Trupanion founder and CEO Darryl Rawlings spoke with TCR one week after the Seattle-based pet insurance brand announced that its employees would begin working remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, “reinforcing its commitment to provide 24/7/365 support for pet owners.” It’s a commitment the company takes seriously. Unlike the cumbersome claims process and detestable customer service experience with which Americans are most familiar in the human health insurance world, Trupanion is like stepping through the looking glass, with its helpful, eager, and readily available customer service associates, not to mention Trupanion’s one-of-a-kind, fast-tracked, quick and effortless claims process that almost feels like having your own, VIP airport security lane for vet visits. Especially when you realize that only your insurance can do real-time pre-authorizations.
Pet Insurance Profile
- The only pet insurance provider whose underwriter is its wholly owned subsidiary
- Trupanion Express 2015
- Trupanion Express is proprietary software that facilitates point-of-sale claims processing within seconds. NOTE: Trupanion is the only pet insurance provider in the U.S. market with the ability to process and pay claims at the point of sale before the client pays his or her portion of the invoice.
- Trupanion Express integrates with veterinary practice management software and facilitates real-time and direct billing.. It took over a decade and about $20m to develop. It is only available in about 5,000 veterinary practices, although the company has been able to grow this number substantially from one year to the next. The company has about 150 field representatives who visit veterinary practices throughout the country to sell Trupanion’s software (there are between 28,000 and 32,000 total veterinary practices in the United States, so there’s progress to be made). [as of 12/2020]
- Partnerships: Aflac, State Farm
Number of Policy Holders / Subscribers 64,300
Number of Employees 900
Litigation
In 2019, Trupanion sued Embrace after Embrace attempted to develop its own version of Trupanion Express, Trupanion’s proprietary software that integrates with veterinary practice management software to facilitate direct pay to veterinarians.
In March 2021, TCR became aware that Embrace is on a list of users of VeNom Codes a U.K.-based veterinary diagnostic coding system. Embrace’s leaders have declined repeated requests to discuss the Venom listing.
Trupanion’s competitors point to Trupanion’s complaint against Embrace as an example of Trupanion’s refusal to play in the sandbox.
Sample Policies
Underwriter American Pet Insurance Company,APIC
First Year Available in US 2008
CEO Darryl Rawlings
Founder
Darryl Rawlings
Company Email info@turpanion.com
City Seattle
State Washington
Zip Code 98108
Type of Company
Public
Stock Symbol TRUP (Nasdaq)