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Things happen in life, and sometimes they happen to our pets. Our furry friends can become ill or have an accident and urgently need to see a vet. And one of a pet owner’s worst nightmares is their pet needing veterinarian care but unable to afford it. That’s where pet insurance comes in.
If you’ve never contemplated pet insurance before, it’s a good idea to do so. Pet insurance works like people’s insurance, for the most part, with deductibles and monthly premiums and can save you tons on vet bills.
If you live in New Mexico, you should know what insurance plans you can get for your pet there. There are many from which you can pick, so we’ve pulled together this list of the 15 best pet insurance plans to help you decide what works best for you. Here you’ll find quick reviews on each insurance company, pros and cons, frequently asked questions, and more!
A Quick Look at Our Top Picks 2022
The 15 Best Pet Insurance Plans in New Mexico
1. Lemonade Pet Insurance – Best Overall
If you’re looking for the best pet insurance plan in New Mexico, then we recommend Lemonade Pet Insurance. Though their plans are a bit limited regarding preventative care, the company’s pet insurance is highly affordable and customizable.
Lemonade has a basic accident and illness plan where you can choose from several tiers of deductibles, reimbursements, and annual payout limits. This plan doesn’t cover routine vet visits, though—only medication, surgery, emergency procedures, and diagnostic services. But there’s an option to add on one of three plans for more coverage—one for preventative care, one that pays exam fees, and one for physical therapy. Spaying/neutering, dental illnesses, microchipping, and pre-existing conditions are not covered by any plan.
Other than the fact Lemonade is a bit lacking in the preventative care department, the only other downside to them is you might have to switch to another insurance company if you move out of state, as Lemonade only serves 36 states at the moment.
2. Fetch by The Dodo
Fetch by The Dodo is another insurance company that offers reasonably priced premiums for a wealth of coverage. In fact, Fetch has some of the better coverage in the state, as they cover the routine such as injury and illness, as well as the non-routine such as holistic care and dental. There are, of course, a few things their insurance plans do not cover, such as vaccinations or routine exams. And they don’t offer add-ons to cover this routine stuff, so if you’re interested in having that, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Fetch’s plans are also customizable but only have three options for reimbursements, deductibles, and annual limits. The tiers have enough range, though, that you should be able to find a plan for your budget.
You’ll also want to note the 15-day waiting period before insurance coverage begins and the 6-month waiting period before anything related to knees or hips can be covered.
3. Trupanion Pet Insurance
Trupanion Pet Insurance has the most flexible deductible options out of all the plans listed. The deductible option is customizable and because there’s such a broad range of deductibles, monthly premiums are pretty flexible as well. Deductibles are also lifetime per condition, which means that after you’ve met that deductible for a certain condition, you won’t have to pay any more vet bills dealing with that condition for the rest of your pet’s life. So, that’s pretty great.
As far as add-ons go, there are two you can pick from; one covers unexpected boarding fees and the like, while the other covers holistic care. However, there aren’t any preventative care add-ons, so if coverage for routine care is important, you’ll need to go with another company.
4. Bivvy Pet Insurance
If it’s simply an affordable pet insurance plan you want, then you’ll find Bivvy is what you need. Unlike other insurance companies that have various plans and prices, Bivvy only has a single plan with a single price for all pets (regardless of the type of pet they are, their age, or their breed). There’s also a wellness care add-on that’s only a few bucks more to help cover routine care items. Plus, signing up for Bivvy is a breeze, taking roughly 5 minutes.
But a plan being affordable does mean you get what you pay for. Bivvy covers a lot with their single plan—illness, accident, chronic conditions, and congenital conditions—but they still have more restrictions than many other pet insurance plans. These restrictions include a low yearly annual limit, a single option for reimbursement at 50%, and deductibles per claim rather than annual deductibles. So, there are downsides.
5. Figo Pet Insurance
Figo Pet Insurance is a great choice because there’s no upper age limit on when your pet can be enrolled, and there’s an option for 100% reimbursement. Plus, the basic accident and illness plan covers a lot and has no caps for claim payments when it comes to specific health conditions. And plans are customizable with options for add-ons for exam fees, boarding fees, routine care, and more! Some plans may be a bit pricier than other companies, though, depending on the deductible and reimbursement rates you go with.
Figo also offers a free service you can use to get in touch with vets in the area 24/7 and a real-time claim tracker so you know when your claim is processed. The company also shines in the customer service area as you can call, email, or text them.
6. Progressive Pet Insurance
Progressive Pet Insurance gives you six deductibles to choose from, so you can make your monthly premiums cost anything from very little to mid-range. The company offers three plans—a basic one that covers only accident and illness; one that covers accident, illness, and exam fees; and one that covers all of that, plus rehab. You can also add on routine care in the form of one of two packages.
Perks of Progressive pet insurance plans include one annual deductible (instead of per claim), no age limit for adding pets, and the ability to pay your premium either monthly, quarterly, or annually. However, there are only two annual limits from which to choose. There have also been several complaints of the company denying claims for issues they say are pre-existing but actually were not pre-existing.
7. Hartville Pet Insurance
Hartville Pet Insurance offers a lot of customization with their plans, such as three deductibles, five annual limits, and three reimbursement rates. However, the monthly premium prices seem to fall in either the fairly cheap or extremely high categories, depending on how you customize. The company’s basic comprehensive plan covers illness and accident, behavioral problems, and hereditary conditions. And surprisingly, their accident-only plan is pretty excellent. Accident-only gives your pet coverage for the usual broken bones and the such, but also covers acupuncture and exam fees! And there’s an add-on for routine care if you want annual vet visits and the like covered.
One thing to know is that as your pet gets older, your monthly premiums will increase. So even if you start off at a low price, it will get higher the longer you’re with the company.
8. Embrace Pet Insurance
Embrace Pet Insurance offers your pet a lot in the way of coverage. Plans cover chronic and preventable illnesses (some of which aren’t usually covered under insurance), genetic conditions, orthopedic conditions, dental work, and more. Plus, Embrace offers an add-on called Wellness Rewards that will cover routine vet care. There’s even a workaround for some pre-existing conditions that are curable, so they’re covered too.
And with five deductibles to choose from, it’s easy to find a plan you can afford. Bonus? Every year you don’t file claims, your deductible is reduced by $50!
However, there is an age limit cap of 15 years when enrolling your pet. If your pet is older than that, they can only be enrolled in Embrace’s accident-only plan. And there have been some complaints recently of claims taking months to be paid out.
9. AKC Pet Insurance
AKC Pet Insurance is through (you guessed it!) the American Kennel Club. Seeing how the AKC is well-known in the world of dogs, it makes a lot of sense they’d get into the pet insurance business. But don’t worry that they only cover dogs with their insurance; cats are covered too!
AKC Pet Insurance offers tons of customization—there are six add-ons alone—which has its pros and cons. A pro is that most plans are affordable. A con is that so much customization makes things a bit confusing when trying to figure out just what you need. However, if you’re after just basic coverage, they do offer a basic plan with pre-set annual limits and deductibles.
Be careful with the add-ons, too. With so many of them, it’s easy for costs to start adding up, and you’ll have to pick at least one or two to get items like routine care covered. Also, important to be aware of is you can only enroll pets in AKC insurance up to the age of nine.
10. Geico Pet Insurance
Geico is partnered with Embrace Pet Insurance, so if you get insurance through Geico, you’ll be getting the insurance plans Embrace offers. That means flexible deductible amounts, deductibles that go down when you don’t file claims, and the Wellness Rewards add-on for routine care. That also means finding a plan you can afford is relatively simple.
But if your pet is 15 years or older, it can only be enrolled in the accident-only plan. Customers have also complained about it taking too long for claims to be reimbursed.
11. Nationwide Pet Insurance
Don’t own a cat or dog and wondering if there are any pet insurance plans to cover your pet? If you answered yes, Nationwide is the insurance company you want to look at, as they also have coverage for birds and exotic pets. Unfortunately, these plans (and the ones for cats and dogs) don’t offer a ton of customization; only a single plan offers a choice for reimbursement rates, and there are only two choices for that. Plus, there aren’t add-ons for routine care and such (though if you pick the most expensive plan, routine care is somewhat covered).
As far as age limit caps go, there aren’t any for birds or exotic pets. However, dogs and cats that are older than ten can’t be enrolled in Nationwide. Another con of Nationwide is that they have a 12-month waiting period before coverage can begin on ACL injuries (twice what most companies do).
If you’re a cat or dog owner, you’d likely be better off elsewhere, but exotic pet and bird owners will probably do well with Nationwide.
12. USAA Pet Insurance
USAA is another company partnered with Embrace to provide pet insurance, so you get the same plan options. These include the five tiers of deductibles, affordability, and the Wellness Rewards program for routine care. However, signing up through USAA is only available to current or former military folks (or their spouses), and you must be a member to go through them.
And keep in mind that pets older than 15 years might want to look elsewhere for insurance that will cover them fully, as Embrace only offers comprehensive insurance plans up to the age of 15.
13. Pumpkin Pet Insurance
Pumpkin Pet Insurance offers fairly good coverage when it comes to their plans. Other than the basics, they also cover items like microchipping and prescription foods. However, dental work and spaying/neutering aren’t included.
They can also be a bit pricier than other insurance companies due to their 90% reimbursement rate. That amount of reimbursement is excellent, but it does drive up the price a bit. You can work with three tiers of annual limits and deductibles to lower the monthly premium, though. And you can include an add-on for routine care if you want.
One downside of Pumpkin is that certain breeds of dog will have higher premiums than others.
14. ASPCA Pet Insurance
You’re likely familiar with the ASPCA, but you might not have been aware they offer pet insurance. But they do! This insurance comes in a pretty wide range of premium costs, too, so you can go super affordable or super pricey. ASPCA has the option of accident-only insurance, comprehensive coverage, and two different preventative care add-ons.
And along with the usual suspects covered by pet insurance, ASPCA also provides coverage for some unique items like stem cell therapy and holistic care. So, if you think you might require things like that at any point, ASPCA could be worth looking at.
On the negative side, their customer service seems to be hit or miss as there have been complaints about customer service never replying to people, while others say they heard back quickly. And there have been recent complaints about claims being denied as pre-existing, even though they weren’t.
15. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
Healthy Paws certainly offers affordability, but they don’t cover as much as other companies or offer a ton of customization for their plans. In fact, there’s only a single plan that has three options for reimbursements and deductibles. The good part about that single plan is there’s no max payout limit for either annual or lifetime.
The Healthy Paws plan only covers expenses involved with illnesses or accidents but doesn’t cover exam fees or routine care (and there are no add-ons to be found). If you’re mostly concerned about accidents and illness, the plan could work for you, but if you’re looking for more, you’ll want another company.
And while Healthy Paws says claims are typically reimbursed within two days, many pet owners have said this wasn’t true.
Buyer’s Guide
What to Look for in Pet Insurance in New Mexico
When it comes to what you’ll be looking for in a pet insurance plan in New Mexico, you’ll want to check out available coverage, how claims are reimbursed, monthly premium costs, and how good customer service is. Here’s what you need to know.
Policy Coverage
Policy coverage is the most important thing to decide. Most pet insurance plans are comprehensive or accident-only but don’t cover routine care. However, most will have add-ons covering at least some routine work. Comprehensive coverage is what you want when you want your pet protected, no matter what. Accident-only will be what you need if you aren’t concerned about your pet coming down with an illness anytime soon.
Customer Service & Reputation
Reputation matters, particularly in the world of insurance, so you’ll want to take a minute to look into any company you’re considering. You can look at the Better Business Bureau or TrustPilot to find honest reviews from customers and the good and bad of a company.
And when it comes to customer service, you want to be sure you can get in touch with a rep whenever you need and that reps are knowledgeable and will get back to you quickly. Again, reviews are a great way to determine how good a company’s customer service is.
Claim Repayment
Part of the reason you’re getting insurance is to get reimbursed for vet visits, so you’ll want to check the turnaround time for claim reimbursements for the insurance company you’re looking at. Usually, you’ll find that info on their FAQs page, along with how to submit claims (also important to know as companies handle this in different ways). Don’t just trust the FAQs page about claim reimbursement time frames, though. Look at those reviews again to see what other pet parents have experienced.
Price Of Policy
Policy price is probably the second most important aspect of pet insurance. After all, you need something that will fit your budget. Luckily, with so many companies from which to choose, and so much plan customization at most companies, you should be able to find a premium cost that’s affordable to you. One way to save on this cost is by taking advantage of a multi-pet discount if you have more than one pet in your home.
Plan Customization
The more customizable a plan is, the better the price you’ll get for the coverage you need. Look for plans that offer different tiers for deductibles, reimbursement, and annual limits. And check to see if add-ons are available for extra coverage, so your pet gets precisely what they need.
FAQ
Can Pet Insurance Be Used Outside the U.S.?
Yes! But in most instances, only in Canada. There may be some insurance companies that allow for coverage in other places or even worldwide, though.
Will My Pet Need a Vet Exam to Be Covered By Insurance?
This is another case where it varies by company, but in some cases, yes. For example, Healthy Paws requires a full physical exam (no bloodwork or diagnostics) to qualify for their plans.
Do Age Limit Caps Apply for Already Enrolled Pets?
They shouldn’t, for the most part. Some companies may switch your pet to accident-only coverage after a certain age, but most enrolled pets should be able to stay with their current coverage when they hit the age limit cap. That cap is there more for animals that enroll after the cap limit.
What the Users Say
Consumers are big fans of the pet insurance companies found here; in fact, most of these companies have a four-star rating or higher on TrustPilot. Companies come with different perks, so they’re loved for different things. Embrace is a hit with people who want lots of customization, while Pumpkin is popular for its 90% reimbursement rate. That’s not to say there won’t be a few negative reviews for these companies, but for the most part, pet owners are pleased.
Which New Mexico Pet Insurance Provider Is Best For You?
The Nex Mexico pet insurance provider that’s right for you is the one that fits all your needs and your budget. This means looking at the type of pet you have, the coverage you want, and how much you can allot for monthly premiums. If you want great coverage that’s affordable, Lemonade is a good pick. If you want super affordability, you might want to choose Bivvy. Or maybe you have an older pet you want insurance for, in which case, you’ll want to choose a company that has no age limit cap, such as Figo. It really all comes down to your pet’s needs.
Conclusion
Getting pet insurance is a good idea as it can save you money on vet bills in the long run and guarantees you can provide care for your pet when needed. And there are a ton of insurance companies in New Mexico you can choose from!
If you want the best overall plan, though, Lemonade is your best option. But if that doesn’t seem to be what you need, you can check out the other 14 companies listed here to find a better option. Just keep an eye on how much customization they offer, so you can find the best price for you.
Featured Image Credit: Rawpixel.com, Shutterstock
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