Pet insurance in Connecticut

What we know so far

Connecticut treats pet insurance as inland marine, a property-insurance category that also includes other products. The state’s legislative research report dated 1 October 2026 does not include Connecticut among the states that adopted the NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act. Insurers file their policy forms with the Insurance Department.

We have not read Connecticut rate manuals or policy forms. There is no age-price calculation or brand ranking here yet. We do have the regulator’s rate-change report and the rules on renewal notices.

Rate changes recorded by the regulator

The Connecticut Insurance Department’s 2025 rate review, published on 15 January 2026, lists inland-marine rate changes in Exhibit I. These rows name companies encountered in our pet-insurance research. The category is wider than pet insurance: the report does not identify products, brands or filing numbers.

Source: Exhibit I, printed pages 42–43 (PDF pages 47–48). Repeated values are separate rows. Blank entries do not mean zero change.

Do not add these percentages together or assign them to a brand. Five American Pet rows do not show that one policy rose five times. Without the filings, the programs, affected customers, effective dates and treatment of aging are unknown. These records are starting points for research, not a forecast of your next bill.

Why we cannot say there are no rate filings

OLR report 2026-R-0159 describes inland marine, including pet insurance, as exempt from rate filing. But §38a-676(a) and §38a-688(a)(1) limit the exception to risks that customarily are not written using rating manuals or plans. Meanwhile, the Department publishes rate changes for American Pet and other companies.

Our conclusion: the brief legislative summary is not enough to establish that Connecticut has no accessible pet filings. Each program’s filing and filing basis still need to be identified. The Department’s website links to public SERFF access for forms and rates.

Renewal notices

§38a-323 sets different notice rules for price and coverage:

• A renewal premium bill must be mailed or delivered at least 30 days before renewal or the policy anniversary. This requirement covers applicable policies with a prior annual premium below $50,000.
• A refusal to renew requires at least 60 days’ notice, with a reason. Exceptions include nonpayment and an uninterrupted transfer to an affiliated insurer on the same terms; that insurer may apply its own renewal rates.
• Renewal on less favorable coverage terms also requires notice under the nonrenewal rules, identifying reduced limits, reduced coverage or increased deductibles.

Compare the renewal price, limits, deductible, exclusions and insurance-company name. Receiving a notice does not mean the terms stayed the same.

A change coming in 2027

Bulletin PC-94-26, revised on 22 September 2026, describes a new requirement effective 1 January 2027: an insurer must explain a personal-risk insurance renewal premium increase within 20 business days after receiving the policyholder’s request. This is not a cap on increases, and it is not yet effective on this page’s publication date.

There is a qualification for pet insurance: the bulletin’s detailed submission and notice-format requirements expressly address housing and auto policies. For other personal property-and-casualty risks, it leaves insurers discretion in implementing the law’s requirements. Its section A nevertheless says that all insurers writing personal risk insurance must accept a request by mail, telephone and email. We have not checked how pet insurers will implement the notices, so we do not assume every procedural detail applies to them.

What to check in your policy

Before buying, ask for the Connecticut policy form and your declarations page. Check waiting periods, the definition of pre-existing conditions, the rule for curable conditions and what happens if you increase coverage. Do not assume the protections in Florida or Washington apply in Connecticut.

If a renewal letter leaves a coverage change unexplained, or a claim denial is unclear, you can ask a question or file a complaint with the Connecticut Insurance Department. Include the policy, the insurer’s letter and the dates, and describe the specific discrepancy.