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3.2

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: September 7th, 2023

Today, Nationwide's pet insurance district employs 500 people, including 11 vets and 90 vet-experienced employees. The company boasts that there are 1,200,000 claims paid every year, 3,300+ claims paid every day and 700,000 pet owners who trust Nationwide Pet Insurance.

Pet owners should be happy to know that Nationwide Pet Insurance provides coverage for exotic pets, something that other pet insurance providers do not. 

Read our Nationwide Pet Insurance reviews (below) to see what others are saying about this pet insurance company. 

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The Good

  • What’s Covered
  • Holistic and Alternative Coverage
  • Exotic Pet Insurance
  • Annual or Per-Incident Deductible
  • 24/7 Vet Helpline

What’s Covered

Nationwide offers three central plans for pet insurance, each with increasing coverage: Pet Wellness, Major Medical, and Whole Pet with Wellness. Depending on what type of coverage is needed pet parents can view what’s covered on the Nationwide Pet Insurance website. 

Nationwide Pet Insurance provides pet owners with an easy to read sample condition chart for what would and wouldn’t be covered under each of its plans. Here are a few of the conditions and treatments that are covered by each of the plans, however, this is not the full list.

Pet Wellness

The Pet Wellness plan covers exam fees and tests, flea/heartworm prevention, and vaccinations. 

  • Deworming
  • Heartworm prevention
  • Microchipping
  • Vaccinations
  • Wellness bloodwork
  • Wellness exam

Major Medical

The Major Medical plan covers exams, lab tests, X-rays, prescriptions, surgeries and hospitalizations, chronic conditions, some hereditary and congenital conditions (although a waiting period does apply).

  • Abrasions
  • Allergic Reaction
  • Arthritis
  • Chronic Kidney Disease
  • Foreign object in the stomach
  • Kennel coughs
  • Lung infection
  • Lymph node cancer
  • Skin cancer
  • Skin cyst
  • Skin tumor
  • Underactive thyroid levels

Whole Pet with Wellness

Cats and dogs under the Whole Pet with Wellness plan have all the coverage from the Pet Wellness and Major Medical plan plus more.

  • Addison’s disease
  • Bronchitis
  • Cesarean section
  • Cherry eye
  • Corneal ulcer
  • Cushing’s disease
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Elbow dysplasia
  • Gingivitis
  • Heart failure
  • Hip dysplasia
  • Lyme disease
  • Prescribed nutritional supplements
  • Prescribed therapeutic pet foods
  • Separation anxiety
  • Spay or neuter

Whether pet owners are looking for a plan to protect their furry friend against accidents or they want a comprehensive coverage plan, Nationwide Pet has plenty of options. 

Holistic and Alternative Coverage

While Nationwide Pet Insurance provides coverage for more traditional treatments and therapies, the company also allows pet owners who want to turn to more natural techniques, philosophies and treatments. Coverage includes acupuncture, as well as chiropractic and laser therapy. Many pet owners opt to try alternative and holistic therapies to treat anxiety issues, improve overall health, and even as cancer treatments. 

Exotic Pet Insurance

Something that genuinely sets Nationwide Pet Insurance apart from other pet insurance providers is its Avian and Exotic Pet Plan. Pet insurance policies for birds, small animals, and other exotic pets are extremely rare in the industry. Nationwide Pet boasts that its affordable exotic pet insurance plan covers accidents and illnesses along with examinations, lab fees, prescriptions, X-rays, hospitalization, and more. 

Nationwide Pet Insurance covers most birds and exotic pets:

  • Amphibians
  • Chameleons
  • Chinchillas
  • Ferrets
  • Geckos
  • Gerbils
  • Goats
  • Guinea pigs
  • Hamsters
  • Hedgehogs
  • Iguanas
  • Lizards
  • Mice
  • Opossums
  • Potbellied pigs
  • Rats
  • Rabbits
  • Snakes
  • Sugar gliders
  • Tortoises
  • Turtles

Annual or Per-Incident Deductible

Annual deductible are offered with the Whole Pet with Wellness plan, My Pet Protection plans, Medical and Major Medical plans, and Nationwide Pet’s injury plan. With these specific plans, the selected deductible only needs to be fulfilled once per policy term.

A per-incident deductible is applied to the Superior, Standard, and the Avian & Exotic Pet plans. There is a $50 deductible that applies to each unrelated accident or injury per policy term. 

There is no deductible for claims submitted under the Nationwide Pet Feline Select plan or under the wellness plan and riders. 

24/7 Vet Helpline

Free to all members of Nationwide Pet, pet parents can receive live veterinary care and guidance about their pet's health. Members can ask questions about their pets general health or they can receive help identifying urgent care needs. 

While the Vet Helpline is an advantageous feature, if a pet is in need of veterinary assistance or immediate care, pet parents should visit a clinic or emergency provider. Nationwide Pet Insurance members can use any licensed veterinarian in the world. 

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The Bad

  • Claims Reimbursement Process
  • Enrollment Age

Claims Reimbursement Process

Nationwide Pet owners will pay for their pet’s veterinary care up front and will be reimbursed after they submit a claim. It can take Nationwide up to 30 days to process a claim you file, which is on the longer end for a processing period. Furthermore, when you get reimbursed for an expense, you'll receive the reimbursement via a check in the mail rather than the much faster direct deposit.

Enrollment Age

If your pet is already enrolled with Nationwide, then coverage will never be removed from the pet unless you cancel it. If, however, you want to enroll your pet for the first time, you can only do so if your pet is under age ten. Pets older than ten years old cannot qualify for Nationwide's plans, and this is a comparatively low age for enrollment eligibility.

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The Bottom Line

The weaknesses for Nationwide Pet Insurance are fairly low-impact and don't affect most customer needs. If a pet is over ten years old, for example, then Nationwide obviously is not the right choice. For most other pet parents, however, this company is a solid option for pet health insurance. It is backed by an overall insurance provider that has an excellent reputation and a positive customer mindset that aims in helping pet owners with expensive vet bills. 

Nationwide's customer resources and flexible plans set the company apart from its competitors. The fact that it covers exotic pets (more than just cats and dogs), chronic conditions, and a few hereditary and congenital conditions, is a significant benefit that expands its customer base as well.

Nationwide Pet offers three plans all with substantial coverage, so pet owners can have peace of mind knowing that their cats, dogs, and other exotic pets are covered through a comprehensive pet insurance provider.

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2.2

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18 Reviews

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Katie Kearney Vienna, VA

Nationwide has been such a disappointment. They say the cover all these things but never pay out for them. I have both the medical and wellness for my dog. They get their shots, prescriptions, yearly check ups and I have never seen a check back for any of it! What's the point of paying you when you don't do anything?

6 years ago