i asked various vet clinics around here about which one they hear the best reviews from and it was Trupanion (but we don't have many of the ones mentionned above here either)
For a dog where you have no issues absolutely. saving is better. or if you happen to have $5000 already and you just add to it. This was my philosophy before last year.
My dog tore her knee last year and it was $5000 surgery. It would have taken YEARS of "putting money aside in a dog account" to save that much. And had she lived she had a huge heart issue that needed to be diagnosed/cared for ($3000 just from that last night). So yes saving works for the average dog with no major issues. But insurance is to protect in case of major issues. It doesn't (generally) cover regular visits anyway, it's for emergencies.
So I do plan to seriously seriously seriously investigate insurance on my next dog.