Wow! That is really awful. I understand that premiums will go up as a pet ages but to mandate that you lower the terms of coverage is really surprising. I have not seen that before. I have Pet Best and so far, no changes like that...just steady (but not unreasonable) increases in premium. I just looked on Reddit and there are some long threads about huge increases in premiums (nothing about mandatory changes in coverage) but it said they were bought out by a big insurance company, Chubb, and the big premium increases are probably a result. Some people were urging contact with state insurance regulatory agencies, but most states don't cover pet insurance.

I think California has a new law, signed in 2024, that provides some protections, but more transparency in purchase, not these kinds of changes, "SB 1217, by Senator Steven Glazer (D-Orinda), strengthens consumer protections and requires more transparency from pet insurers regarding coverage or premium changes based on the age or geographic location of the covered pet. It requires greater clarity in policies that exclude pre-existing conditions, clearly establishing wellness programs as distinct from insurance, and requires that coverage be issued the second day after receiving the complete application and payment. "

Update - I read more on the Reddit threads re petinsurance and people are reporting the changes you describe for Healthy Paws - dropping lower deductibles, changing reimbursement percentages and big increases in premiums - for pets over 7 years, apparently.

 

Perry's renewed in May... with nothing like this (the premium did go up about 25% but no change in anything else)- so will have to wait until next year to see if ours does the same. I hope not, but wouldn't be surprised.

 

Oh my! I have Healthy Paws. Granted Enzo is still Young this sucks to hear... I will monitor this closely.

 

Yeah, it’s pretty frustrating. As Cassandra noted, CA does have some decent consumer protection laws, so I’m going to call and see if I can at least push for more information. Will update you all!

 

Wow...I didn't even notice there was a premium increase this July! I usually receive an email every year about the increase? Truffles premium was about $40 when she was a puppy, but has slowly increased yearly. I just called HP and my premium has increased from $105 to $279.85! The California Department of Insurance approved the 44.8% increase this year! I have 90% coverage now. The premium would be much lower with 50% or 60% reimbursement and a $1,000 deductible. I also just became aware that it is best to have automatic withdrawal from your bank account because they are now using a third party-payment provider and charge 2.99%. I wonder if this is only a rate increase for CA? This reminds me of PG&E! 😠

 

Wow, that’s a big increase for one year… isn’t that much more than 44.8%? Or was the $105 from a while ago? You must have just gotten in before they changed the reimbursement amounts on older pets… from everything I read, forcing people into 50% or 60% reimbursement and $1000 deductible (and still increasing premiums!) seems to have started in August. I did find out about the savings for direct debit a while back… they’re really just getting you on everything they can!

 

Thanks for the heads up. I still haven’t purchased insurance for Snow White yet. Was considering Healthy Paws based on recommendations here but may have to cross them off my list.

 

Wow these are some massive increases.... My policy is still 42.60 with 90% reimbursement and was renewed in April 2025.

Do we think this could be in response to pet insurance fraud? Being as they were so inexpensive at signup they likely had people sign up with pre-existing conditions and fake vet checks only to have a claim made against the policy shortly after the waiting period?

I know my Latin neighbor was going to try and do this with his Yorkie he does not take care of well and has a major leg issue because he would have her jump off his bed to chase a ball (even though she could not jump up onto the bed at all)

Every time I see her out being walked she clearly has a limp when walking still.

 

The insurance companies check with the dog's veterinarian. It's really hard to "sneak" a pre-existing condition through.

Enzo's is still that low because of his age.

 

I've always been happy with HP and recommended them. My premium is more now than when I had two doggies. This may not be a problem in other states. California approved the increase so here we are.
how did governor newsom's senate bill 1217 increase pet insurance

I've always been happy with HP and recommended them. My premium is more now than when I had two doggies. This may not be a problem in other states. California approved the increase so here we are.
how did governor newsom's senate bill 1217 increase pet insurance

Same! Have always been so happy with them. If it’s true that they’re forcing all older pets into 50% or 60% and $1000 deductibles (without lowering prices!) maybe it would make sense to do it while that will still save you some money in the long run? Really hard to know what it will look like in the future, though we know they NEVER lower prices!

 

I have often talked about how amazing Healthy Paws insurance has been for us (and it has been!) but unfortunately, I just learned that they’re really trying to push out seniors. Apparently when renewals come up this year, all dogs over I think age 7 (which as we know is NOT senior for Havanese!) will be forced into 50% or 60% reimbursement and $1000 deductible. They’re also upping premiums significantly—some people reporting $700+/month.

Sure enough, Charlie’s policy is set to renew Oct 1, and it will only let me choose 50 or 60% reimbursement (was 80%) and $1000 deductible (was $250), AND the premium has gone up by $100 to $270 per month. Charlie is 13, so I can’t verify from personal experience if they actually are doing this for dogs as young as 7, but I’m curious if anyone else using HP has their renewal soon and is seeing a similar increase (I think this just started a month or so ago).

I get that these companies like Kokobet live casino games exist to make money, but definitely disappointing for many people who pay in for years assuming they’ll use it more when their pet gets old, and then to have something like this happens. I still think it is so important for young dogs to have insurance (you never know what might happen), but unfortunately it seems like it’s very hard to rely on these companies in the long run, and once a dog has preexisting conditions, there’s no way you can switch coverage.

Yeah it cost a lot to treat your dog and one time I even got my parents to help me to pay for some medical things for my dog

 

We are also living in California and have Healthy Paws. Our policy reimburses 70% with a $500 deductible. Daisy is 8 years old and will turn 9 in December. This year our policy doubled in price, but still remains quite affordable.

 

Last week I made the change Embrace. The policy is much more affordable with a $500 deductible, 90% reimbursement and a unlimited annual limit. Hopefully the premium will not increae too much next year!

 

I think for anyone who can do that it makes a lot of sense.