Are pet insurance claims keeping pace with customer expectations?

Are pet insurance claims keeping pace with customer expectations?

In this article from Insurance Times, Matt Scott explores whether pet insurance claims are keeping pace with customer expectations, highlighting growing concern around administrative fees charged by veterinary practices in connection with insurance claims.

The article references comments from our CEO, Sharon Brown, who notes that these fees are becoming more common, particularly for processing direct claims, providing clinical records, claim histories, verification and out-of-hours handling.

From a sustainability perspective, the issue is less about individual fees and more about what they represent.

Administrative charges are often a symptom of process friction across the claims and information exchange journey. Where processes are complex, manual or poorly aligned between insurers and veterinary practices, additional handling is created – and fees tend to follow. Reducing friction reduces the rationale for charging.

The article also considers the implications of the FCA’s Consumer Duty. While insurers do not set veterinary pricing, they remain responsible for delivering good customer outcomes across the end-to-end journey, including where third parties are involved. This places an increasing emphasis on:

• Clear communication at point of sale and claim
• Simpler, more digital claims pathways
• Proactive engagement between insurers and veterinary groups
• Designing claims journeys around moments of vulnerability, such as emergency and out-of-hours care

Even where administrative fees sit outside policy cover, they form part of the customer’s lived experience of value. Unexpected charges at the point of need can undermine trust and confidence in insurance, regardless of technical policy wording.

For customers, vets and insurers alike, the experience is not segmented. It is one joined-up journey.

Long-term sustainability will depend less on debating who sets which fee, and more on collaborative process redesign, transparency and shared ownership of customer outcomes across the pet and equine insurance ecosystem.