Lemonade Pet Insurance Review: How It Works and What It Covers
When you bring a dog or cat into your home, they become an integral part of the family. They love you unconditionally, and you would do anything you can to keep them happy and healthy. You feed them a healthy diet, exercise them daily, and keep up with their veterinary visits.
But what happens if your beloved dog or cat gets injured or very sick? Even the healthiest pets, despite our best intentions, might experience an illness, injury, or accident. It is very likely that as our pets age, they will need some type of medical procedure or develop an age-related condition.
With rising vet and hospital costs, one overnight hospital stay for your pet can cost as much as $4,000. Not many people can afford to pay that type of cost up front, which is why many pet parents have pet insurance. With insurance, you know that whatever might happen to your fur child, you can cover the cost much more easily. Pet insurance gives you peace of mind that your dog or cat can be cared for properly.
Benefits of Pet Health Insurance Plans
Some pet parents might be skeptical about enrolling their pets in a pet health insurance plan. After all, you pay a monthly premium even if your pet is completely healthy. And, of course, there is a chance that a year might go by without you having to file a claim or use your pet insurance plan.
However, as our dogs and cats get older, they are very likely to develop some sort of medical condition. Even something as seemingly simple as a dog injuring his paw while running to catch a ball could rack up a large veterinary bill. Pet health insurance helps mitigate those costs. If your pet isn’t enrolled in a plan before an illness or injury occurs, it will be considered a pre-existing medical condition. And, there aren’t any pet insurance providers that will pay for conditions that occurred prior to signing up.
Certain dog or cat breeds are more likely to develop hereditary conditions. For example, Labrador Retrievers tend to have weak hips and can very well develop hip dysplasia even in their early years. And with a dog insurance plan, pet parents can be assured that they will have the means to cover the costs if necessary.
The best time to enroll your dog or cat into a pet health insurance plan is when they are younger. The monthly premiums are very low and pet parents will be covered for any accident or illness that might occur.
Now that you decided to enroll your pet into a pet health insurance plan, where do you even start? Well, we came across a relatively new pet insurance company to the market, Lemonade Pet Insurance, which is quickly making a name for itself. It offers comprehensive pet health insurance plans at an affordable monthly premium and is a welcome provider to the pet insurance market.
What Is Lemonade Pet Insurance?
Lemonade pet insurance is one of the newer pet insurance companies in the market. However, it is already developing a reputation as a prime pet insurance destination. Lemonade is mostly known for providing low-cost renters, condo, and homeowners insurance and its super-quick claims settlement.
Lemonade entered the pet insurance market in 2020. The company was founded in 2016 and is known as an insurtech company, which means that it is a technically centered provider that offers its products online. Lemonade has developed a reputation for providing a hassle-free digital experience and fast claim payments powered by AI. Its pet insurance plans are available for dogs and cats and include accident and illness coverage and basic hospitalization in 33 states and Washington, D.C.
Lemonade Pet Insurance: How It Works
Lemonade pet insurance makes things easy. Everything from signing up to making a claim can be done through its mobile app.
You simply register your dog or cat and fill in the required information, choose a plan, and you can be approved within minutes.
You can sign up using Lemonade’s streamlined online quote generator or the mobile app to customize a policy with the coverage option that you want for your pets.
Lemonade Pet Insurance: What’s Covered
Similar to other pet insurance providers, Lemonade offers your typical accident and illness package. Lemonade’s basic pet insurance accident and illness plan covers the following:
Accidents
- Injuries
- Broken bones, sprains
- Poisoning caused by accidentally eating something they shouldn’t have
Illnesses
- Vomiting, diarrhea
- Infections
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Skin conditions
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- Eye ailments
- Blood disorders
Procedures
- Outpatient procedures
- Emergency care
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
Diagnostics
- Blood work
- Lab work
- CT scans and ultrasounds
- X-rays and MRIs
Medications
- Injections
- Prescriptions
- Medication
Lemonade Extended Accident and Illness Plan
Lemonade’s Extended Accident and Illness plan can be added on to its basic pet health insurance policy at an additional cost and covers treatments for what it calls “functionality” issues.
For instance, if your pup has surgery or injures himself, this package will cover the potential post-surgery treatment that might be necessary.
This is what is generally referred to as rehabilitation therapy and includes:
- Hydrotherapy
- Chiropractic
- Acupuncture
- Physical therapy
- Laser therapy
This package will also pay for the veterinarian visit fees for accidents and illnesses. The basic pet health insurance plan does not pay for the vet fee, only the procedure, lab work and medications.
Lemonade Preventative and Wellness Plan
There is one final coverage option you can add to your plan and that is Lemonade’s Preventative and Wellness plan.
Similar to some pet insurance wellness options, this additional package includes preventative services as well as your annual wellness exam.
This add-on includes the following:
- Annual vet visits
- Heartworm test
- Parasite or fecal test
- Blood work
- 3 vaccines annually
Lemonade’s preventative and wellness plan does not include microchipping or spay and neutering, or a dental package add-on with cleanings, but there are plans to release additional coverages soon.
Lemonade Pet Insurance: What’s Not Covered
Similar to most pet health insurance companies, the following are not covered under all of Lemonade’s pet health plans:
- Pre-existing conditions: Conditions that occurred prior to signing up for a policy, or things that happen during waiting periods.
- Bilateral conditions: If a condition affects one side of the body of a pet before signing up for a policy, the other side won’t be covered. Some examples are hip dysplasia and cherry eye.
- Dental care that isn’t accident related
- Behavioral issues
- Something you could have prevented
- Experimental treatments
Before any coverage takes place, these are the typical waiting periods*:
- Accidents: No accident waiting periods
- Illnesses: 14 days
- Orthopedic conditions: 30 days
* Depending on where you live, your waiting periods could be shorter.
Lemonade Pet Insurance Costs
A pet health insurance policy for a dog or cat starts at $10 a month at Lemonade, but several factors will impact your quote, including your pet’s breed, age, where you live, and which packages you choose. You can get a 10 percent discount if you bundle a home insurance policy with your pet health insurance plan. You can also get a 5 percent discount if you insure more than one pet.
Your monthly premium is affected by the deductible, annual payout limits, and the reimbursement rate you choose.
The annual deductibles offered are either $100, $250, or $500. The higher the deductible you choose, the lower your premium. The reimbursement options are as follows: 70 percent, 80 percent, or 90 percent. If you choose the lowest reimbursement choice, it can also help to reduce your monthly premium. There are a few annual payout limit choices that range from $5,000 to $100,000, which can also impact the cost of your policy.
Because Lemonade uses AI software to sign up new pet members, it helps to keep the costs lower. Further, the Lemonade Giveback program donates unclaimed monies to different charitable causes, keeping the company profitable.
Lemonade covers dogs and cats as young as 8 weeks old. Age limits vary for different breeds, but Lemonade does not terminate coverage for pets as they age.
Lemonade Pet Insurance Features
Lemonade pet insurance makes signing up quick and easy. You simply choose the plan you want and customize it to your needs and you are accepted within a few minutes.
The site is easy to navigate, and you can sign up without ever having to speak to someone.
The claims are also handled efficiently. However, you can only submit your claims through Lemonade’s app (Android or iOS).
You answer a few questions, submit your vet bill invoice and paid receipt, which can be done very quickly from your phone.
While there isn’t a claim repayment timeline that is promised to customers, it generally happens quickly and efficiently. Similar to most pet insurance companies, you need to file a claim within 180 days of an accident or illness occurring. Lemonade also offers direct deposit for repayment.
Another nice feature is Lemonade’s Emergency Claim Service. Customers can call an emergency phone number and speak with a live person to discuss a claim. Therefore, if your dog or cat has an emergency and needs medical care right away, you can take your pet to the vet and not worry about how you are able to pay for the service or necessary treatment.
Things We Like:
- Low policy premiums
- Simplicity in signing up
- Easy-to-read policy documents
- Lemonade donates unclaimed dollars to charities of the customers’ choice
- Claims paid quickly
- 10 percent policy bundling and 5 percent multi-pet discount
- Everything done on the mobile app
- No lifetime payout limits on plans
- Recurring conditions are now covered
Things to Consider:
- Not available in every state
- The wellness coverage is not as comprehensive as most: i.e., there isn’t a dental option yet.
- There isn’t always coverage available for older dogs and cats of certain breeds
- Exclusion for bilateral coverage
Lemonade Pet Insurance Reviews: What They’re Saying
Below are just a few customer testimonials for Lemonade pet insurance:
“Had an awesome experience within the last 12 months with @Lemonade_Inc. Had an awesome adjuster for a home insurance claim, renewed at a reasonable price AND just purchased a new Pet policy. Just love these guys on how simple they make life.” — Andrew
“They are now offering #affordable #pet owners #insurance ! I #LOVE this company! @Lemonade_inc” – Rose
“Ah! I can’t wait to get my kitties on @Lemonade_Inc so they can be insured under the same roof that Lemonade also insures.” – Charlotte Ann
“Wow, just got insurance with @Lemonade_Inc and it was super easy – took 10-15m. Strong customer service and cute UI” — Goldie
Lemonade Pet insurance: Our Verdict
Although Lemonade is a relative newcomer to the pet insurance space, we like what we have seen thus far. Its prices are on the lower side, signing up is super easy, and its customers seem really happy with their service.
Lemonade has made a name for itself in homeowners insurance due to its quick claim payments, and it is likely the company will continue to do so in the pet insurance space.
Take a look for yourself and see if Lemonade is the right pet health insurance for your pet. We think you’ll like what you find.
