Few experiences are more troubling than when your pet is ill, injured or has another ailment that requires veterinary care. Unfortunately, the bill for your pet's treatments can be quite costly, adding insult to injury.

In such situations, pet insurance can come in handy, as it covers some or all of your covered veterinary expenses. Typically, you pay for the services upfront, and the pet insurance company reimburses you the amount specified in your policy, typically between 70% and 90% of your bill.

Veterinary care for dogs and cats can be expensive. This fact is especially true if your furry family member requires emergency care. Perhaps that's why more people are securing pet insurance policies to help control their animal health care costs. According to a 2023 North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) report, 5.36 million pets were insured in 2022, a 21.7% increase over the 4.4 million in 2021.

While there are many pet insurers in the U.S., not all of them operate in all 50 states. Thankfully for Massachusetts residents, most of the best carriers operate in the state. If you're interested in getting pet insurance for your fur baby, it helps to first know the best pet insurance companies in Massachusetts in several categories.

Start by getting a free pet insurance quote here now.

Here are the best pet insurance companies in Massachusetts, broken down into seven categories.

• Best for comprehensive coverage: Embrace
• Best for flexibility: Spot
• Best for direct vet payments: PetsBest
• Best for quick reimbursement: Lemonade
• Best for cats: Figo
• Best for dogs: ASPCA
• Best for cost: AKC

Best for comprehensive coverage: Embrace

Embrace Pet Insurance focuses on offering the most comprehensive coverage. That's important when it comes to your pet's health since you don't want to make critical care decisions under financial duress. It's reassuring to know Embrace may reimburse you for prescription drugs, emergency care and diagnostic testing.

Like most pet insurers, pre-existing conditions generally aren't covered, but Embrace may cover some pre-existing conditions if they are curable and your pet has been symptom-free for at least 12 months.

Get started with Embrace here today.

Best for flexibility: Spot

Spot Pet Insurance offers affordable basic coverage with numerous options to personalize your coverage. According to the Spot website, monthly coverage starts at $10 for cats and $16 for dogs. But you can customize your plan to find the perfect balance of price and coverage. Primary plans include accident-only or accident-and-illness policies. Preventative care for fixing, wellness and dental cleanings is also available as a policy add-on.

Spot also provides numerous reimbursement rates, deductibles and annual coverage limits (including unlimited) to help you get the most coverage with a premium that fits your budget.

Get a free pet insurance quote from Spot now.

Best for direct vet payments: Pets Best

Pets Best offers a unique vet payment method called Direct Vet Pay that differs from most pet insurance companies. Rather than pay your vet upfront and wait for reimbursement, Pets Best can pay your eligible reimbursement amount directly to your veterinarian if they agree.

Pets Best also offers a 24/7 Pet Helpline so you can consult veterinary experts about any issues your pet might be experiencing. Pets Best is an excellent choice for pet insurance if you value convenience and robust coverage at a reasonable price. It also offers a broad range of deductible options to help you financially plan for potential claims.

Learn more about Pets Best here.

Best for quick reimbursement: Lemonade

One of the primary reasons animal lovers purchase pet insurance is to protect themselves against substantial out-of-pocket vet expenses. Ideally, pet insurance coverage relieves your financial burden by reimbursing you for most of your costs. But you can still feel the financial strain if your pet insurer takes several weeks or even a month to reimburse you.

That's why it's crucial to choose a pet insurance provider that puts money back in your pocket quickly. This is where Lemonade excels, allowing you to file a claim through its app before you leave the vet's office. According to Lemonade, your claim may be instantly approved, and the insurer will pay the claim in seconds. In some cases, claims are routed to human representatives for manual processing.

Learn more about Lemonade's quick reimbursement options here.

Best for cats: Figo

Figo is our choice for best cat insurance in Massachusetts with affordable premiums, no per-incident caps and fast claims processing. As for the latter, Figo states it closes claims in 2.6 business days on average.

One cool feature Figo offers is a personalized pet tag, which could come in handy and reunite you with your cat if it likes to roam the neighborhood. The insurer also provides you access to a live 24/7 veterinary line, which could be invaluable in emergencies.

Get started with Figo here today.

Best for dogs: ASPCA

Unlike many pet insurance providers, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers coverage for older dogs with no upper age restrictions. Coverage may be essential for older pets since they are often more prone to injuries.

ASPCA offers an accident-only plan if you simply want financial protection against pricey vet bills for injuries due to an accident. ASPCA's Complete Coverage plans also reimburse you for any FDA-approved medications and even prescription dog food and supplements. Additionally, you can get coverage for hereditary conditions, behavioral issues, surgeries, hospitalizations and more.

Best for cost: AKC

The American Kennel Club (AKC) excels at providing affordable coverage in Massachusetts. During our tests, a 3-year-old mixed-breed dog from Worcester could secure a basic plan with a $500 incident limit and a $100 deductible and obtain coverage for $20.80 per month. A more robust custom plan with a $10,000 annual limit, 80% coverage and a $250 deductible only costs $45.39 monthly, well below many competitors. With either policy, AKC pet insurance will discount your premium by 5% if you insure more than one pet.

Learn more about AKC pet insurance here.