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WPA private health insurance review

Read Which?'s expert review of WPA's private health insurance
Which? Money Team
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In this article

Founded in 1901, WPA – short for the Western Provident Association – is a not-for-profit health insurer, with more than 400,000 customers in the UK. 

WPA specialises in health insurance. As well as its full private health insurance policies, it also offers dental insurance and healthcare cash plans. 

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

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Does WPA offer the best private health insurance?

Which? members can log in to see our full WPA health insurer review, including how it's been scored by its customers and whether the brand is a Which? Recommended Provider. 

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What does WPA offer?

WPA calls its full private health insurance policy 'Complete Health', and you can choose from three levels of cover – Core, Mid-Range and Comprehensive. 

  • Core provides inpatient and day-patient treatment, £250 worth of outpatient consultations, a remote GP service, a health and wellbeing helpline, and NHS cash benefits (cash payments for time you spend in an NHS hospital). 
  • Mid-Range additionally offers (as standard): comprehensive cancer care, increased outpatient consultations (up to £1,000), £1,000 of outpatient diagnostic tests, £500 of therapy (such as physiotherapy), and cash contributions for optical, dental and audiology treatments. 
  • Comprehensive places no limits on outpatient consultants, outpatient diagnostic tests, or therapies. It additionally includes mental health cover and some overseas cover, plus access to premium hospitals.

If you join aged 66 or over, certain cancer therapies ('targeted cancer therapies' that block the growth and spread of cancer by interfering with specific molecules) aren't covered if they are available to you on the NHS.

Most elements of cover within the three levels can be tweaked to suit your preferences. 

What doesn't WPA cover?

As with any private medical insurance, WPA's policies have some exclusions. None of its policies cover fertility, pregnancy and childbirth; allergies; cosmetic procedures; most long-term (chronic) conditions, such as asthma or diabetes; or pre-existing conditions. 

How much does WPA private health cover cost?

The cost of private health insurance can vary significantly based on your personal circumstances, including your lifestyle, age, and where you live. 

Younger, non-smokers, for example, will typically pay less than older people that smoke regularly. 

To give you an idea of costs for non-smoking customers in good health, we used WPA's website to get quotes for annual cover for two couples (aged 35 and 55) living in south London. 

ProviderPolicy nameQuote for a 35-year-old coupleQuote for a 55-year-old coupleTake out a policy
WPAComplete Health£2,440£4,342Use the service provided by Lifesearch

Table note: These are illustrative quotes obtained from WPA's website in January 2025. When getting quotes for all providers, we selected cover that provides full inpatient care and full outpatient care, comprehensive heart and cancer cover, diagnostic tests and scans and some cover for complementary therapies (such as physiotherapy) for a non-smoking couple, in good health, living in south London. Where possible, we excluded mental health, dental and optical cover. We selected the standard hospital and specialist lists, rather than any extended lists. We selected no excess, but did select a waiting time if offered. We opted not to protect our no-claims discount, when given a choice of this.

We also got equivalent quotes for other leading private health insurers: Aviva, Axa Health, Bupa, Saga, and Vitality. 

WPA was the second most expensive provider for couples of both ages. Bear in mind, though, that these quotes are based only on two scenarios. WPA may offer better or worse value for other scenarios, depending on your circumstances.

How can you save money on WPA private health insurance?

Shop around

You can buy WPA private health insurance directly from WPA, via price comparison sites such as Compare the Market or Confused.com, or via a specialist life and health insurance broker. 

Comparing quotes from different providers can help make sure you pay the best price for the cover you need. If you're not quite sure what you need in terms of life and health insurance, speaking to a specialist broker can help you understand your options better and ensure you're getting the right cover, especially if you have more complex needs. 

The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) and Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) both have searchable directories of brokers that specialise in this kind of cover. 

Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch. Find out more

Tweak your policy

WPA offers three levels of cover as standard, but there's flexibility to adjust different elements of cover to suit your preferences. For example, its Comprehensive cover includes winter sports cover as standard, but you can remove this if you're not a fan of skiing or snowboarding. 

You can also tweak cover limits for outpatient treatment and complementary therapies, for example. The lower the limit, the cheaper your premium will be – though of course, this may also limit your options if you need to claim.  

Adjust your excess

By default, WPA applies an excess of £100 to its policies. This is the amount you will have to pay towards any claim you make. You can opt to increase your excess (to £250 or £500), which will reduce your premium. You can also choose to reduce your excess to £0, which will see your premium rise, but mean you don't have to pay anything towards treatment that's covered by your plan. 

Warning

Can switching save you money? 

We're usually big advocates of switching provider to get a better deal. But switching private health insurance may not be as straightforward as it is for car or home insurance, for example, especially if you have a pre-existing illness or injury. 

Most private health insurers won't cover pre-existing conditions under a new policy. So if you have a medical condition that's covered by your current insurer, consider whether any savings you'd make in your premiums justify the risk of losing valuable cover by switching.  

How do I make a claim for WPA private health insurance?

Step 1: If you're feeling unwell, speak to your GP about your condition. Tell them that you have private medical cover, and they'll be able to give you a referral for the private treatment that you need. If you prefer, you can also use WPA's remote GP service.

Step 2: Before booking any treatment, start a claim with WPA. You can do this by phone or by using your online account or app. You'll need to provide details of your symptoms, the treatment the GP has recommended, and the name of the healthcare provider you wish to see. 

Step 3: Once WPA has approved the treatment, you can go ahead and book at a time convenient to you. WPA will settle the bills for treatment directly with the provider, and will let you know about any contributions you might need to make (such as an excess). 

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