Nicknamed “The Natural State,” Arkansas’ many scenic lakes and rivers make it an ideal place to raise a dog or cat. Still, an accident or illness can happen anytime — even if your pet isn’t big on the outdoors. A pet insurance policy ensures you won’t be left with expensive vet bills when health issues arise.
We at the Home Media reviews team researched the best pet insurance companies across the United States, comparing plans, costs, unique benefits and more. We narrowed down our picks for Arkansas to help you find the right coverage.
Arkansas’ Top 7 Pet Insurance Companies
Here are our top seven picks for pet insurance companies in Arkansas based on our research.
Lemonade: Most Affordable Plans
Healthy Paws: Our Pick for Affordable Unlimited Coverage
Figo: Most Flexible Reimbursement Rates
Embrace: Our Pick for Savings
Fetch: Our Pick for Therapy Coverage
Trupanion: Most Flexible Deductible
Types of Pet Insurance Plans
Most providers offer three main plans:
- Accident-only: Accident-only plans cover accident-related events such as broken bones, bite wounds, swallowed objects and lacerations. These plans cost less, but you won’t get coverage for any illness-related needs.
- Accident-and-illness: Accident-and-illness plans cover accidents plus illnesses, such as cancer treatments, hereditary conditions, diabetes, glaucoma and allergies. Many standard plans cover accidents and illnesses but check with each provider to be sure.
- Wellness care add-ons: Routine and preventive care aren’t covered in standard pet insurance plans. You’ll need to purchase a wellness add-on for annual checkups, routine dental cleanings and vaccines.
In addition to choosing which plan you want, you’ll need to select a coverage limit, deductible and reimbursement rate. Your coverage limit is the maximum amount your provider will pay toward your vet claims per year. A deductible is the maximum amount you’ll pay out of pocket per year or per condition, and the reimbursement rate is the percentage of each claim the provider will pay.
The higher your deductible and lower your reimbursement rate, the lower your premium will be, and vice versa.
How To Choose the Right Pet Insurance Provider
There are a few factors to weigh when evaluating which pet insurance provider is right for you and your pet’s needs. Here are some things to consider:
- Coverage: Decide what you want covered and look for plans that include those items. Remember that not all providers have preventive care options.
- Your budget: Look for providers that offer flexible deductibles and reimbursement rates. The more you can customize these variables to get a monthly premium you’re comfortable paying, the better. You should also take note of coverage limits. Choose a provider with unlimited coverage if you’re worried about exceeding your annual limit and having to pay out of pocket.
- Your pet’s needs: If your pet’s breed or age increases its likelihood of developing certain conditions, make sure your selected provider and plan covers those.
- Customization: Consider how flexible each provider’s plans are. Are you able to adjust your choices if your finances change?
- Exclusions: Make sure you have a clear understanding of what isn’t covered in your plan. What’s the provider’s policy on preexisting conditions? Is there a maximum age limit for enrolling?
The Bottom Line: Which Is the Best Pet Insurance Company in Arkansas?
The right insurance provider is the one that covers your pet’s health needs at a price you’re comfortable with. We’ve vetted every provider on this list, and they each have their own benefits. If you’re deciding between two or three providers, we recommend looking at what customers have said. Read reviews and testimonials or call and speak with a representative to gauge their service. You should also get a pet insurance quote from at least three providers to compare pricing.
Compare Pet Insurance Providers in Arkansas
See how these Arkansas pet insurance providers compare according to data gathered through our secret shopping process.
*Each provider’s monthly cost is based on accident-and-illness policy premiums from quotes we obtained for 4-year-old, medium-sized dogs in Rogers, Ark. Pricing may vary based on your pet’s age, breed and location, so we recommend getting quotes directly from companies for the most accurate cost information.
Methodology: Our System for Ranking the Best Pet Insurance Companies
Our review of pet insurance companies is based on in-depth industry research that includes reading hundreds of customer reviews, simulating the quote and purchasing process, speaking to representatives on the phone to assess the customer service experience and surveying 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage.
We have scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements. We then divided the points earned for each provider’s final score on a 5-point scale.
Here are more details about each factor and how they’re weighted:
- Monthly pricing (25 points): How much each company charges for its pet insurance plans is an important part of a customer’s decision. The best pet insurance companies combine comprehensive coverage and plan options with affordable rates.
- Plans (15 points): The top pet insurance companies offer accident and illness plans, accident-only plans and wellness or preventive care add-ons to give customers the option to choose a plan that’s best for their pet.
- Covered treatments (15 points): With this factor, we scored companies based on the treatments and procedures they cover. Companies with a breadth of included treatments and unique coverages received more points than providers with more standard or general policies.
- Customization options (10 points): Customizing your policy is a valuable way to ensure you only pay for what your pet needs. Providers with more annual-limit, deductible and reimbursement-rate options earned the highest scores.
- Customer care (10 points): We scored companies on their website accessibility and overall usability, customer service availability, mobile apps (if any), money-back guarantees and veterinarian telehealth options, awarding points to the insurers with more customer experience offerings.
- Industry reputation (10 points): To determine each company’s industry reputation, we reviewed up-to-date ratings and accreditation information from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and scored companies on their years of experience in the industry and their state availability.
- Waiting periods (10 points): Companies with shorter accident, illness and orthopedic waiting periods between the sign-up and coverage start date scored higher than companies with longer waiting periods.
- Eligible age (5 points): Some companies don’t offer policies for pets that are over a certain age. We deducted points from providers that have age limits for covered pets.
We use our rating system to compare and contrast each company against key factors to help us determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. Additionally, we keep our research up to date and revisit our reviews on a regular basis.