Insuring Pets: New Montana Pet Insurance CE Course

Selling pet insurance in Montana now requires certified training. The Montana Pet Insurance Act, aligned in spirit with the consumer protections of the NAIC Model Act, mandates that every professional selling pet insurance complete two hours of continuing education (CE). This requirement ensures agents can properly manage disclosures and understand the strict new policy terms concerning preexisting conditions.

The deadline for the Montana Pet Insurance Act’s mandatory training is in effect, but your compliance solution is here. Introducing, Insuring Pets, our specialized two-hour CE course designed to meet this new requirement, is now available.

In this blog, we review the top five biggest changes introduced by the Montana Pet Insurance Act and explain how you can stay compliant.

The NAIC’s Pet Insurance Model Act 

In August 2022, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) finalized the Pet Insurance Model Act, meant to serve as a framework for states improving pet insurance regulation. The NAIC’s Model Act introduces key consumer protections, limits how insurers can deny pet insurance claims based on preexisting conditions, and ensures training requirements for producers are established. Crucially, while the Model requires training on veterinary topics, it does not mandate specific continuing education (CE) hours or designate it as a formal CE requirement; that decision is left to each state.  

"This model law establishes clear rules for the sale of pet insurance and provides important disclosures to pet owners interested in purchasing this product," said Beth Dwyer, Superintendent of Insurance for the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation. "Now, it is up to the states to see if they would like to adopt or modify the model law for this regulatory framework to be in effect." 

So far, thirteen states have adopted the NAIC’s Model Act: Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.  

While Montana did not officially adopt the NAIC’s Model Act, they used it as the foundation for the state’s new legislation, The Montana Pet Insurance Act. This distinction is critical because the Montana Act goes a step further by mandating 2 hours of insurance continuing education during each license term for those selling pet insurance.  

The 5 Biggest Changes from The Montana Pet Insurance Act

The Montana Pet Insurance Act (MT HB78) establishes legal protections for consumers and new requirements for professionals. Signed into law on April 3, 2025, the Act’s provisions went into effect on October 1, 2025.  

Montana’s new law is comprehensive and creates clear compliance requirements for anyone selling pet insurance in the state. For licensed insurance professionals, the most immediate changes involve mandatory training and robust disclosure requirements.  

Here are five critical changes every Montana insurance professional needs to know: 

1. Mandatory Producer Training is Now Law (and Required for Licensing) 

This is the most critical change and the direct reason for our new insurance CE course, Insuring Pets. 

• The Mandate: An insurance producer cannot sell, solicit, or negotiate a pet insurance product until they complete a 2-hour training course during every license term.  

• Insurer Responsibility: Insurers are required to ensure their producers are trained and must maintain records to verify compliance. 

• Required Topics: The training must cover the nuances of preexisting conditions, waiting periods, wellness programs, and administrative topics like rating and underwriting.  

2. Standardized Definitions for Consumer Protection 

To end consumer confusion, the Act standardizes definitions for conditions commonly excluded from policies. If a term is used in a policy, the new Montana definition must be applied.  

• Key Terms Defined: The law establishes definitions for “chronic condition,” “congenital anomaly or disorder,” “hereditary disorder,” and “preexisting condition.” 

• Renewal Guarantee: A condition for which coverage is afforded on a policy cannot be considered a preexisting condition on any renewal of the policy.  

3. Strict Limits on Exclusions and Waiting Periods 

The Act creates new boundaries on policy conditions and places a specific responsibility on the carrier. 

• Waiting Period Limit: Policies can impose a waiting period of up to 30 days for illness, but waiting periods for accidents are strictly prohibited. 

• Waiver Required: If an insurer uses a waiting period, the policy must offer a provision to waive that period upon completion of a medical examination. 

• Burden of Proof: If a claim is denied based on a preexisting condition, the pet insurer has the burden of proving the exclusion applies.  

4. Mandatory 15-Day “Free Look” and Disclosure Document 

Transparency at the point of sale is no longer optional.  

• 15-Day Free Look: Every policy must include a prominent notices granting the consumer the right to return the policy within 15 days of receipt for a full refund, provided no claim has been filed.  

• New Disclosure Form: Insurers must provide a separate document titles “Insurer Disclosure of Important Policy Provisions,” summarizing key exclusions and policy limits, upon issuance of the policy.  

  
  

5. Wellness Programs Must Be Clearly Separate 

Producers must now maintain a clear separation between non-insurance wellness programs and pet insurance policies.  

• No Tie-In Sales: Eligibility to purchase pet insurance may not be based on participation in a separate wellness program. 

• No Cross-Marketing: Producers and insurers are explicitly prohibited from marketing a wellness program as pet insurance or marketing the program during the sale, solicitation, or negotiation of the insurance policy.  

Insuring Pets: Stay Compliant with WebCE’s New Insurance CE Course for Montana

Insuring Pets, WebCE’s brand new CE course for Montana insurance professionals, is now available on our Property & Casualty CE and Adjuster CE catalogs. 

This essential 2-hour course is designed specifically to ensure you meet the mandatory training requirements of the Montana Pet Insurance Act. 

The course covers every critical new definition, disclosure, and sales requirement introduced by Montana's law, including: 

• The burden of proof for pre-existing conditions. 

• The strict 30-day limit on illness waiting periods (and the prohibition on accident waiting periods). 

• The required separation of non-insurance wellness programs from policies. 

• The necessary consumer disclosures and the 15-day "free look" period. 

Gain the expertise you need to protect your license and advise your clients effectively.  

Enroll in Insuring Pets today.