Pet Insurance, Agents Gets a Shorter Leash Under Bill DeSantis Signed Into Law

Pet insurance is considered property insurance, and pet coverage and pet wellness programs will soon face new regulations and disclosure requirements under a bill signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

House Bill 655, approved with no opposition in the Florida Legislature this month, takes effect Jan. 1, bringing a number of new rules to the rapidly growing pet insurance market in Florida. Among other changes, the new law clarifies that homeowners’ insurance policies may include coverage for pet medical care, and that the coverage is not subject to statutes governing health or life insurance.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, also aims to limit deceptive practices that have been reported in pet wellness programs: Pet insurance agents will be barred from marketing wellness programs as pet insurance, and they cannot make a wellness program a prerequisite to the purchase of insurance.

Policies must also disclose coverage exclusions and insurers must provide information about how claims payments are determined. Policies will have to allow a 30-day period for pet owners to return policies if they are unsatisfied, a legislative analysis explains. Insurance companies must train agents on coverage and conditions.

The 15-page bill can be seen here. The legislative staff analysis is here.

As pet insurance policies and wellness programs have grown in popularity nationwide, so have concerns, according to news and legislative accounts. HB 655 did not directly address recent reports that have raised alarms about some pet wellness programs that promote raw meat for pets, which have been linked to bird flu in animals and could lead to a rise in pet insurance claims.

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