Embrace Pet Insurance

My husband scheduled our dog's annual physical and I didn't know about it until after he'd already taken her. I've explained to him more than once that insurance will only cover one physical per year (humans & pets) so they have to be scheduled for at least a year after the previous physical. This one was less than 10 months after her previous physical.

My dog was diagnosed with a cruciate ligament tear, and the diagnosis was my first claim. This claim initially took WAY too long and the communication with me (or complete lack thereof) about what was causing the hold up was extremely frustrating. Every time I called in, a different person gave me a different reason and then claimed to resolve it, only for nothing to be updated and the claim to not be processed. In fact, the first time it was processed, it was declined due to the processor not reading the date of the invoice, but rather reading the date of her vaccinations that is logged on all invoices. That type of mistake is pure laziness.

We had rescued 2 pit bull-mastiff-lab mix puppies from a local Humane Society. Both were in great health but when one of them, Hamilton, developed a limp when he was a year and a half, we took him to the local vet who diagnosed him with a TPLO of the right hind leg, basically, as I understand it, he tore the tendon in the knee. He needed surgery so we took him to a nearby vet who specializes in sports injuries for dogs.

My very first pug, Ping, was 12.5 when she passed in 2013. In her later years she suffered with a UTI that wouldn't go away. Her vet bills were very expensive, as you can imagine. She needed an Ultra Sound for almost $2K. Whether it would have helped or not I have no idea. During this illness she was on expensive medication, special diet food purchased via my vet, and constant urine tests and cultures. As a retired individual I did the best I could for Ping. As an aging pug, she also developed spinal stenosis and lost control of her back legs and bladder. At the time, wheels for dogs weren't as popular and affordable as they are today. I lost my beautiful baby when I felt her quality of life was gone. I swore at that moment that I would never ever have a pug without purchasing insurance for it.

In 2009, I got my first Cocker Spaniel, and shortly thereafter I joined a cocker spaniel forum to learn more about the breed, grooming tips, etc. I learned a lot from this forum, particularly that cockers are predisposed to a variety of health issues, many of which are extremely expensive to treat. The other thing that I learned was that many of the owners obtained pet insurance for their cockers, but had mixed reviews as to their reputations. One company that kept getting excellent reviews was Embrace, and that is the company that I chose for my dog when she was a couple of years old. Their reputation for paying based on actual costs, and for not having breed-specific exclusions were two positive features that I liked.

I only had Embrace for 1.5 months before I had to put my cat down due to FP. However, I had to contact them every time I had put in a claim that was not a wellness claim. They said they would have be done processing the claim in 15 business days, but I was reaching out 20 or more business days later asking when I would have a response. To their credit when I did, I would get a response the next day, but it took me contacting them, this happened four different times. This extended the time I was having to look at paperwork and talking to vets after I had to euthanize my cat for another month and half.

My dog developed hemolytic anemia from a deer tick bite. He was very ill and the prognosis was poor. I took him to the Vet Specialty Center and treatment was initiated within an hour. I knew it would be expensive and I was hoping that Embrace would be everything I thought it would be. In all honesty, Embrace insurance was better than I had hoped for. I called for guidance and was given accurate directions on how to file claims. They were reviewed and paid very quickly without any hassle. The forms are easy to access from the app and my veterinarian faxed them in for me. Happy to report that my dog is doing well and Embrace could not have treated me better!

I transferred my cats insurance from VIP to Embrace when she was 8 years old. During the first year she had a few "first time" health issues and one small issue from previous. It took a long time to sort out but they were so helpful and in the end I was happy I switched to Embrace. They covered more than VIP would have and went the distance to show me the reasons why one thing wasn't... in spite of me being a bit testy. Thank you, Embrace.

Pet insurance: our dog was insured two months after birth (Apr '16) for $350 annually. 3 years later, it is now $478 or a 36% increase (simple inflation 9%). Wellness plan: they don't know how to process a "wellness" plan claim - again 3 years running. I buy a vet plan that covers most everything for one charge ($384) and Embrace can't figure out how to process it without an itemized invoice - ehh, there is no itemized invoice on an all-in plan. So far, just like hockey: 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 tie - what a pain! I went with them because of USAA's tie up. My next note is to USAA to get them to reconsider their decision and go with Nationwide (or someone else).

This company makes it easy to sign up but has no intention of honoring your claims. Steer clear. I submitted a claim well over a month ago and they said they needed more medical records. They said that once they received the records, it would only take a few days to process. The records were sent immediately after their request. Yet, weeks later, no communication from them. I called my vet's office and asked to send the records again in case they didn't receive them. Two days later, I can't get anyone from Embrace to verify whether they received the records. So, given their failure to communicate with me, I am assuming that they plan to drag their feet on this and not pay this claim. I have two dogs on this plan since August. I am in the process of cancelling the insurance. I do not trust this company.