You could not respect the total worth of pet insurance coverage till your canine or cat has a medical emergency. However you’ll be able to’t wait till that time to purchase the protection. Most pet insurance coverage insurance policies have a ready interval earlier than they’ll cowl accidents and sicknesses, and so they don’t cowl preexisting circumstances.
Right here’s what that you must find out about pet insurance coverage ready intervals and which corporations allow you to keep away from them.
Be taught extra: How does pet insurance coverage work? A whole information.
A ready interval is the period of time that should go between while you purchase the insurance coverage and when the coverage can begin to pay claims. The ready interval normally begins on the primary efficient date of the protection and should final for a number of days or months, relying on the kind of declare.
“Pet insurance coverage ready intervals fluctuate by state and insurance coverage supplier, however usually vary from zero to 30 days for sicknesses and accidents, with some corporations having longer ready intervals for particular circumstances like orthopedic points,” mentioned Janet Ruiz, a spokesperson for the Insurance coverage Info Institute.
Most pet insurance coverage insurance policies have an extended ready interval for sicknesses than they do for accidents, and you will have to attend a number of months earlier than the coverage will cowl sure orthopedic circumstances, reminiscent of cruciate ligament points, which may require costly surgical procedure.
The ready interval takes impact while you first purchase the insurance coverage, and it doesn’t begin over when you renew the coverage with out a break in protection. Nevertheless, you will have a brand new ready interval when you change protection or change to a unique insurance coverage firm.
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A ready interval is completely different from a preexisting situation exclusion.
Ready intervals apply to all protection for that kind of declare, whether or not or not the pet had any signs prior to now. For instance, if the coverage has a 15-day ready interval for sicknesses and your canine begins vomiting and goes to the vet 10 days after you purchase the protection, the pet insurance coverage coverage wouldn’t pay these vet bills.
Preexisting circumstances are medical circumstances the pet already had while you purchased the coverage or that began earlier than the top of the ready interval. You may nonetheless purchase a pet insurance coverage coverage in case your canine or cat has preexisting circumstances, however medical bills associated to that situation received’t be lined.
“If indicators or signs have been current earlier than the coverage began, there will likely be no protection for that situation, even when you weren’t positive what was mistaken along with your pet,” mentioned Walter Haugland, chief advertising and marketing officer of Pets Greatest Insurance coverage.
Be taught extra: Pets Greatest pet insurance coverage evaluate 2025
The pet insurance coverage coverage could cowl some curable preexisting circumstances if a sure time interval — typically 180 or one year — has handed with none signs or remedy. “Some circumstances, like damaged legs or kennel cough, heal or are curable and require no additional remedy,” Haugland mentioned. “As soon as healed or cured, these are usually not thought-about preexisting circumstances.”
The specifics of preexisting situation exclusions can fluctuate by insurer and state; learn the coverage for particulars.
Pet insurance coverage corporations normally have completely different ready intervals for accident protection than they do for sickness protection, and so they could don’t have any ready interval for wellness protection.
The ready interval for accident protection is usually shorter than for sicknesses. Some examples of accidents embody damaged bones, poisoning, a automobile accident, lacerations, or when your pet swallows a international object and desires surgical procedure. A number of pet insurance coverage insurance policies don’t have any ready interval for accidents after the coverage takes impact; others have three-day or five-day ready intervals earlier than masking accidents. The time frames fluctuate by insurer and state.
Most pet insurance coverage insurance policies have a 14-day to 30-day ready interval earlier than masking sicknesses reminiscent of diabetes, arthritis, allergic reactions, pores and skin and ear infections, urinary tract infections, and epilepsy.
If the pet had considered one of these circumstances earlier than the coverage was bought, it could be excluded as a preexisting situation for a yr or extra, however different sicknesses can be lined after the 14- or 30-day ready interval is over.
Most pet insurance coverage insurance policies have longer ready intervals for orthopedic points that may result in costly surgical procedure for canines. For instance, they might have a six-month ready interval earlier than masking prices associated to cruciate ligament points or hip dysplasia. You could possibly get this ready interval diminished in case your canine has an orthopedic examination after you buy the coverage, exhibiting no preexisting circumstances.
Pet wellness plans assist cowl the price of routine care, reminiscent of enamel cleansing, preventive medicines, vaccinations, and diagnostic exams. They have a tendency to have annual profit limits and no ready interval.
Be taught extra: Your information to what pet insurance coverage covers
The three pet insurance coverage corporations under don’t have any ready interval for accident protection, however insurers can waive the accident ready interval in sure states.
Embrace Pet Insurance coverage has no ready interval for accidents after the coverage takes impact, which is 12:01 a.m. ET two days after enrollment. Diseases are lined 14 days after the coverage’s efficient date. There’s a particular six-month ready interval for sure canine orthopedic circumstances in most states, which could be diminished to 14 days with an orthopedic examination.
Be taught extra: Embrace pet insurance coverage evaluate
Lemonade pet insurance coverage has no ready interval for accidents — accident protection begins at 12:01 a.m. ET the day after you buy the coverage. Diseases are lined 14 days after the coverage’s efficient date, and orthopedic points have a 30-day ready interval (insurance policies issued earlier than mid-February 2025 may additionally have a six-month ready interval for cruciate ligament points in some states, however new insurance policies have the 30-day ready interval). There is not any ready interval for wellness protection.
Be taught extra: Lemonade pet insurance coverage evaluate
MetLife pet insurance coverage has no ready interval for accidents — accident protection begins at midnight EST of the day after you purchase the coverage. Diseases are lined after a 14-day ready interval. There is not any ready interval for the non-compulsory preventive care plan.
Be taught extra: MetLife pet insurance coverage evaluate
Insurance coverage relies on the pooling of danger — many pets are insured, and a few could have massive claims whereas others could have only a few medical bills for the yr. If pet house owners have been allowed to attend to purchase a coverage till after they knew they have been going to have a declare, the price to offer that protection would rise. Pet insurance coverage corporations use ready intervals and preexisting situation exclusions to assist handle their dangers and prices.
“A key purpose pet insurance coverage doesn’t cowl preexisting circumstances is as a result of it could drive the price of insurance policies up for all policyholders,” mentioned Haugland. “If a pet enters the insurance coverage pool anticipating a recognized medical situation to be lined, it’s a sure price to the pool.”
Even with out a ready interval, the protection doesn’t take impact instantly; it sometimes begins at midnight the day after you buy the coverage. That method, you’ll be able to’t wait till your pet has an accident after which purchase the insurance coverage. There isn’t a retroactive protection.
Some states have completely different guidelines for ready intervals. A number of states have adopted the Nationwide Affiliation of Insurance coverage Commissioners’ (NAIC) Pet Insurance coverage Mannequin Act, which prohibits ready intervals for accidents.
In these states, accidents could be lined on the efficient date of the coverage. This is applicable to California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, mentioned Ilana Chernenko, a Lemonade pet insurance coverage spokesperson.
The NAIC Pet Insurance coverage Mannequin Act additionally limits the size of the orthopedic ready interval to 30 days or much less, whereas different states could enable a ready interval of as much as six months for sure orthopedic circumstances.
Tim Manni edited this text.
