What is Lemonade?

Lemonade is a newcomer in the insurance industry scene. Since launching in 2015, they have made waves with their AI-powered renter’s and home insurance policies. However, recently, the company has ventured into pet insurance through Lemonade Pet Insurance. They offer tech-driven policies through their notable mobile application. Pet owners can now avail themselves of extensive coverage, low prices, and super-fast processing for claims.

This article reviews Lemonade Pet Insurance to help you arrive at an informed decision when it comes to getting your pets insured. Let’s begin with who exactly Lemonade is.

Pros and Cons – Lemonade

Lemonade is an insurance company that was founded in 2015. Their mission is to utilize technology to disrupt an otherwise bland market and instead offer fast and affordable insurance. Imagine having to pay less yet having the privilege of getting your claims processed in a matter of seconds, we aren’t lying when we say Lemonade has made this possible.

The insurance company uses an entirely different model compared to traditional and old school providers. When you look into their structure, you’ll see that the company only takes 25% of premiums to pay for overhead costs, what’s left of the 25% is considered profit. So where do they take the 75%? That goes to pay for claims and if anything is left at the end of the year, then that’s donated to a charity of your choice.

Just last year, the company has announced that it will venture into pet insurance and offer policies using the same model. So what exactly do you get out of Lemonade’s pet insurance?

Pros

• Annual deductible (not per incident)
• No lifetime payout limits on any plan
• Wellness coverage available as an add-on
• Easy to submit claims on mobile apps
• Lower than average pricing
• Coverage available for pets aged 8 weeks to 20+ years (depending on breed)
• Company makes sizeable charitable contributions to causes of their customers’ choosing

Available Plans and Pricing

Plans

The company’s pet insurance plans are based on a primary accident and illness policy. They will cover your pet’s procedures, diagnostics, and medications needed to treat an illness or injury. Exam fees are not covered, although it can be added with the extended accident and illness package, which is an optional policy add-on that will also cover alternative treatments such as acupuncture and hydrotherapy.

The company also offers a Preventive and Wellness package option; this is perfect for those who want annual checkups covered. The package also covers three vaccines per year as well as screening for common illnesses. When you sign up for the Preventive and Wellness package, you get access to a chat-based helpline where you can get expert advice regarding your pet’s health and wellness.
Their insurance plans are exciting, but how much will these cost you?

Insurance Pricing

Lemonade, compared to other pet insurance providers, is so much cheaper. They offer low prices, particularly for higher coverage plans. Accident and illness coverage with more than$10,000 for a dog between one and three years old would cost less than $30 per month. But lemonade goes beyond this by offering an annual limit of up to $100,000. For this kind of coverage, you would normally have to pay $100 per month with competitors.

Lemonade does have a minimum $10 per month premium on all policies. What this means is that some pets, usually younger cats, may have the same quote for varying levels of coverage.
You’ll save a lot more with Lemonade’s cheap insurance packages.

Waiting Period

When you look into Lemonade’s waiting period, there’s not much difference compared to its competitors. The company follows the standard waiting period – 2 days for injuries; 14 days for illnesses. So, they’re neither exceptionally good nor bad when it comes to their waiting period policy.

Exclusions and Coverage Limitations

Pre-Existing Conditions

Typically, pet insurance companies don’t cover any pre-existing conditions of your pets discovered before the time of purchase coverage or during the waiting period. This is the same case with Lemonade.

Another thing to take note of is the popular misconception that conditions are only labeled pre-existing when a vet officially diagnoses them before the start date of the policy. This isn’t how it works. Conditions are considered pre-existing even if the pet simply shows symptoms of it before coverage was effective.

Coverage Limits

The annual limits for Lemonade start at $5,000. The company offers flexible annual limits in their policies and your limit can go up to $100,000 depending on the coverage you sign up for. They don’t have an unlimited option available. They also don’t have a lifetime limit. The limits on the higher end of the scale go beyond what most pets can accumulate in veterinary costs.

The company’s wellness coverage works on a benefit allowance schedule. What this means is that each treatment for your pet will carry its annual limit. Take for example annual checkups, they are covered for up to $55 and in addition, you can spend up to $75 on preventive blood work costs.

When you compare the lists of exclusions in Lemonade’s insurance policy, it’s a lot longer compared to others in the pet insurance industry. For starters, you don’t get coverage for your pet’s dental care, behavioral treatment, or end-of-life expenses like cremation or burial. They also don’t offer services such as microchipping or spay and neuter surgery that are usually included in the wellness package of their competitors

Claims Processing

Lemonade grew in popularity because of their method in processing claims through their mobile application. The application uses artificial intelligence to process and assess claims. Around 30% of claims are approved and paid in just a couple of seconds. This level of efficiency is what enables the company to manage and keep premiums lower in comparison to its competitors.

When you want to file a claim, all you have to do is download and open the Lemonade mobile app on your phone. After this, you’ll be prompted to fill out an easy form and submit copies of your vet’s invoice and paid receipt.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Lemonade provides customizable coverage. They let you choose the terms of your insurance policy and allow you to add optional riders to your package. Their premiums are also surprisingly affordable in comparison to competitors in the industry.

To add, the company utilizes its website and mobile app to sell and manage its policies which means more convenience for you. When we also talk about convenience, the easy-to-understand insurance policy documents make the process so much more hassle-free for pet owners who aren’t familiar with legal jargon in the fine print. The company lays out all the terms in simple plain English.

Lastly, Lemonade provides you with a 10% discount when you combine pet insurance with your homeowner’s insurance policy.

Disadvantages

While we’ve seen the pros of Lemonade, it’s also important that we look at the other side of the coin. Lemonade has limited coverage when it comes to treatments. Although their pet policies cover the basics, they still miss out on some of the common services like coverage for microchipping, behavioral treatment, and end-of-life expenses. Another downside, is that Lemonade is only available in 35 states, although the company is planning to add more locations and expand in the future.

Now that we’ve had a look at the pros and cons that come with Lemonade, let’s take a look at the types of plans that you can get.

Company comparison

Lemonade Vs Pets Best

Lemonade and Pets Best are two of the most prominent pet insurance companies in the market. With their exclusive plans and offers, both Lemonade and Pets Best have created their own share of trusted followers. However when compared with each other, they both have differences that make them unique.

Lemonade is one of the most affordable pet insurance brands in the market that offers you plans starting at just $10 per month. They offer wellness coverage and make regular donations to several animal charities. Moreover, they also have an affordable premium which makes them one of the most approachable pet insurance services.

On the other hand, Pets Best is a much more experienced and established company that also includes a whole group of veterinary professionals and pet lovers. They also offer you one of the most in-expensive pet care insurance plans. Additionally, Pets Best offers you a helpline to discuss emergencies or your pet related doubts with a professional veterinary, both day and night (24 hours). Like Lemonade, even Pets Best has certain factors that need attention. For instance, they have some very coverage exclusions.

Conclusion

With all that Lemonade has to offer, their competitors have plenty of reasons to be nervous. Despite just having recently entered the pet insurance market, they have forged a reputation for themselves as game-changers. Lemonade’s new school technology not only allows them to offer lower premiums but also lets pet owners get reimbursed faster and so much more efficiently.

Pet owners who subscribe to Lemonade’s insurance plans have so far had positive experiences and the company receives great reviews overall. Once the company expands its pet insurance offerings in the future and start to operate in all states, we defiantly see them as potentially the top pet insurance provider. We hope we’ll have options for accident-only coverage and other types of treatment.