Pet insurance in New Hampshire

Enacted in 2023, effective in 2024

The official HB 249 docket records the Governor’s signature on 28 July 2023, creating Chapter 149 of the 2023 laws. The pet-insurance provisions, RSA 402-P:1–402-P:6, took effect on 1 January 2024. The docket entry dated 1 August 2023 is neither the signature date nor the effective date of these protections.

Section 402-P:1 V defines pet insurance as property insurance. Section 402-P:2 II applies to policies issued to state residents and sold, solicited, negotiated or offered in the state, as well as policies and certificates delivered or issued for delivery there. Other applicable insurance law continues to apply; the chapter’s specific provisions prevail in a conflict.

Waiting periods: none for accidents, up to 30 days for illness

§402-P:4 II provides:

An insurer using waiting periods must allow them to be waived following a medical examination. It may require a licensed veterinarian to perform the exam after purchase and specify examination elements and documentation. Those specifications cannot unreasonably restrict access to the waiver. The policyholder pays unless the policy says the insurer will pay.

Separately, §402-P:4 III prohibits requiring a veterinary examination as a condition of renewal. That differs from a permitted examination to waive an initial wait.

Zero waiting time does not mean every event is covered: exclusions, deductibles and other contract terms still apply.

Previously covered conditions: renewal must have no gap

Under §402-P:1 VI, a pre-existing condition can be established by veterinary advice, previous treatment or verifiable signs or symptoms directly related to the claimed condition. Events before policy effectiveness and during waiting periods count; the definition does not require a diagnosis.

§402-P:4 I permits properly disclosed pre-existing-condition exclusions but puts the burden on the insurer to prove that the exclusion applies to the condition being claimed.

A previously covered condition does not become pre-existing at renewal so long as there was no break between the successive policy periods. The renewal definition in §402-P:1 X covers the same or an affiliated insurer with substantially similar types and limits of coverage. It does not automatically transfer coverage history to any unrelated company. Check the new contract before switching insurers or allowing a gap.

The law does not promise fixed premiums or lifetime renewal. Section 402-P:2 IV also preserves other types of exclusions; requiring disclosure of a hereditary or chronic-condition exclusion does not itself require coverage.

For policies within §412:6-a, renewal reductions in coverage, conditions or definitions require an attached written explanation, unless requested by the policyholder. Without that explanation, the previous provisions remain in force without the reductions. This is a separate notice requirement, rather than a promise that every contract term stays unchanged.

A separate disclosure document and a right to return the policy

§402-P:3 requires disclosure of exclusions, waiting periods, deductibles, coinsurance, limits and whether age, claim history or moving can affect price or coverage. A difference between the brand and the underwriting company must also be disclosed.

The summary must be a separate Insurer Disclosure of Important Policy Provisions document, prominently linked from the insurer’s or program administrator’s main website page. It must accompany a new policy in at least 12-point type. The law also requires disclosure of the payment formula, benefit schedules or prevailing-fee reimbursement limits when used.

The return right has two distinct 30-day periods:

1. If no claim has been filed, return the policy, certificate or rider to the company or its agent within 30 days after receiving it. No reason is required.
2. The full premium must be refunded within 30 days after the insurer receives the returned document, to the person who paid it. The contract is void as if never issued.

This right does not apply to renewals — §402-P:3 II(c). Follow the return instructions and keep evidence of the company’s receipt date.

A separate wellness program cannot be a condition of buying insurance or be marketed as insurance. Wellness benefits included in the insurance contract itself are insurance — §402-P:5.

Forms, rates and public inspection

The general Chapter 412 regulates property and casualty insurance within its stated scope. Its personal-risk definition includes personal, family and household coverage. The particular filing and exceptions still need checking.

For forms, §412:5 I provides a 30-day period before effectiveness, extendable by up to another 30 days, with earlier effectiveness possible after review. A filing meets the requirements unless disapproved within the applicable period. Exceptions exist; filing does not always mean separate written approval.

For personal-risk rates in a competitive market, §412:16 VII(a) requires filing at least 30 days before effectiveness. Paragraph VIII has a separate 30-day period for a noncompetitive market, with up to 60 additional days and its own review procedure. We have not established a particular product’s market classification, applicable orders or insurer rate filing.

Under §412:16 XI, rate filings and nonproprietary supporting information become open to public inspection on or after effectiveness. For forms, §412:5 I uses the later of approval and effectiveness. Section 412:16 II protects specified proprietary information, including proprietary predictive models. A working online search route and individual filings were not verified here; no premium or percentage increase has been calculated.

Example: a separate Healthy Paws New Hampshire bundle

On 1 November 2026, the Healthy Paws New Hampshire documents page linked three documents:

A link to a dated sample does not establish current issuance of that edition or availability to a buyer. Check the legal insurer on the declarations; the new disclosure lists several possible Chubb companies.

The amendment and disclosure specify no wait for accident-related conditions, 15 days for other illness and orthopedic conditions except hip dysplasia, and 30 days for hip dysplasia not resulting from an accident. They provide an examination waiver. The base form’s 15-day accident and 12-month hip waits cannot be applied to this bundle without its amendment. In base section II.5, however, the amendment replaces only subparagraph a, the examination provision. Base II.5.b is not replaced: if the pet was six or older at enrollment, illness related to hip dysplasia is not covered. This sample bundle keeps that exclusion.

The notice attached to the sample and the new disclosure count the return period from receipt of the documents. The general form later contains older Policy Effective Date wording; the statutory right follows the receipt rule explained above. No separate general Claims Process Endorsement is listed on the state page; its terms from other states’ bundles were not imported here.

Amendment page 2 and disclosure page 2 show reimbursement applied to covered expenses first, followed by subtraction of the remaining annual deductible. Their illustration is $1,200 × 90% − $100 = $980. This is a document’s reimbursement example, rather than a policy price or promised selection for a particular buyer.

The 08/26 disclosure also says premiums, coinsurance, deductibles or coverage may change based on regional program experience, location and pet age, among other factors; premiums are not based on that pet’s individual claims experience. Disclosure of that possibility does not prove a particular change or its amount. Before buying, compare the whole issued bundle, particularly coverage continuity, examinations and refunds.