I learned last week that Nationwide no longer offers their newest policy offering - Whole Pet with Wellness to puppies under a year of age. I called the company to learn more and couldn't get specific reasons for the change, but was told the company hopes this is temporary. Interestingly, the policy is still available for kittens.
Their Medical and Major Medical policies are available for puppies. I was told once a puppy reaches 1 year of age, the owner has the option to apply for coverage with the Whole Pet policy. However, the pet's medical history is subject to review by the underwriter and any conditions the puppy was treated for in their first year of life may be considered pre-existing and not covered.
As a veterinarian, their best policy (Whole Pet) not being available for puppies is unfortunate because we do see hereditary conditions and even some chronic conditions that start at less than a year of age. The Whole Pet policy covers hereditary conditions, but there is a one year waiting period for coverage of these conditions with the Major Medical Plan and benefits are limited. Also, Medical or Major Medical policy reimbursements are limited based on a benefit schedule and will generally be lower than reimbursements with their Whole Pet policy - sometimes significantly lower.
So, for right now, my recommendation is to look elsewhere for pet insurance coverage of puppies less than a year of age. As stated earlier, this recommendation may be temporary if the Whole Pet policy becomes available once again for puppies. The best way to determine this besides calling them is to just get a quote for your pet and see which policies are available in your state. You can get a quote here.
