toll free number on it. If your pet is ever lost and is found by someone else, they can call the toll free number and they will help your pet get returned to you safely.
Filing a Claim with Trupanion Pet Insurance
Filing a claim with Trupanion is an easy process. You will need to fill out a claim form which you can get directly from the website. You will also need an itemized invoice from the visit that you are submitting a claim for. If this is your first claim, they will need the medical records for your pet that date back 18 months before you enrolled in Trupanion Pet Insurance. This includes exam notes, test results, vaccines and any spay/neuter history if there is any. This will need to be from all vet hospitals your pet was seen at for the time frame asked for.
Once they have the medical records, you won’t have to submit them again. To expedite the claims processing, be sure to have all the documentation they need or your claim will be placed on hold while they wait for the records to come in from all vet’s offices and hospitals that you list on the claim form. After the first claim, all you will need to send in is the claim form and the itemized invoice. The invoice needs to show that you paid it.
It doesn’t matter is the bill is less than your deductible, still submit the claim. Deductibles are applied per condition not just annually. One your deductible is met for a specific condition; it’s met for the lifetime of the policy ON THAT CONDITION. Filing a clam will ensure that the deductible is applied for you.
When submitting a claim for an online store or pharmacy, send the claim form filled by you and the vet with the invoice of the online purchase. The pharmacy stub needs to be sent along with the claim form and will include the cost of the prescription, the name of your pet, the name of the medicine being taken and the date it was filled. The only additional information that may be needed is for the vet to confirm with Trupanion what the condition is that the pet is being treated for.
After the claims are sent in, you will get a confirmation email from Trupanion that has a claim number on it. This confirms that they received it and have begun the processing of your claim. If you don’t get an email (and check your spam folder too, just in case) and three business days have passed since you faxed your claim in, give them a call so they can check the status. If you submit multiple invoices for different dates of treatment, there will be a new claim for each separate date of treatment. Don’t worry if you receive an email for every claim, this is to let you know that each invoice is being worked on.
When it comes to getting your money reimbursed, Trupanion offers a regular check in the mail or you can put your checking account on file with them and they will direct deposit the reimbursement right to your account. If you want direct deposit for your reimbursements, give the customer service staff a call and they will be happy to set it up for you.
Help and Support Services
The support services at Trupanion are there so if you have any trouble, questions, emergencies or anything that has to do with your pet’s health, they can be of help. You can email them, call them and even submit personal stories of your own pets as well.
Trupanion’s policyholders are important to them, not just as policyholders but as human beings with pets that they love and care about. When you come to them with problems, they will do everything they can to help you solve them in a satisfactory way that takes care of the pet and the pet owner.
Veterinary Clinics that are Approved
You can take your pet to any licensed veterinarian, including referral specialists and 24 hour emergency animal hospitals in the US or Canada whether it’s where you live or a place you are temporarily visiting. So even on vacation, you are covered in the event your pet becomes ill or gets injured.
Contact Information and Where to Find Trupanion Pet Insurance on Social Media
If you need to contact Trupanion for questions, claim information or any other reason, there are several ways to go about doing that. They are happy to receive your call and help.
Website: www.trupanion.com
Email: On the website in an embedded form or you can email directly at:
New Policies and Customer Care: [email protected] or [email protected]
Telephone Support – English: 1-888.733.2685 French: 1-888.733.2685
Fax – 1- 866.405.4536 Canada: 877.564.5353
Mailing Address: Trupanion USA Trupanion Canada
907 NW Ballard Way P.O. Box 34538
Seattle, WA 98107 USA 1268 Marine Drive
North Vancouver, BC
V7P 1T2 Canada
If you’d like to follow Trupanion Pet Insurance on their social media sites (and they invite all of their customers and supporters to do that) you can find them at the links below.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/petinsurance
Twitter – https://twitter.com/trupanion/
Google + – https://plus.google.com/+trupanion/posts
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/trupanion/
Instagram – http://instagram.com/trupanion
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/trupanion
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/trupanion-pet-insurance
Blog – http://trupanion.com/blog/
Trupanion is an industry leader and has been since it first began. It has changed the face of pet health insurance and given North America a standard by which all other insurance providers are held. You can be sure that you will get good coverage, fast reimbursements and caring compassionate staff whenever you need them. If you’re looking for a pet insurance company that values the example they set as well as the service they provide, this just might be the company for you and your pets.
Resources
- VPI Pet Insurance – http://trupanion.com/
