Embrace Pet Insurance Review 2024: It’s Customizable—and No Limit to Coverage

If you’re like many pet owners, a trip to the veterinarian can be a very stressful experience for both you and your furry companion. It’s much worse if the trip is necessitated by illness or injury.

While pet insurance can’t do anything to make your pet feel better (one hopes your veterinarian can help with that), it can remove some of the financial stress associated with these visits.

Embrace is one of the country’s leading pet insurance providers. If you’re shopping for coverage, it’s one you ought to consider.

TIME’s Take

Embrace offers high levels of coverage for veterinary services related to accidents and illnesses with its standard policy plan. And there’s a wellness option that provides reimbursement for routine veterinary care. Coverage is customizable based on your and your pet’s needs.

Who is Embrace pet insurance for?

Embrace is for a wide range of cat and dog owners who want to protect their finances with pet insurance. Cats and dogs are eligible for the company’s primary plan until their 15th birthday; those 15 and older can be covered by an accident-only plan.

What Embrace pet insurance covers

Embrace pet insurance provides coverage for cats and dogs in the event of a variety of common veterinary health issues, including:

• Dental illnesses.
• Breed-specific congenital and genetic conditions.
• Cancer.
• Chronic conditions, such as arthritis and diabetes.
• Preventable conditions, such as Lyme disease and parasites.
• Orthopedic conditions.

If you file a claim, your reimbursement will depend on some choices you made when you bought the policy. Let’s look at those next.

How Embrace pet insurance works

When you purchase an Embrace policy for your cat or dog, you choose an annual deductible, an annual coverage limit, and a reimbursement percentage.

You can choose an annual deductible between $100 and $1,000. Similar to a deductible for a human healthcare insurance plan, this is the amount you pay before coverage kicks in. So, if you choose a $500 deductible, you won’t be able to receive reimbursement for any covered services in a year until you’ve paid $500 for those services.

You can choose an annual coverage limit between $5,000 and unlimited. This is the maximum amount of money Embrace will pay out in a given year. Say you choose a $5,000 limit, and your pet’s veterinary bills for covered services reach a total of $6,000 for the year. You’ll owe the remaining $1,000 out of pocket. If you choose “unlimited,” Embrace will cover all services (minus your deductible and factoring in your reimbursement percentage).

You can choose a reimbursement percentage between 70% and 90%. Once you’ve paid your deductible, Embrace will reimburse your veterinary bills based on this percentage. So if you choose a policy with 90% reimbursement and you have a $1,000 bill, Embrace will reimburse you for $900 of those costs.

As you can see, you have a few things to think about when you buy a policy. It’s important to consider your pet’s likely veterinary needs, along with your financial situation, when making these policy choices. Be aware that your policy premium will be partly based on these choices.

What Embrace does not cover

If you’re thinking that Embrace offers really comprehensive coverage for your pet (especially if you choose the optional Wellness Rewards), you’d be right. The policy does exclude some types of incidents. But the good news is that many of these should be irrelevant for most conscientious pet parents and their well-loved, four-legged companions.

Embrace does not cover:

• Pre-existing conditions (with some exceptions, which we’ll discuss below).
• Breeding, whelping, or pregnancy.
• DNA testing or cloning.
• Deliberate injury by the owner or member of the household.
• Injury from fighting, racing, cruelty, or neglect.
• Cosmetic procedures.
• Avian flu or nuclear war.
• Routine veterinary care (available as an option).

Optional coverages

You’ll note that routine care is not covered by the standard policy. This includes your pet’s annual trip to the veterinarian for a checkup and to get any necessary shots and other treatments. But coverage for this can be added on.

Embrace offers an optional program called Wellness Rewards, which it describes as “a health savings account—but for your pet.”

For an additional cost, ranging from $250 to $650 annually (you choose a level based on your pet’s needs), Embrace will help cover routine veterinary visits, vaccinations, preventative treatments, and procedures such as spaying and neutering.

Other noteworthy policy features

Embrace offers numerous policy features designed to add value and convenience to your policy. These include coverage for the following:

• Exam fees.
• Pre-existing conditions if the condition returns after the pet has been symptom-free for at least one year.
• Specialist care, along with complimentary rehab treatments such as acupuncture and laser therapy.
• Diagnostic testing such as x-rays.
• Hospitalization and surgery.

Plans available from Embrace

Embrace’s primary accident-and-illness pet insurance plan can be customized in a variety of ways. As explained earlier, you can adjust the policy deductible, coverage limit, and reimbursement percentage to suit your and your pet’s needs. You can also add an optional Wellness Rewards package, which provides reimbursement of expenses related to routine veterinary care.

Embrace also offers an accident-only plan. Available for cats and dogs aged 15 and older, the plan provides coverage only for veterinary bills related to an accident, such as swallowing a foreign object, poisoning, cuts and lacerations, being hit by a car, or broken teeth. The accident-only plan has a $100 deductible, a $5,000 coverage limit, and a 90% reimbursement.

Embrace restrictions and waiting periods

Embrace does have a waiting period—an amount of time you need to wait after the policy goes into force before coverage takes effect. The embrace waiting period is 14 days from the policy effective date for most illnesses. An orthopedic waiting period is also in effect for dogs. That period varies by state.

Embrace discounts

Embrace offers a couple of discounts to help you save money. A 10% multiple pet discount is applied automatically to policies insuring two or more pets. And those who are active or former members of the U.S. military are eligible for Embrace’s 5% military discount.

Embrace pet insurance rates

The cost of an Embrace pet insurance policy will depend on your pet’s type and breed, the age of your pet, your geographic location, and the policy you choose. We gathered quotes for several types of animals to give you an idea of what to expect.

If you opt for a wellness plan, you can expect to pay the following monthly rates, depending on the level of coverage you choose.

About Embrace

Founded in Cleveland, Ohio, Embrace sold its first pet insurance policy in 2006. The company has grown to become one of the best-known pet insurance brands. In fact, its policies are sold by leading property and casualty insurance companies such as Allstate and GEICO.

Embrace policies are underwritten by American Modern Insurance Group, which is rated A+ by AM Best. This rating is a confirmation of the company’s financial stability and ability to honor its customer claims.

Embrace reputation

Embrace has 4.0 out of 5.0 stars on Trustpilot . Positive customer reviews note the company’s compassionate customer service and speed in paying claims. Some negative reviews focus on the claim process, denied claims, and policy cost.

State availability

Embrace offers pet insurance in all U.S. states except Maine.

Consumer experience

The Embrace website offers policy information and a link to get a quote. You can also get a quote by phone at 1-800-779-1539.

Claims can be submitted online (through the Embrace website or app) or by mail. Embrace notes that it processes claims in 10 to 15 business days and makes payments via check or direct deposit.

How Embrace stacks up

Here’s how Embrace compares to three other pet insurance companies—Lemonade, Pets Best, and Trupanion. Its unlimited coverage option may suit those who wish to spare no expense for their pets. However, it lacks some of the flexibility—such as lower maximum annual coverage—possibly desired by those on a budget.

Bottom line

Embrace pet insurance offers coverage for injuries and illnesses, along with an optional plan for wellness care. Coverage is flexible, meaning you can customize based on your budget and your pet’s needs. While it’s always a good idea to shop around for insurance, going with Embrace is a decision you can likely be confident in.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is Embrace dog insurance good?

Embrace offers pet insurance coverage for a wide variety of issues encountered by dogs, including common emergency and breed-specific chronic veterinary issues. You can also add the company’s optional Wellness Rewards, which provides reimbursement for the cost of routine veterinary care.

Does the cost of Embrace pet insurance increase annually?

The cost of an Embrace policy may increase annually based on a variety of factors, such as your pet’s age.

Are Embrace and GEICO the same?

Embrace and GEICO are separate companies. However, GEICO offers its customers pet insurance coverage provided by Embrace.

How long does Embrace pet insurance take to reimburse for claims?

Embrace states that it can process claim payments in 10 to 15 days after it has received all information requested from the customer.