List Of US Pet Insurance Underwriters: Company Directory

How long does policy underwriting take for pet insurance?

Generally, this process is fairly straightforward. A skilled professional can underwrite a pet insurance policy rather quickly (within a few hours) with the help of computer software that calculates risk variables.

However, the underwriter must review and analyze your pet’s information before they can issue an insurance policy, which could delay the issuance of your policy. In some cases, qualifying for enrollment can be as simple as filling out an online form with few-to-no upfront questions. Most of the time, however, the underwriting company will ask for your vet’s information so they can reach out to access your pet’s official medical records.

They might also ask you to submit pet health records you have from events that occurred before adopting your cat or dog (for example, limb amputation or cataract surgery), as well as services that took place outside of a traditional vet office (like proof of vaccination at a pop-up clinic or a spay/neuter procedure performed at a local animal shelter).

Underwriting pet insurance policies moves faster or slower depending on how long it takes to receive all of the necessary information, though some companies are more expedient than others.

Keep in mind that coverage does not begin on the pet insurance effective date, as all underwriting companies enforce a mandatory waiting period before pet insurance kicks in and claims become eligible for reimbursement.