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Substitute House Bill 1078 — Pet Insurance (Washington 69th Legislature, 2026 Regular Session)

Summary

This is Substitute House Bill 1078 (H-2925.2), State of Washington, 69th Legislature, 2026 Regular Session, by House Consumer Protection & Business, read first time 02/03/26. The act relates to pet insurance and amends RCW 48.205.050. It allows a pet insurer to issue policies that exclude coverage for preexisting conditions with appropriate disclosure, and to impose waiting periods that do not exceed 30 days for illnesses or orthopedic conditions not resulting from an accident. Waiting periods for accidents are prohibited, and a pet insurer may not cancel or refuse to renew a policy based on the covered pet's age.

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Cite this document

“Substitute House Bill 1078 — Pet Insurance (Washington 69th Legislature, 2026 Regular Session).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2026-02-18-a33946-bill-1078-s-bd4a198a7c/, SHA-256 344ae389570cf50ad2ccaca86132e6ee56b5f345a66bcf31c0a076a051229b8b.

Full text

     H-2925.2

                           SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1078


     State of Washington         69th Legislature       2026 Regular Session

     By House Consumer Protection & Business (originally sponsored by
     Representatives Walen, Ryu, Leavitt, Callan, Farivar, Berg, and
     Donaghy)

     READ FIRST TIME 02/03/26.




1       AN ACT Relating to pet insurance; and amending RCW 48.205.050.


2    BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:


 3       Sec. 1.   RCW 48.205.050 and 2023 c 42 s 5 are each amended to
 4   read as follows:
 5       (1) A pet insurer may issue policies that exclude coverage on the
 6   basis of one or more preexisting conditions with appropriate
 7   disclosure to the consumer. The pet insurer has the burden of proving
 8   that the preexisting condition exclusion applies to the condition for
 9   which a claim is being made.
10       (2)(a) A pet insurer may issue policies that impose waiting
11   periods upon effectuation of the policy that do not exceed 30 days
12   for illnesses or orthopedic conditions not resulting from an
13   accident. Waiting periods for accidents are prohibited. Waiting
14   periods may not be applied to renewals of existing coverage.
15       (b) A pet insurer utilizing a waiting period permitted in (a) of
16   this subsection shall include a provision in its policy that allows
17   the waiting periods to be waived upon completion of a medical
18   examination. Pet insurers may require the examination to be conducted
19   by a licensed veterinarian after the purchase of the policy.



                                       p. 1                         SHB 1078
 1       (c) A medical examination under (b) of this subsection must be
 2   paid for by the policyholder, unless the policy specifies that the
 3   pet insurer will pay for the examination.
 4       (d) A pet insurer can specify elements to be included as part of
 5   the examination and require documentation thereof, provided the
 6   specifications do not unreasonably restrict a consumer's ability to
 7   waive the waiting periods listed in (a) of this subsection.
 8       (3) A pet insurer may not require a veterinary examination of the
 9   covered pet for the insured to have their policy renewed.
10       (4) If a pet insurer includes any prescriptive, wellness, or
11   noninsurance benefits in the policy form, then it is made part of the
12   policy contract and must follow all applicable laws and regulations
13   in the insurance code.
14       (5) An insured's eligibility to purchase a pet insurance policy
15   must not be based on participation, or lack of participation, in a
16   separate wellness program.
17       (6) A pet insurer may not cancel or refuse to renew a pet
18   insurance policy based on any of the following:
19       (a) The covered pet's age;
20       (b) The detection or development of a health condition with the
21   covered pet during a covered policy period due to:
22       (i) A chronic condition;
23       (ii) An orthopedic condition;
24       (iii) A congenital anomaly; or
25       (iv) A hereditary disorder; or
26       (c) The detection of a preexisting condition with the covered pet
27   as defined in RCW 48.205.020.
28       (7) If a pet insurer moves a pet insurance policyholder from one
29   affiliated   company   to    another   affiliated  company,   current
30   policyholders' existing policies must be honored through their
31   expiration dates by the replacement affiliated company. Current
32   policyholders must receive an offer of insurance from the replacement
33   affiliated company, and the replacement affiliated company may not do
34   any of the following:
35       (a) Impose a waiting period on the new policy;
36       (b) Require a veterinary examination of the covered pet in order
37   to issue or subsequently renew the policy; or




                                     p. 2                         SHB 1078
1       (c) Cancel, refuse to issue, or refuse to renew the new pet
2   insurance policy for any reason in subsection (6) of this section.

                               --- END ---




                                   p. 3                       SHB 1078

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