WPA

WPA are a not-for-profit organisation with headquarters in Taunton, Somerset. Specialising only in private health insurance, WPA partner with individuals and companies to offer personal and business health insurance policies in the UK.

WPA traces its origins back to 1901 where it was set up as the Reading Working Peoples’ Hospital Contributory Fund. Nearly half a century before the creation of the NHS, the Fund provided workers the option to pay a portion of their wage into the Fund each week. They could then access this Fund at times of ill health.

In 1939, the Reading Working Peoples’ Hospital Contributory Fund merged with the Bristol Hospital Fund, and in 1949 it was renamed the Western Provident Association (WPA).

WPA is still committed to its founding principle to make healthcare affordable for hundreds and thousands of people, through its family policies and corporate schemes.

The World Health Organisation has recognised WPA as leading the way for coinsurance and shared responsibility policies. Shared responsibility is an innovative method of co-payment allowing the member to take control of the cost of their health insurance premium.

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Policy Review Key Benefits What is not covered Summary Hospital Options Policy Documents Guides

WPA health insurance review

WPA’s main private medical insurance product is called Complete Health.

The policy covers a wide range of conditions as an in-patient or day-patient on specialist referral, and there are three levels of cover to choose from: Core, Mid-range and Comprehensive.

There are several additional options you can choose to enhance the cover such as extra out-patient cover, mental health cover, dental cover, and premium hospitals.

Unlike most insurers the core cover is different on each of the three plan options, as are the additional benefits you can add to enhance your cover.

Complete Health Core is an entry level surgery-only policy, with a maximum annual benefit limit of £50,000. There is limited out-patient cover for up to £250 for specialist consultations. MRI/PET and CT scans are covered under the core policy but other diagnostics must be taken as an optional extra, either up to £500, £750, £1000, £1500 or unlimited.The core cover also includes NHS hospital cash benefit (non-cancer), up to 4 weeks nursing at home, hospice donation, private ambulance and parent accommodation

Complete Health Mid-range in addition to the core cover the Mid-range policy allows you to include optional extras in your policy.

There are many additional options you can choose from to add to the Complete Health Mid-range policy: extra out-patient consultations (£500, £1000 or unlimited), extra diagnostics cover (£500, £750, £1000, £1500 or unlimited) - cancer care, therapy (physio, chiropractic, homeopathy, acupuncture) cash back for dental and optical treatment - dental care, mental health, premium hospitals and overseas emergency treatment.

Complete Health Comprehensive is the most comprehensive policy available; it includes unlimited out-patient consultations and diagnostic tests. Full cancer care is included as standard. There are further optional extras you can add to the Comprehensive policy: therapy (physio, chiropractic, homeopathy, acupuncture), mental health, overseas emergency treatment, cash back for dental and optical treatment, dental care and premium hospitals.

WPA key benefits

WPA Health app – easy access to your secure account, make a claim 24/7, send and receive messages, view membership literature, and access the remote GP services benefit.

Clinical expertise – specialist in-house clinical teams provide dedicated and personal claims management to support those members with complex clinical needs.

Health and Wellbeing Helpline – telephone support covering a variety of different areas, many of which are provided by experts in their field.

Extensive hospital list – access to over 600 hospitals as standard.

2021

Health Insurance Provider of the year 2020 & 2021

Outstanding Cashplan 2021

Best customer service delivery 2021

WPA core cover

Here is a summary of what is included in the core cover of all three policies:

Benefit	Details
In-patient and day-patient treatment	Hospital treatment, drugs and dressings, specialist fees, diagnostic tests including MRI, CT and PET scans, in-patient and day-patient therapy, post operative consultations and tests (one follow-up within 90 days of surgery), protheses.
Out-patient treatment	A limit of £250 for specialist consultations. Cover is in full for complex diagnostic scans (MRI, PET and CT scans), out-patient procedures and pre-admission tests. Other diagnostic tests such as x-ray and blood tests need to be added through the enhanced out-patient option. Procedures carried out by your specialist as an out-patient are also covered.
Remote benefits (available 24/7)	Remote GP services includes access to a private GP helpline, video consultations, private prescriptions, and specialist referrals. Health and Wellbeing helpline provides information, single-session telephone counselling, online computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (cCBT) life skills course, debt and money information and support, legal information, manager support. Up to six sessions of structured counselling is provided where clinically appropriate, following referral from the Health and Wellbeing Helpline.
NHS hospital cash benefit	Cash benefits for NHS in-patient (less than three nights) or NHS day-patient, up to £150 per night/day. NHS in-patient (three nights or more) is up to £200 per night. NHS out-patient complex diagnostic scans and NHS out-patient procedures (MRI, CT, and PET scans) up to £150 per day.
Further benefits	Additional benefits under the core cover include: Nursing at home for up to four weeks. Private ambulance transport. Parent and child hospital accommodation charges, up to 10 nights. Out of pocket expenses reimbursed at £10 per day. Hospice donation is £70 per day/night, up to £700.

WPA benefit options

In addition to the WPA Flexible health core plans there are further options to choose from to enhance your cover:

Benefit	Details
Extra out-patient cover	Choose either £500, £1000 or unlimited for: Consultations with a specialist. Choose either £500, £750, £1000, £1500 or unlimited for: Blood tests, X-rays and ultrasounds. Choose either £500, £750, £1000, £1500 or unlimited for: Specialist referred therapy and GP referred therapy; up to 10 sessions, self-referred therapy; up to 4 sessions of chiropractic therapy, osteopathy, and physiotherapy.
Cancer care	Diagnosis cover is for consultations with a specialist including second opinions, diagnostic tests, scans, and biopsies. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are covered in full. Targeted cancer therapies for advanced anti-cancer treatment will be funded when given with curative intent, and where not readily available on the NHS. NHS hospital cash benefit for cancer (overall combined maximum annual benefit limit of £6,000). NHS in-patient or day-patient, up to £200 per night/day. NHS out-patient complex diagnostic scans, out-patient cancer treatment and procedures, up to £150 per day.
Dental care	Dental emergencies up to £250 per course of treatment in the UK or abroad, maximum four episodes and £1000 per policy year (a 14-day qualifying period applies). Dental injuries up to £20,000 (a 14-day deferment period applies).
Overseas treatment	Not the USA and its dependencies or winter sports resorts - Choose from either 35 days (maximum 180 days and £250,000) or 70 days per trip (maximum 180 days and £500,000).
Mental Health	In-patient and day-patient mental health treatment up to 28 days/nights. Out-patient mental health treatment up to £1,000 or £2,500 for consultations with a psychiatrist, psychotherapy, psychology. When recommended following an assessment, Eye movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Structured counselling (extended therapy) up to 20 sessions.
Structured counselling	Structured counselling (extended therapy) up to 20 sessions.
Premium hospitals	Extend your choice of over 1000 hospitals and scanning centres by adding Premium Hospitals, primarily based in central London.

Excess options

An excess is the amount you will pay towards a claim, the higher the excess you choose the lower the premium will be. WPA offer the following excess options:

£0, £100, £250 or £500.

The excess is only paid once per year if you claim and not per claim, so multiple claims can be made without paying the excess again. Excesses can only be changed at renewal and subject to ongoing claims status at that time.

Underwriting options

As with most health insurers WPA have three options you can choose from for how your policy is underwritten:

Moratorium underwriting

You do not need to disclose your medical history; a moratorium period of two years is in place for any condition for which you have experienced symptoms or received treatment for in the last five years.

Continued medical exclusions

You will need to answer a few questions regarding your medical history in the last five years and some questions on specific health conditions. The underwriting will transfer from your previous insurer rather than being re-underwritten. This option is only available to those with an existing health insurance policy with another insurer.

Full medical underwriting

You will disclose your full medical history which is submitted to WPA who will then apply underwriting terms accordingly.

You can read more in our guides section on underwriting. Our expert advisors can use their knowledge to assist you in choosing the right underwriting, considering your medical history and future medical needs.

Underwriting explained

What is not covered

As with most leading health insurers, WPA policies are for cover for acute conditions and flare ups of chronic conditions. Chronic conditions, in terms of ongoing monitoring and maintenance are not covered by health insurance policies. Read more on chronic conditions.

Private medical insurance does not cover accident and emergency situations or rehabilitation and convalescence. Most leading health insurers do not cover treatment overseas. Self-inflicted injury and professional sports related injuries are also not covered on a health insurance policy.

With regards to treatment of medical conditions you have had, or had symptoms of, before you join WPA, these will be excluded unless you have switched from another plan and have underwriting for continued medical exclusions.

In many cases pre-existing conditions can be covered, dependent on the status of the condition at the time of joining, and the time that has passed since you last received treatment or experienced symptoms. This is something our expert advisors can assist you with when selecting the best policy and underwriting for you.

WPA do apply some general exclusions and limitations as below:

Long term chronic conditions
End of life care
Cosmetic treatment
HIV/AIDS
Fertility problems, pregnancy, and childbirth
Injuries sustained through winter sports
Mental health conditions
Organ or tissue transplant
Preventative treatment and screening tests

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Summary of WPA Flexible Health policies

Having three different policy options under the Complete Health plan, WPA offer health insurance to suit most budgets.

The Mid-range plan is the most popular of all WPA policies and does include good cover for diagnostics and treatment, although the limits are lower than most leading insurers. There are options to increase out-patient cover.

Unlike most insurers WPA do not include comprehensive cancer cover as standard on all policies, it is an optional extra you can choose to add to your policy. The WPA cancer cover does not include end of life care but does provide cover for targeted cancer therapies when given with curative intent, and where not readily available on the NHS.

WPA are behind most leading insurers when it comes to mental health; they do not cover it as standard. However, they have recently introduced structured counselling and do have plans to improve their mental health benefits further.

The WPA plans are competitively priced, and the ability to choose your own limits and optional extra benefits does allow you to bring your premiums down.

WPA have a very good reputation for customer service and claims management, they are also popular with consultants and surgeons, and as a not-for profit provider they do re-invest profits into improving their products and service.

One very important benefit WPA members receive is that the policies are not based on a no claims discount system, their policies are ‘community rated’. This means that WPA will not increase your premium due to claims you have made. Premium increases are based on claims made within a wider pool of customers.

There is a 20% discount on health insurance for the self-employed, business owners and professionals under the age of 55. After the age of 55 the discount will reduce by 2% a year until you are 65. This makes the WPA plans extremely popular with members of professional institutions such as dentists, solicitors, teachers, surveyors, and accountants. There is however an age limit for joining WPA set at 65.

WPA provide an extensive choice of over 600 hospitals as standard, this does give the member excellent choice when it comes to access to consultants and where they want to be treated.

Unlike most other insurers WPA do not offer a ‘guided option’. The guided options are where the insurer provides a restricted list of consultants to choose from with the benefit being significantly reduced premiums. However, they are the only private medical insurer to offer a cash plan which can be used to top up your PMI policy.

WPA offers affordable health insurance with a long-term commitment to fair pricing, they are popular with consultants and surgeons and offer good discounts for many professions.

WPA hospital list

WPA provide an extensive choice of over 600 hospitals as standard, they include all BMI, Nuffield, Spire, Ramsay independent private hospitals and private wings of NHS hospitals.

You can extend your choice further by adding Premium Hospitals to the Flexible Health Premier and Elite policies, these are primarily based in central London.

Click on the link below to see the eligible hospitals in your location.

WPA hospitals

WPA policy documents

Click on the links below for the full policy terms and conditions and brochure for the WPA products.

Policy brochure Flexible Health Premier terms and conditions Flexible Health Elite terms and conditions

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Health insurance guides

Below are our helpful guides that provide further information about how medical insurance works and the various options available. Should you prefer to speak to one of our expert advisors we are always available on the telephone to help.