45% Rate Hike on the Way for Pets Best Policyholders in California

Increase affects more than 64,000 policies coming up for renewal.

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

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Chris Schafer
Edited byChris Schafer
Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
  • 15+ years in content creation

  • 7+ years in business and financial services content

Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.

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John Leach
Reviewed byJohn Leach
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John LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 8+ years editing experience

  • NPN: 20461358

John leads Insurify’s copy desk, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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Published | Reading time: 1 minutes

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Pet insurance premiums are set to skyrocket for more than 64,000 California pet owners.

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) recently approved a 45% rate increase for Pets Best insurance policies underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company (APIC).

The hike, which took effect April 2, will only affect renewing policies. APIC no longer sells new Pets Best insurance policies in California. Currently, APIC has approximately 64,770 Pets Best insurance policies in force in the state, according to documents the insurer filed with the CDI.

The approved increase will push Pets Best’s base rate for its accident and illness pet insurance policies to an average of $755.49 annually. Factors like a pet’s age, breed, and current health determine how much policyholders will pay above a base rate.

California pet insurance rates

Pets Best’s new base rate for policies will be well above California’s averages. Pet parents in the Golden State pay an annual average of $564 to insure a dog and $276 to insure a cat, according to data from Insurify and its pet insurance partner, Fletch. In California, the average annual cost of a Pets Best policy is $384 for dogs and $204 for cats, according to Insurify data.

California’s pet insurance averages are the 12th-highest of any state. Its comparatively higher pet insurance costs could be partly due to a higher cost of living in general and more expensive veterinary care costs in particular.

What’s next: APIC anticipates attrition

Steep premium increases often lead to comparison shopping as consumers look for cheaper deals. APIC’s CDI filing requesting the increase indicates the company is aware of this probable outcome.

In filing documents, APIC projected a brisk pace of cancellations following renewal increases — including more than 12,700 cancellations in 2025.

Independence American Insurance Company also underwrites Pets Best policies in California. This rate increase won’t affect policyholders with a Pets Best policy through IAIC.

Policyholders should check the declarations page of their Pets Best policy to determine which company underwrites their coverage.

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content

Evelyn Pimplaskar is Insurify’s director of content. With 30-plus years in content creation – including 10 years specializing in personal finance – Evelyn’s done everything from covering volatile local elections as a beat reporter to building fintech content libraries from the ground up.

Before joining Insurify, she was editor-in-chief at Credible, where she launched and developed the lending marketplace’s media partnership’s content initiative and managed the restructuring of the editorial team to enhance content production efficiency. Formerly, as tax editor for Credit Karma, Evelyn built a library of more than 300 educational articles on federal and state taxes, achieving triple-digit year-over-year growth in e-files from organic search.

Her early career included work as a content marketer, vice president and managing officer of a boutique public relations agency, chief copy editor for 14 weekly Forbes publications, reporting for large and mid-sized daily newspapers, and freelancing for the Associated Press.

Evelyn is passionate about creating personal finance content that distills complex topics into relatable, easy-to-understand stories. She believes great content helps empower readers with the information they need to make important personal finance decisions.

Chris Schafer
Edited byChris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
  • 15+ years in content creation

  • 7+ years in business and financial services content

Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.

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John Leach
Reviewed byJohn LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
John LeachSenior Insurance Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 8+ years editing experience

  • NPN: 20461358

John leads Insurify’s copy desk, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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