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Best pet insurance companies in Texas
Taking care of your pet also means taking care of your finances so that you can afford necessities like pet food and vet visits. Yet medical costs for dogs and cats can get expensive if you’re paying out of pocket. Unexpected surgeries, cancer and other ailments could easily set you back thousands of dollars. But pet parents can buy pet insurance to reduce the risk of facing these costs on their own.
When looking for the best pet insurance, though, it’s important to realize that not every pet insurance company operates in every state. If you’re looking for the best pet insurance companies in Texas, it helps to know which companies to choose from.
Start by getting a free pet insurance quote here to learn more.
Best pet insurance companies in Texas
Here are the best pet insurance companies in Massachusetts, broken down into seven categories.
Best for flexibility: Embrace
Not all pet parents are looking for the same things out of their pet insurance, so Embrace gives you lots of ways to customize your policy. Adjust levers like your annual reimbursement limit — potentially even choosing the unlimited reimbursement option for dogs and cats up to 14 years old — along with the deductible, reimbursement percentage, exam fee coverage, prescription drug coverage and wellness add-ons to get the plan that suits you.
Learn more about your options with Embrace here today.
Best for cost: Figo
For both dogs and cats, Figo has some of the most affordable policies, and it’s one of the best pet insurance companies in Texas all around. Costco members may also be eligible for discounts on Figo policies, making it even more affordable.
Keep in mind that the lowest-price pet insurance company in Texas can vary based on factors like the type of pet, breed, age and the type of policy you choose. So, it’s possible that in some circumstances there are less expensive options, but Figo comes out on top as the best pet insurance for cost based on its competitive prices while still providing comprehensive policies.
Best for comprehensive coverage: Spot
Like with human health insurance, there can be a lot of variation in terms of what different pet insurance policies cover. If you want comprehensive coverage, the best pet insurance company in Texas is Spot.
From prescription foods to behavioral issues to dental illnesses, Spot covers many areas of pet care that not all insurers do. Plus, Spot covers exam fees related to covered conditions as part of its base policies, rather than this being an add-on.
Get a free price quote from Spot today.
Best for quick reimbursement: Lemonade
Pet insurance can help you avoid costly vet bills, but in many cases you still have to pay upfront and wait until your insurer pays you back. So, if you want the best pet insurance for quick reimbursement, Lemonade is a speedy provider, thanks to the use of AI and its highly-rated app. With some claims, you can get reimbursed within minutes, and even if the claim isn’t eligible for almost instant approval, Lemonade often approves claims within a couple of days. Note that the timeframe to file a claim with Lemonade differs in Texas; you must do so within 90 days of the treatment.
Learn more about Lemonade’s quick reimbursements here.
Best for dogs: AKC Pet Insurance
It’s hard to find pet insurance for dogs that covers pre-existing conditions, but AKC Pet Insurance in Texas does for both curable and incurable pre-existing conditions once you’ve had coverage continuously for 365 days.
It’s not necessarily the cheapest option you’ll find, but in addition to this pre-existing conditions benefit, AKC Pet Insurance has an exclusive partnership with the American Kennel Club (AKC). If you register your dog with the AKC, you’ll get a free 30-day accident and illness plan in Texas with AKC Pet Insurance, so that could give you an opportunity to try this plan out.
Get started with AKC here today.
Best for cats: Pumpkin
To protect your feline, Pumpkin is a great option considering it has no breed or upper age limits, and the insurer doesn’t reduce your coverage as your pet gets older. Plus, Pumpkin provides comprehensive coverage for areas like prescription food for covered conditions, as well as both in-person and virtual vet exam fees for accidents and illnesses. And all plans have 90% reimbursement rates.
Best for direct vet payments: Trupanion
Lastly, if you’re looking for the best pet insurance for direct vet payments, rather than you having to pay upfront before getting reimbursed, then Trupanion is a great option. The company says that over 60% of direct vet payments are made within 60 seconds. And even if your vet doesn’t take direct pay, Trupanion says over 70% of claims are reimbursed within 24 hours.
The bottom line
Choosing the best pet insurance in Texas depends somewhat on what you’re hoping to get out of your coverage. Some providers excel at fast reimbursements, whereas others stand out for their flexibility or comprehensiveness. But overall, choosing any of these pet insurance companies in Texas can help you reduce the risk of unaffordable vet bills and enable you to get your furry companion the care they deserve.
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Couple charged for allegedly stealing $1 million from Lululemon in convoluted retail theft scheme
A couple from Connecticut faces charges for allegedly taking part in an intricate retail theft operation targeting the apparel company Lululemon that may have amounted to $1 million worth of stolen items, according to a criminal complaint.
The couple, Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested Nov. 14 in Woodbury, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Richards and Lawes-Richards have been charged with one count each of organized retail theft, which is a felony, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office said. They are from Danbury, Connecticut.
The alleged operation impacted Lululemon stores in multiple states, including Minnesota.
“Because of the outstanding work of the Roseville Police investigators — including their new Retail Crime Unit — as well as other law enforcement agencies, these individuals accused of this massive retail theft operation have been caught,” a spokesperson for the attorney’s office said in a statement on Nov. 18. “We will do everything in our power to hold these defendants accountable and continue to work with our law enforcement partners and retail merchants to put a stop to retail theft in our community.”
Both Richards and Lawes-Richards have posted bond as of Sunday and agreed to the terms of a court-ordered conditional release, according to the county attorney. For Richards, the court had set bail at $100,000 with conditional release, including weekly check-ins, or $600,000 with unconditional release. For Lawes-Richards, bail was set at $30,000 with conditional release and weekly check-ins or $200,000 with unconditional release. They are scheduled to appear again in court Dec. 16.
Prosecutors had asked for $1 million bond to be placed on each half of the couple, the attorney’s office said.
Richards and Lawes-Richards are accused by authorities of orchestrating a convoluted retail theft scheme that dates back to at least September. Their joint arrests came one day after the couple allegedly set off store alarms while trying to leave a Lululemon in Roseville, Minnesota, and an organized retail crime investigator, identified in charging documents by the initials R.P., recognized them.
The couple were allowed to leave the Roseville store. But the investigator later told an officer who responded to the incident that Richards and Lawes-Richards were seasoned shoplifters, who apparently stole close to $5,000 worth of Lululemon items just that day and were potentially “responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in loss to the store across the country,” according to the complaint. That number was eventually estimated by an investigator for the brand to be even higher, with the criminal complaint placing it at as much as $1 million.
Richards and Lawes-Richards allegedly involved other individuals in their shoplifting pursuits, but none were identified by name in the complaint. Authorities said they were able to successfully pull off the thefts by distracting store employees and later committing fraudulent returns with the stolen items at different Lululemon stores.
“Between October 29, 2024 and October 30, 2024, RP documented eight theft incidents in Colorado involving Richards and Lawes-Richards and an unidentified woman,” authorities wrote in the complaint, describing an example of how the operation would allegedly unfold.
“The group worked together using specific organized retail crime tactics such as blocking and distraction of associates to commit large thefts,” the complaint said. “They selected coats and jackets and held them up as if they were looking at them in a manner that blocked the view of staff and other guests while they selected and concealed items. They removed security sensors using a tool of some sort at multiple stores.”
CBS News contacted Lululemon for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
CBS News
Former Trump national security adviser says next couple months are “really critical” for Ukraine
Washington — Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, said Sunday that the upcoming months will be “really critical” in determining the “next phase” of the war in Ukraine as the president-elect is expected to work to force a negotiated settlement when he enters office.
McMaster, a CBS News contributor, said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that Russia and Ukraine are both incentivized to make “as many gains on the battlefield as they can before the new Trump administration comes in” as the two countries seek leverage in negotiations.
With an eye toward strengthening Ukraine’s standing before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office in the new year, the Biden administration agreed in recent days to provide anti-personnel land mines for use, while lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made longer range missiles to strike within Russian territory. The moves come as Ukraine marked more than 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Meanwhile, many of Trump’s key selection for top posts in his administration — Rep. Mike Waltz for national security adviser and Sens. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and JD Vance for Vice President — haven’t been supportive of providing continued assistance to Ukraine, or have advocated for a negotiated end to the war.
McMaster said the dynamic is “a real problem” and delivers a “psychological blow to the Ukrainians.”
“Ukrainians are struggling to generate the manpower that they need and to sustain their defensive efforts, and it’s important that they get the weapons they need and the training that they need, but also they have to have the confidence that they can prevail,” he said. “And any sort of messages that we might reduce our aid are quite damaging to them from a moral perspective.”
McMaster said he’s hopeful that Trump’s picks, and the president-elect himself, will “begin to see the quite obvious connections between the war in Ukraine and this axis of aggressors that are doing everything they can to tear down the existing international order.” He cited the North Korean soldiers fighting on European soil in the first major war in Europe since World War II, the efforts China is taking to “sustain Russia’s war-making machine,” and the drones and missiles Iran has provided as part of the broader picture.
“So I think what’s happened is so many people have taken such a myopic view of Ukraine, and they’ve misunderstood Putin’s intentions and how consequential the war is to our interests across the world,” McMaster said.
On Trump’s selections for top national security and defense posts, McMaster stressed the importance of the Senate’s advice and consent role in making sure “the best people are in those positions.”
McMaster outlined that based on his experience, Trump listens to advice and learns from those around him. And he argued that the nominees for director of national intelligence and defense secretary should be asked key questions like how they will “reconcile peace through strength,” and what they think “motivates, drives and constrains” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has tapped former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, who has been criticized for her views on Russia and other U.S. adversaries. McMaster said Sunday that Gabbard has a “fundamental misunderstanding” about what motivates Putin.
More broadly, McMaster said he “can’t understand” the Republicans who “tend to parrot Vladimir Putin’s talking points,” saying “they’ve got to disabuse themselves of this strange affection for Vladimir Putin.”
Meanwhile, when asked about Trump’s recent selection of Sebastian Gorka as senior director for counterterrorism and deputy assistant to the president, McMaster said he doesn’t think Gorka is a good person to advise the president-elect on national security. But he noted that “the president, others who are working with him, will probably determine that pretty quickly.”
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Sen. Van Hollen says Biden is “not fully complying with American law” on Israeli arms shipments
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