Embrace
Embrace's stated plan terms, checked October 22, 2026. Facts only: no rating, ranking, or price.
- Accident and illness
- Accident only
- Wellness membership
- Dogs
- Cats
- Accident cover from the effective date
- 180 day orthopedic exclusion window for dogs
- Orthopedic waiver exam in some states
- Wellness membership available (not insurance)
- Accident-only plan for pets 15 and over
- Exam fee cover included and removable
The stated facts
| Company and underwriter, as the company states it | Embrace Pet Insurance. Its disclosure form says policies are administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency, LLC and underwritten by American Modern Home Insurance Company. |
|---|---|
| Species covered | Dogs, Cats |
| Plan types offered | Accident and illness plan; Accident-only plan; Wellness Rewards membership (not insurance) |
| Accident waiting period, as stated | None stated: Embrace's waiting period page says accident coverage starts on the policy's effective date. |
| Illness waiting period, as stated | 14 days from the pet's original start date, per the waiting period page and the insurer disclosure (form INDPP 01/23). |
| Orthopedic, cruciate, and other special waiting periods | Dogs: IVDD, cruciate ligament injury, patellar luxation, and canine hip dysplasia that show signs before the illness wait ends or in the first 180 days are excluded for the life of the policy. Orthopedic waits vary by state, and some states let an Orthopedic Report Card exam cut the period to as few as 14 days. Cats: 14 days for orthopedic conditions. |
| Eligibility, as the company states it | Dogs and cats. Pets aged 15 years and over are not eligible for full accident and illness cover but can be enrolled in Embrace's accident-only plan. The disclosure form requires a vet exam in the 12 months before the start date or within 14 days after it; without one, the policy defaults to accident only until an exam is on file. |
| Deductible, reimbursement, and limit options, as stated | One accident and illness policy configured at quote. Exam fee coverage is part of that policy and, per Embrace's FAQ disclaimer, can be removed to lower the premium. The disclosure form sets a $1,000 annual sub-limit for dental illness treatment. |
| Wellness or preventive option | Wellness Rewards, which Embrace says is NOT INSURANCE and not a regulated benefit, offered as an optional wellness membership plan. You pick an annual benefit of $300, $500, or $700; there is no deductible and no waiting. |
| Pre-existing condition rule, as stated | Under the disclosure form, a condition is pre-existing if, before the effective date or during a waiting period, a vet gave advice on it, the pet was treated for it, or verifiable records show signs of it. Chronic, hereditary, and congenital conditions are covered so long as the pet was not symptomatic before the original start date or during the illness waiting period. |
The 180 day orthopedic exclusion for dogs
Embrace's help article on orthopedic waiting periods is the page a large breed owner should print. For dogs, four conditions are named: intervertebral disk disease, cruciate ligament injury, patellar luxation, and canine hip dysplasia. If any of them occurs or shows symptoms before the end of the illness waiting period or during the first 180 days of the policy, it is excluded and pre-existing for the life of the policy.
Put plainly, a Corgi whose back flares in month five, or a Labrador that starts favoring a hind leg in month three, loses cover for that condition permanently rather than for a few weeks. All other orthopedic conditions sit under the 14 day illness wait, and the article adds that orthopedic accidents may still be subject to the full orthopedic period. Cats have a 14 day orthopedic wait.
Cutting the window with an Orthopedic Report Card
The same article says some states allow the period for certain orthopedic conditions to be reduced to as few as 14 days through Embrace's orthopedic exam and waiver process, which requires the vet to complete the Orthopedic Report Card after purchase. Embrace notes that orthopedic waits vary by state, so the first question is if your state allows the waiver at all.
For a breed with a known knee or hip profile, booking that exam early in the policy is the practical step, and the owner should keep a copy of the completed card.
Bilateral and hereditary wording
Embrace's FAQ defines a bilateral condition with hip dysplasia and cruciate tears as examples. If one side is pre-existing, the other side is not covered; if one side is diagnosed while covered, Embrace says it will also cover the other side when it occurs. The disclosure form states that chronic conditions, hereditary disorders, and congenital anomalies are covered as long as the pet showed no symptoms before the original start date or during the illness wait.
Exam fees, age, and the vet exam rule
The FAQ describes exam fee cover as an optional part of the policy, and its disclaimer says exam fee coverage is included in the accident and illness policy and can be removed to reduce premium. Read the quote to see whether it is on.
Age matters twice. Pets 15 and over can only take the accident-only plan. And every new policy needs a vet exam in the prior 12 months or within 14 days of the start; a rescue with no recent records would otherwise sit on accident-only terms until that exam is done. The disclosure also says premiums can rise with claim history, the pet's age, or a move.
Sending claims to Embrace
Embrace's claim help article lists the MyEmbrace account and the app as the quickest routes, with email, fax, or mail as alternatives that need a claim form per pet. The disclosure form sets the deadline: claims must be submitted during the policy term in which they occurred or within 60 days of the end of that term, or they are closed unprocessed. A December surgery on a January renewal therefore has roughly two months of slack, not a full year.