Advertiser Disclosure
Embrace pet insurance review
Embrace Pet Insurance insured its first furry client in 2006 and has since grown to become one of the leading pet insurance providers in the United States. The company was started to provide comprehensive and customizable coverage for pet owners and ensure their pets receive the best possible care without the burden of excessive financial strain. Embrace offers a dynamically customizable insurance plan to cater to different needs and budgets, making it a popular choice among pet owners.
Embrace's services include coverage for accidents, illnesses and wellness care, offering a broad spectrum of options to meet the diverse needs of pets and their owners. With a commitment to transparency, flexibility and customer satisfaction, Embrace has established a reputation for reliability and excellent customer service in the pet insurance industry.
Embrace summary
Summary
Best for: Flexible coverage options
Annual deductible options: $100, $250 or $500
Annual limit options: $5,000, $10,000 or unlimited
Reimbursement percentage: 70, 80 or 90 percent
Claim turnaround time: 10–15 days
Enrollment age: 6 weeks–14 years (pets older than 15 years are only eligible for the accident-only plan)
Direct vet pay: No
Why Embrace is the best for low deductibles
One of the features Embrace offers is the Healthy Pet Deductible. This is included in every policy for no extra cost. It automatically reduces your deductible by $50 automatically every year you don't find a claim. Any credits you've earned will automatically apply. This program helps you save on out-of-pocket deductible expenses if your pet has gone a year or more without needing vet care.
Embrace coverage options
Embrace Pet Insurance offers various coverage options to ensure pets receive the necessary care. Its plans cover many conditions and treatments, providing robust support for pet health needs.
What Embrace covers
- Accidents and illnesses: Unexpected injuries and diseases, including diagnostic tests, treatments and surgeries
- Alternative therapies: Treatments like acupuncture, chiropractic care and hydrotherapy.
- Cancer treatment: Coverage for cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and rehabilitation
- Chronic conditions: Ongoing treatment for chronic conditions such as allergies or arthritis
- Curable pre-existing conditions: Covered if your pet is symptom and treatment-free for 12 months
- Dental health: Coverage for dental injury (tooth loss, fractured jaw, abscessed teeth) and illness (gingivitis, periodontal disease, root canal) up to $1,000 per term included in Embrace pet health insurance policies
- Genetic conditions: Genetic, congenital and breed-specific conditions under the accident and illness policy
- Prescription meds: Medications prescribed by a veterinarian for covered accidents and illnesses
What Embrace does not cover
- Avian flu: No reimbursements for treatments relating to bird flu
- Breeding costs: Costs associated with breeding or pregnancy, as well as DNA testing, are not covered
- Cosmetic procedures: Elective or cosmetic procedures such as tail docking or ear cropping
- Grooming and routine care: Routine grooming, nail trims and other nonmedical procedures
- Incurable pre-existing conditions: Any incurable condition (allergies, cancer, diabetes) that existed before the policy start date or during the waiting period
- Injury due to negligence: No reimbursements for injuries sustained from fighting, racing, cruelty or neglect
Embrace plans and customizations
Embrace offers several plans that can be tailored to fit pet owners' needs and budgets. The company's plans are designed to provide flexibility and comprehensive coverage.
Accident-only plan
This plan covers only accidents and is ideal for pet owners looking for basic coverage at a lower cost. It includes coverage for injuries from accidents, such as fractures or lacerations.
The accident plan has a fixed 90 percent reimbursement rate, a $100 annual deductible and a $5,000 coverage limit.
Accident and illness plan
This comprehensive plan covers both accidents and illnesses, including chronic and hereditary conditions.
Pet owners can choose their annual deductible ($100–$500), maximum coverage ($5,000–unlimited) and reimbursement percentage (70, 80 or 90 percent), allowing for customization based on budget and coverage needs.
Wellness plan
Embrace offers an optional Wellness Rewards program that pet owners can add to any plan. This program covers many routine and preventative care expenses, such as vaccinations, dental cleanings and flea/tick prevention.
You can also use this option to cover expenses such as training, prescription pet food, medicated shampoos and end-of-life costs. It works as a budgeting tool, reimbursing up to a specified amount ($250, $450 or $650) per year for wellness expenses.
Dental illness coverage
The accident and illness policy covers costs for dental accidents and trauma up to $1,000 per year for:
- Abscessed teeth
- Gingivitis
- Malocclusions
- Periodontal disease
- Root canals and crowns
- Stomatitis
- Tooth and jaw fractures
Dental illness coverage does not reimburse for:
- Annual dental checks
- Dental chews
- Dietary dental supplements
- Pet toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Routine dental cleaning
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Comprehensive coverage: Embrace offers extensive coverage that includes accidents, illnesses, dental issues and wellness care, providing peace of mind to pet owners.
- Customizable plans: Pet owners can tailor their plans with various deductible and reimbursement options to fit their budget.
- Diminishing deductible: The Healthy Pet Deductible feature reduces your annual deductible by $50 each year you do not receive a claim reimbursement.
- Exam fees: Embrace covers the vet exam fees in your reimbursement.
- Preventable condition coverage: Embrace covers costs for avoidable illnesses such as parvo, Lyme disease and parasites
Cons
- Age restrictions: Pets older than 14 years cannot enroll in new policies, which may limit options for owners of senior pets.
- Exclusions for pre-existing conditions: Like most pet insurance companies, Embrace does not cover incurable pre-existing conditions.
- Policy upgrade subject to re-underwriting: Upgrading your policy means starting from scratch. In other words, new waiting periods and reconsideration of pre-existing illnesses.
Additional features of Embrace
User-friendly app
Pet owners can use the Embrace mobile app to check and change coverage, submit a claim, view claims status, change payment details and add new furry family members.
Pet health line
Embrace offers pet parents advice and decision support through its 24/7 pet health line, PawSupport. PawSupport gives you access to Pet Pros who can advise on the following topics:
- Advice on vitamins and supplements
- Behavioral changes
- Diet
- Emergencies
- Exercise
- Managing chronic diseases
- Medication issues
- Options for holistic care
- Poisons and toxins
- Training
- Wellness care
Discounts
To make your monthly premiums more affordable, Embrace offers the following discounts:
- 10 percent for multiple pets
- 5 percent military discount (excluding the states of New York and Tennessee)
Wellness rewards program
The Wellness Rewards program is an optional, non-insurance add-on that helps pet owners manage routine and preventative care costs. It provides reimbursement for a variety of services, including:
- Annual exams: Coverage for routine veterinary check-ups
- Dental cleaning: Covers the cost of dental cleanings to maintain oral health
- Parasite prevention: Coverage for preventative treatments to protect against flea, tick and heartworm infestation
- Spaying/neutering: Reimbursement for the cost of spaying or neutering procedures
- Vaccinations: Reimbursement for vaccinations to keep pets healthy
Healthy Pet Deductible
Embrace offers a unique feature called the Healthy Pet Deductible. Each year a policyholder does not receive a claim reimbursement, their annual deductible is reduced by $50. This feature encourages preventive care and rewards pet owners for maintaining their pets' health.
Note
In the future, the Healthy Pet Deductible program will be changing into a Healthy Pet Premium Discount program which will allow you to get a 5% monthly discount on your premium the first year you qualify and 10% in the second year. The discount program will be offered in some states before others.
Exclusions and restrictions
Age restrictions
Embrace does not enroll pets older than 14 years in new policies. However, once enrolled, pets are covered for life as long as the policy remains active and premiums are paid.
Waiting periods
A waiting period in pet insurance is the initial time frame after the policy starts during which coverage for specific conditions or treatments isn't active. This period helps prevent fraud and varies based on the type of coverage and state regulations. Coverage for accidents is available from the effective date of your pet insurance policy.
Under Embrace policies, there is a 14-day waiting period for illnesses, while accident coverage begins on the day your policy takes effect. The waiting period for orthopedic conditions for dogs varies by state. However, it can be reduced to 14 days with a completed orthopedic exam and waiver process.
Location restrictions
Embrace pet insurance is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, ensuring pet owners across the United States can access its services. Certain policy details, such as waiting periods and optional coverage add-ons, differ from state to state, so make sure to check your policy to know where you stand.
Embrace pet insurance costs
How much your pet insurance policy costs depends on your location, any discounts you are eligible for and your pet's details. We gathered sample quotes to give you an idea of pricing, however, you should get a quote to know more specifics of what you might pay.
| Breed | 2 years old | 5 years old | 8 years old | 10 years old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
*Sample policies were for a female dog with excellent health in Arizona with the ZIP code 85251. The choices for customization selected were for an accident and illness plan with a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement limit and $5,000 annual benefit limit. The rates listed are for illustrative purposes only. You should contact the company directly for applicable quotes. |
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| French bulldog | $142 | $181 | $262 | $345 |
| Labrador retriever | $92 | $154 | $223 | $294 |
| Golden retriever | $92 | $154 | $223 | $294 |
| German shepherd | $92 | $154 | $223 | $294 |
| Poodle | $116 | $193 | $279 | $368 |
| Dachshund | $66 | $111 | $160 | $211 |
| Breed | 2 years old | 5 years old | 8 years old | 10 years old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
*Sample policies were for a male cat with excellent health in Arizona with the ZIP code 85251. The choices for customization selected were for an accident and illness plan with a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement limit and $5,000 annual benefit limit. The rates listed are for illustrative purposes only. You should contact the company directly for applicable quotes. |
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| Ragdoll | $54 | $92 | $123 | $155 |
| Maine coon | $54 | $92 | $123 | $155 |
| Persian | $54 | $92 | $123 | $155 |
| Exotic | $54 | $92 | $123 | $155 |
| Devon rex | $54 | $92 | $123 | $155 |
| British shorthair | $54 | $92 | $123 | $155 |
How to file a claim with Embrace
You can submit accident, illness or wellness (if you have the Wellness Rewards add-on) claims by following the same quick and easy process:
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Sign in to your online MyEmbrace customer account or download the Embrace Pet Insurance App.
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Click on the ‘Submit a Claim’ button and provide the required information about where you received the service, the invoice date and duration, and the total amount.
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Select the files you want to upload (all the pages of the invoice).
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Review the invoice to ensure all pages are complete and legible.
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Select the pet/s represented on the invoice.
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Type in the symptoms, diagnoses and reason for the visit.
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Go to the Confirm Claim Details page to review your information.
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Submit your claim.
Within two business days, you should receive a confirmation email to notify you of a successful claim submission. Reviews for accident and illness claims typically take 10–15 business days. Wellness rewards claim processing takes up to five business days.
Once approved, Embrace will reimburse the covered amount based on your chosen reimbursement percentage and deductible. You can receive your reimbursement via check, which takes about 10 business days, or by direct deposit within three business days.
Pet insurance claims may also be submitted via fax, email or mail. In these cases, you must complete a claim form(s) with the invoice/s.