In a Nutshell

Nationwide is a household name across the country when it comes to insurance. But did you know that the reputable company will cover your pet’s health and wellness too? With coverage for dogs, cats, and more exotic creatures (chinchillas, fish, and even goats!), Nationwide ensures that you’re not stuck footing the hefty bill for accidents, illnesses, and even routine care. Get plans to cover vaccines, microchips, heart conditions, and more.

Bottom line

• Rock solid underwriter
• No annual exams required
• No bilateral exclusions

Nationwide at a Glance

Pets covered - Dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, birds, exotic pets

Waiting period - 14 days for most plans, 24 hours for Pet Wellness

Deductible - $250 annual

Reimbursement model - 50%, 70%, 90%

Best for - Exotic pet coverage, unlimited plan.

Overview

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is one of the largest and most prominent health insurance providers in the United States. From auto insurance to homeowners, travel, and dental, Nationwide covers the insurance spectrum. Now the company is taking care of your pets as well. With extensive coverage for pets of all types (from fur to fins, feathers, and fangs), Nationwide provides coverage for both illnesses and accidents. Procedures, therapies, medications, treatments, and wellness visits are also included, depending on the plan you choose.

What Does it Cover

Nationwide has a wide range of coverage for most of its plans. The best plans will include the usuals like vaccines, flea and heartworm treatments, and spaying/neutering procedures. Common illnesses such as ear infections, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as more serious illnesses, including cancer, heart conditions, and diabetes are covered. Most plans also cover chronic illnesses like allergies and arthritis, and hereditary conditions like hip dysplasia, eye disorders, and blood disorders. Testing and diagnostics such as ultrasounds, blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, and CAT scans are also included. To break things down a little, Nationwide has three coverage options:

Whole Pet with Wellness

This plan is the full package deal. It includes accidents, illnesses, hereditary and congenital disease, cancer, ER visits, specialists, dental diseases, behavioral treatment, prescriptions, alternative and holistic treatments, access to a 24/7 vet helpline, wellness exams, vaccinations, flea and heartworm prevention, blood work, urinalysis, spaying or neutering, surgeries, endoscopies, and chemotherapy.

Major Medical with Wellness

This includes things like accidents, illnesses, some hereditary conditions, cancer, specialists and ER visits, 24/7 vet helpline, wellness exams, vaccinations, flea and heartworm prevention, blood work, and urinalysis.

Major Medical

This is the barebones plan in case you’re a little tight on your budget but still want protection. You’ll get coverage for accidents and illnesses, some hereditary conditions, cancer, specialists, ER visits, and access to the 24/7 vet helpline.

It’s nice that Nationwide has a basic plan that you can choose that still offers solid coverage. There is no annual limit on reimbursements, a major benefit for pet parents. Additionally, Nationwide does not have an annual exam requirement.

Insurance Plans & Pricing

Nationwide coverage pricing will vary depending on the type of pet you are insuring, age of your pet, plan of choice, and medical history of your pet. Here’s a sample pricing plan that we generated for a four-year old mixed-breed cat:

The wellness plan has two options with a max annual benefit of $400 and $500, respectively. Here’s some of what’s covered by these plans:

Your wellness plan also includes additional testing (health screening, radiograph, or EKG), health certificate, microchip, nail trimming, deworming, fecal test, and FeLV testing.

And while this next fact might not be super appealing to the average pet owner, if you are parenting an exotic pet (or a not so exotic pet that’s just not a cat or dog), then Nationwide is definitely your best bet. That’s because, unlike nearly every other pet insurance provider out there, Nationwide has a plan for avian and exotic pets as well. This plan covers the following friends:

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

The plan covers illnesses, accidents, and examinations, lab fees, hospitalization, x-rays, medications, and more.

What is Not Covered

Nationwide is very clear about exclusions and what’s not covered. It’s basically the same as most other pet insurance providers (though there were a few things that Nationwide did cover that others didn’t in our comparison). The important ones include:

• Diagnosis or treatment of any pre-existing condition
• Any procedures that were done before the policy was effective
• Unlicensed behavioral treatment or therapy
• Grooming or housing

Waiting Periods

Nationwide has possibly the shortest waiting period in the pet insurance industry. If you take out the Whole Pet with Wellness or Major Medical plan, you’ll wait the standard 14 days before the plan is active. However, if you go with the Pet Wellness plan, coverage starts just 24 hours after payment is received. That’s unheard of.

Coverage Limits

Nationwide has no coverage limits for its Whole Pet with Wellness plans. This is incredibly generous and a welcome change for pet parents. Unfortunately, Nationwide has a very convoluted defined annual limit for each incident, illness, and condition. It makes it very difficult to figure out exactly what the limits are.

Reimbursement & Deductibles

Nationwide lets you choose your reimbursement level, although the options are different to those in your typical insurance policy. Select from 50%, 70%, or 90% reimbursement for your plan. You will then pay a $250 annual deductible regardless of your reimbursement level. Here are a few examples of real Nationwide pet parents who saved using their insurance policies:

Pet: Tank Miller

Diagnosis: Varies health issues

Company reimbursed: $13,399

Pet: Uni the Rhodesian Ridgeback

Diagnosis: Emergency room visit for eating gorilla glue

Company reimbursed: $3,733

Pet: Riley the Golden Retriever

Diagnosis: Advanced arthritis surgery

Company reimbursed: $14,251

Pet: Misty the South African Boerboel

Diagnosis: ACL injury, car accident

Company reimbursed: $10,583

Claims & Service

One downside to working with Nationwide is its claims process. It’s not necessarily a bad one. But Nationwide can take up to 30 days to process a claim. Many competitors will reimburse you in less than a week.

To file a claim, you’ll need to fill out the claims form (you can use the pre-filled form with your pet’s info already filled in if you take it directly from your account or download a blank form and fill it out yourself) and attach your payment invoice.

To get in touch with customer service, you can email or call during extended business hours. There is also a detailed help center that you can browse to find useful answers to commonly asked questions. In addition, Nationwide has a 24/7 hotline. This is similar to most pet insurance providers. But what makes Nationwide stand out is that its hotline is manned by licensed veterinarians.

What You Might Like Best

Here’s what we really like about Nationwide:

• Basic plan for tight budget
• Avian and exotic pets plan
• Industry-recognized reputation

What Company Could do Better

Nationwide has a limited scope in some areas though including:

• Long claims process
• 12-month waiting period for ACL surgery
• $2 transaction fee for monthly plans

Contact Details & Address

Phone Support

New enrollments 800-872-7387

Customer Care 800-540-2016

Mailing address

P.O. Box 2344 Brea, CA 92822-2344

Hours

Monday to Friday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time

Saturday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pacific time

How Nationwide Compares