Embrace summary
Pros
- Congenital condition coverage
- $50 off your deductible for each reimbursement-free year
Cons
- Some exclusions are quite broad
- Wellness is extra
Editorial score
Online experience
Just cats and dogs
Customizable rates and services
Customizable plans and rates, upper age limitCustomizable plans and rates, upper age limit
Claims payout waiting period
Days
Customer support
24/7 communication and a pet hotline available
Bundles
Multi-pet and multi-policy bundles available
Highlights
- 24/7 customer service
- One comprehensive plan
- $2 of each new policy goes to an animal charity
- Discounts if you pay a year’s worth of insurance up front
What’s Covered?
Embrace has one standard plan, which covers both accident and illness. You can customize the plan to your liking by selecting your preferred annual deductible, reimbursement percentage and annual maximum payout.
Coverage is extremely wide-ranging. Aside from diagnostic procedures, surgery and hospitalization, it also includes rehabilitation. You'll also get full coverage for congenital conditions, a unique service for the pet insurance industry. Embrace has coverage for pets at risk of problems due to breed-specific traits and as long as your pet hasn't shown symptoms or been diagnosed with a condition.
Limits and Deductibles
Embrace’s pet insurance policy has an annual deductible, a choice of $200, $300, $500, $750 and $1000.
Payouts are a percentage of your total bill - 70%, 80% or 90%, depending on your choice - but are subject to a maximum annual limit. The maximum annual limit is also customizable. The lowest annual limit is $5,000 whilst the highest annual limit is $30,000 in most states, and unlimited annual maximums are available in most states via phone enrollment.
Value for Money
Given the extent of cover you get, Embrace is surprisingly affordable.
You can also benefit from various discounts. You get $50 off your deductible for each year you don’t make claims. There are also additional discounts to be had if you pay a year’s worth of insurance up front, if you’re a veteran you receive a 5% military discount, and you get 10% off if you insure more than one pet. If you live in NY, and pay annual, you save $12 on the monthly billing fee.
Age Limits
Embrace does not insure pets older than 14, however pets older than 14 are still eligible for coverage via the accident-only policy.
Given that the average lifespan of dogs is 13, while cats live about 15 years, this is a more than reasonable cutoff period. In any case, coverage is locked in for the lifespan of your pet. Unless you let your policy lapse, your pet is covered for life.
The Fine Print: What’s Not Covered?
Embrace won’t cover pre-existing conditions, anything related to pregnancy and injury or illness caused by abuse or neglect. The latter exclusion is quite broad, and could extend to accident or injury in circumstances that are out of your control.
Certain conditions will no longer be classified as pre-existing if they don’t recur for 12 months after your pet is insured. Unfortunately, however, certain conditions are considered incurable and will be considered pre-existing for the whole length of the policy. It seems that even ligament tears to a previously unaffected limb would be considered pre-existing.
Embrace coverage has been updated so that only the type of cancer the pet was previously diagnosed with is excluded, however other types of cancer can be covered.
Conclusion
Embrace has a comprehensive offering at affordable rates. Embrace has full coverage for congenital conditions and a diminishing deductible which makes them cost-effective.
Wellness are only available as additional extras, which means you’ll have to pay for them separately.
Our editorial staff consists of writers who are knowledgeable about financial services. We specialize in simplifying the process of choosing the right provider for your needs.