A class action lawsuit has been filed against Healthy Paws Pet Insurance by a consumer claiming the company charges excessive monthly premiums.
Plaintiff Steven Benanav says that Healthy Paws is contractually obligated to increase their insurance premiums only to the extent of the costs associated with an increase in the amount spent on veterinary medicine.
Benanav reportedly purchased a Healthy Paws insurance policy for his dog Mali in March 2012. This insurance company has reportedly been underwritten by numerous companies such as Markel American Insurance Company, Ace American and Westchester Fire Insurance Company.
When the plaintiff first purchased the insurance for Mali, the monthly premiums were $33.85 per month, Benanav claims. However, as the dog aged, the monthly premiums reportedly increased.
The plaintiff states that in 2016, the monthly premiums increased from $39.03 to $44.80. Thereafter, the premiums increased to $55.61 in 2018, to $69.67 in 2019, and finally to $104.50 in 2020, according to the Healthy Paws class action lawsuit.
Benanav claims his pet insurance policy increased more than 300 percent over the course of seven years. The plaintiff alleges this amount is well above the overall average costs of veterinary medicine for that time period.
A Nationwide Purdue Veterinary Price Index from 2019 notes that from 2014 to 2018, the cost of veterinary medicine increased only 21 percent, which is less than the cost of the premium set by Healthy Paws.
Benanav says Mali is now 13-years-old and he is unable to switch insurance companies, because the dog has aged out of most policies.
The plaintiff claims that he expected his insurance premiums to rise according to inflation. He says if he knew that Healthy Paws would be taking Mali’s age and other factors into consideration to increase their rates, he would not have signed up for this particular insurance policy.
Benanav alleges that the age of his pet is not a factor related to veterinary medicine, and therefore Healthy Paws should not have used that information to increase insurance policies.
The Healthy Paws class action lawsuit argues that the insurance company has earned millions of dollars in extra profits by unrightfully increasing the costs of the monthly premiums.
“More and more, Americans regard their pets as members of their family and more and more, Americans are demanding similar services for their pets as they do for their family members—and that includes health insurance,” claims the Healthy Paws class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff cites statistics by the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, which states that more than 2 million pets were insured at the end of 2017.
In addition, the director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America has recently stated that the purchase of pet insurance is “often motivated by a combination of love and fear,” which puts the purchaser in a vulnerable situation, according to the class action lawsuit.
Also, the plaintiff maintains that the cost-benefit analysis of whether an individual should choose pet insurance is based on the cost of monthly premiums.
“Many consumers, when presented with the possibility of securing the most advanced veterinary care for their pet in the event of a future illness for only $30 or $40 per month, believe that pet insurance is a good deal,” argues Benanav.
The Healthy Pets class action lawsuit states that pet insurance companies drastically increase the cost of monthly premiums when the consumers need the insurance the most: as their pets age.
The plaintiff argues that suddenly, monthly premiums for pet insurance may skyrocket to hundreds of dollars per month, which drastically affects the cost-benefit calculation.
“While some pet insurance policies may explicitly allow monthly premiums to increase based on a pet’s age—thus warning consumers from the outset of the potential for a spike down the road—Healthy Paws’ policies do not,” according to the Healthy Paws class action lawsuit.
There are two prospective Classes in the Healthy Paws class action lawsuit. First, a nationwide Class which consists of “All persons who, within the applicable statute of limitations, had their monthly premiums increase on a Healthy Paws pet insurance policy.” The second Class is a California subclass which includes “All persons in the state of California who, within the applicable statute of limitations, had their monthly premiums increase on a Healthy Paws pet insurance policy.”
Do you have insurance for your pet and have experienced premium costs increasing? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Samuel J. Strauss of Turke & Strauss.
The Healthy Paws Insurance Class Action Lawsuit is Steven Benanav v. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Case No. 2:20-cv-00421, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
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913 thoughts onHealthy Paws Class Action Says Pet Insurance Premiums Skyrocketed
I have two 9 year old cats and started with Healthy Paws when they were kittens. My original increases were as expected and small. Two years ago the increase was more than double and this year $40 each. The only way to bring down the premium is to move to $1000 deductible and 50-60% reimbursement. I just called to inquire. My premium is set to go up to $352.30. I was told that age and claims would not alter premiums when I started but vet costs where I live would. How do I join the class action lawsuit?
I too have had increases. We went from $25.00 a month $250. Deductible and 90% coverage. Healthy Paws just emailed me that they are increasing to $114.00 a month and dropping his coverages to $500 and 70%!! We are on fixed incomes and our boy is 9 years old! Now what?!?! I just want to bawl!!
It’s honestly becoming unsustainable. My Shih Tzu just turned 16, and we’re now paying $534/month in premiums—without any major or chronic conditions beyond allergies. Because of her age, we’re essentially locked in with no alternatives.
What’s most concerning is the pattern of steep increases over time:
2019: $83.58
2020: $113.66
2021: $154.57
2022: $210.21
2023: $291.60
2024: $395.40
Now: $534.00
That translates to roughly 35–40% increases every single year, consistently. While I understand that premiums can rise due to age, breed risk, and general veterinary cost inflation, this level of compounding increase feels excessive and disconnected from actual usage, especially when there have been no serious health issues.
At this rate, premiums are more than doubling every couple of years. That raises real concerns about pricing transparency and fairness in the pet insurance industry particularly for those of us who are trying to responsibly care for aging pets but have no ability to switch providers.
On top of raising premiums, now HealthyPaws alledgedly does not offer 90% reimbursement for senior dogs. We just lost our lab that was almost 13yrs old, his last year was the most costly. It helped a great deal knowing we had insurance with 90% reimbursement. We have an almost 12yr old GSP, who hasn’t had any major claims (unlike our wild lab). But at renewal reimbursement was dropped to 70%, still paying a premium – and they’re refusing to grandfather us in after we’ve had them over a decade with both dogs. Dilemma that even if I did go to another insurance company – all of his history is now pre-existing history so nothing would be covered with a new insurance policy. If I had known this, I would have considered a different insurance company.
My maltese has been insured since Feb 2017. During this we have filed some claims with healthy paws once for herniated disc surgery and the other time for pancreatis treatment. I have not claimed anything the last four years as he has been in good health. His latest premium just jumped from $162/mo to $398/mo this month (Feb 2026). I’m afraid what the jump will be next year. My maltese is now 14yo and I don’t believe I can switch insurance without coverage being disrupted due to anything considered pre-existing. This is terrible business practice if they keep this going and I will reconsider if I’ll ever use them again for my future animals.
I have been a client of healthy paws for 10+ years. My 10 year old golden retriever’s premium jumped from $108-$150/mo from 2024-2025 and this year is now set to increase from $150 to $317 per month.
My healthy paws jumped from 80 to 126 in a year. Now I got a notice that my new rate will be 119 however my cats deductible is increasing from 250 to $500, and I’m being taken from 80% to 70% reimbursement because of her age. I’ve had coverage since 2018 and now that my cat is older and just developed kidney disease they seem to be changing my policy to benefit them and I can’t do anything about it. In the 7 years Ive had them prior to my cats kidney disease diagnosis this year I only filed a claim one single time.
What they’re doing to people that faithfully paid for years now that their pets are getting older sucks.