Insurers Offering Coverage for Pets – Handyman Insurance
Vehicle coverage that includes pet injuries has become a feature of policies offered by several insurers.
Progressive, the insurer known for helping people get insurance online, has protected cats and dogs injured in automobile accidents. According to the company, when policyholders purchase collision coverage, it comes with up to $1,000 of protection that Progressive will pay toward vet bills if an animal companion is injured in an accident. This also includes injuries to a dog or cat owned by a relative living in the same household as the policyholder. However, the coverage is not yet available in North Carolina or New Hampshire.
Farmers Insurance Group in 2008 began offering coverage for pets injured in auto accidents, but only in select states. The protection is limited to traditional family pets and excludes animals commonly kept for food or profit. Where available, it provides up to $600 worth of coverage. According to a press release from the insurer, it is included for no extra charge in policies that have both comprehensive and collision.
The Chubb Group launched pet injury coverage in select states in February 2011, adding up to $2,000 to its “Masterpiece Auto Preference” policy for pets injured in crashes.
Even though the prevalence of pet injury coverage is growing, only some insurers offer it. The country’s second-largest insurer, Allstate, says on its website that pets are not covered under its auto policies. (Other large insurers like State Farm and GEICO did not have pet injury coverage info on their sites.)