WPA Complete Health Insurance Review (May...

WPA may be one of the smaller health insurers in the market, but it’s arguably one of the best, with extensive policy options and impressive customer service. In this article, we review WPA’s Complete Health product and assess how it fares against other health insurance providers.

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About WPA

WPA, which stands for Western Provident Association, is a not-for-profit company; it doesn’t have shareholders, which allows it to reinvest profits back into the business to the benefit of its members and team. Founded in 1901, WPA is dedicated purely to providing private health insurance and covers over 460,000 members.

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What private health insurance does WPA offer?

WPA has one health insurance plan for individuals and families, and two types of business health insurance. This review focuses on WPA’s Complete Health product, which is designed for individual and family health insurance needs.

WPA Complete Health core benefits

Every Complete Health policy includes the same core benefits as a starting point for your cover. WPA uses a modular system, so you can decide whether you want to enhance the core benefits by adding a range of optional extras to create truly personalised cover.

The core benefits that come with all plans are fairly straightforward to grasp. In terms of outpatient treatment, it is important to note that WPA’s core cover will contribute up to £250 per year towards specialist consultations which is a welcome start. If you want a higher limit you will need to enhance this benefit through its Outpatient Consultations optional extra. As with most other providers there is no core cover for outpatient tests such as blood tests, x-rays and ultrasounds.

However, WPA does include complex scans such as MRI/CT/PET scans as standard, as well as any outpatient procedures performed by your specialist and any pre-admission tests. Likewise, the core benefits cover hospital treatment as a day patient or inpatient.

Additional core cover worth pointing out includes an NHS Hospital Cash benefit of up to £4,500 per year if you choose to be treated in an NHS hospital rather than a private hospital, and a range of health and wellbeing benefits, including access to remote GP services and counselling.

The table below provides an overview of WPA’s Complete Health main core benefits:

Included benefit
✅ Treatment in private hospital as an inpatient or day-patient
✅ £250 towards outpatient specialist consultations
✅ Cover for outpatient procedures
✅ Cover for complex scans such as MRI/CT/PET
✅ Access to any consultant or specialist in the UK (within reasonable cost limits)
✅ £4,500 annual NHS hospital cash benefit (if you’re admitted to an NHS hospital)
✅ Nursing at home for up to four weeks
✅ Remote GP service
✅ Health and wellbeing helpline
✅ Counselling for family members over the age of 16

SOURCE: WPA policy brochure, May 2025

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WPA Optional Extras: Tailor your policy to your requirements

While you can opt for a policy with just the core benefits, you will more likely want to tailor your cover to match your circumstances and budget; after all, that is the true strength of WPA’s private health insurance. For instance, you may be thinking about additional features like cancer cover, more extensive mental health support or a higher outpatient limit.

This flexibility is where Complete Health comes into its own. WPA Complete Health’s itemised system allows you to choose from a lengthy list of extras and set individual limits for many benefits, so you only pay for the cover you want and value.

In total there are 11 different extras that you can select from:

Optional benefit	Cover level or options
Cancer Care	Consultations with a specialist Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Targeted cancer therapies NHS Hospital Cash Benefit (Cancer)
Extra Outpatient Consultations	£500, £1,000 or unlimited cover
Outpatient Diagnostic Tests	£500, £750, £1,000, £1,500 or unlimited cover
Therapy (physiotherapy, chiropractic, homeopathy and acupuncture)	£500, £750, £1,000, £1,500 or unlimited cover
Mental Health Inpatient	28 days/night per year
Mental Health Outpatient/Therapy Note: Must be selected if Inpatient Mental Health benefit is chosen.	£1,000 or £2,500
Structured Counselling	Extended up to 20 sessions
Overseas Emergency Treatment	35 or 70 days
Cash Extras	Level 1: Optical treatment: £150 General dental treatment: £200 Health screening: £200 Audiology: £100 Level 2: Optical treatment: £250 General dental treatment: £400 Health screening: £400 Audiology: £200
Dental Care	Dental emergencies and injuries up to £250 per course of treatment (maximum 4 courses)
Premium Hospitals	Located mainly in London, includes specialist cancer centres

SOURCE: WPA website, May 2025

Given that it is these optional extras that really enhance the level of cover that WPA can provide, it’s worth discussing some of the main ones in more detail.

While the inclusion of some outpatient cover in the core product is a starting point, the £250 limit for consultations is unlikely to be enough for many people. To offer you as much flexibility as possible WPA splits the outpatient extras that you can add to boost your out-patient cover into three areas: consultations, tests (blood tests, x-rays and ultrasound scans) and therapy (physiotherapy, chiropractic, homeopathy and acupuncture).

You can add one, two or all three of these extras and then decide for each element what annual limit you’d like to apply, ranging from £500 to unlimited cover. So, for example, if you want extensive cover for outpatient consultations and tests you may opt for unlimited cover for both. But, if you’re happy to pay for physio and acupuncture yourself if you need it, you may want to opt out of Therapy cover. It means you can tailor your outpatient cover to what’s important to you and avoid paying for things you don’t want.

WPA’s core key benefits do not include cancer treatment so this is another add-on to consider carefully. Its optional Cancer Care provides comprehensive treatment options with no financial limits and is designed to cover you from initial tests to diagnosis, treatment and palliative care. There’s no time limit on follow-up scans and consultations, and you’ll also receive personalised support from WPA’s specially trained teams. Cancer Care includes a higher NHS Hospital Cash Benefit for cancer treatment, up to £6,000 per year.

All WPA Complete Health policies include some mental health support, notably up to six structured counselling sessions for anyone over the age of 16. However, you’d need to select the Mental Health Treatment optional extras to access wider mental health services . These options include mental health inpatient cover for up to 28 days/nights per year, mental health outpatient treatment and therapy, and an extended course of structured counselling for up to 20 sessions.

WPA also provides the option to add four types of cash benefit to your policy (general dental treatment, optical treatment, health screening and audiology) with the ability to select two levels of cover. Each cash extra has its own maximum benefit, with level two cover providing higher limits (see optional extras table).

Unfortunately, there isn’t quite as much flexibility with these cash benefits as other areas of WPA Complete Health. You can’t cherry-pick certain cash benefits or mix and match different monetary levels from the two tiers for different benefits. It is a simple choice of all or nothing.

What is a cash benefit?

Cash benefits are a set monetary amount you can claim towards specific treatments or consultations each year. They often cover some or all of the cost of routine appointments with your dentist or optician.

While we appreciate the vast freedom to customise your plan it does have a downside: WPA Complete Health is arguably more complex than other health insurance policies. Although you don’t have to choose any extras, if you treat the core plan as a straight off-the-peg healthcare solution you won’t make the most of what it can offer.

WPA’s tailored approach places a degree of personal responsibility on you to actively engage in the decision making process and think carefully about the cover you want. Those new to private health insurance could easily feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and may benefit from an insurance broker helping them set up their policy.

To be fair to WPA, it does make this process less daunting when you generate a quote on its website by showing the cost of three levels of cover side-by-side: core cover, mid-range and comprehensive, with different limits and cover automatically selected for each example. It’s a useful starting point, allowing you to adjust your cover on-screen and see how it affects your premium.

Does WPA health insurance cover pre-existing conditions?

Whether WPA will include any of your pre-existing medical conditions depends on the underwriting method you choose and your medical history. It will want to focus on how long ago the symptoms were or when you had treatment.

Moratorium underwriting typically excludes conditions you’ve had in the five years before the policy starts, so much older conditions could still be covered. Furthermore, with moratorium underwriting if a pre-existing condition doesn’t show symptoms or require treatment, advice, or medication for two continuous years after your policy begins, WPA should cover it.

If you opt for full medical underwriting, WPA will review your medical history upfront so it could possibly include some pre-existing conditions if it deems them to be of little or no risk.

What’s not covered by WPA health insurance?

In common with other health insurers, WPA health insurance has some standard exclusions that apply to all its policyholders. These will be in addition to any personal exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions you may have. WPA’s general exclusions include:

Long-term chronic conditions
Fertility issues, pregnancy and childbirth
Allergic conditions
Emergency treatment
Cosmetic and aesthetic treatments
Cosmetic dentistry
Deliberately self-inflicted injuries or attempted suicide
HIV, AIDS
Sleep disorders

For a complete list of exclusions, check out WPA’s policy guide.

How much does WPA health insurance cost?

The cost of WPA private health insurance will be based on several factors, including your age, where you live, the level of cover and optional extras you choose, and your policy excess, which means it will vary from person to person.

According to our pricing research, the average cost of a WPA health plan is £38.55 per month for a 30-year-old and £52.32 for a 40-year-old. Our research shows that WPA consistently ranks among the most competitively priced health insurers across the different age ranges we monitor.

Read our guide to the average cost of private health insurance in the UK.

How do the optional extras impact your premium?

Having talked so much about WPA’s optional extras, you will probably be keen to learn how these might impact your premium.

As you’d expect, the cost of WPA health insurance increases with the optional extras you add and the level of monetary benefits you select. For instance, a WPA Complete Health policy with mid-range benefits (such as Comprehensive Cancer Care, £1K Outpatient Consultations, £1K Outpatient Diagnostics Tests, £500 Therapy and Cash Extras Level 1) will cost around 85% more than a core benefit policy.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive cover policy with all the bells and whistles and maximum cover is around 50% more expensive than a mid-range policy (see table below).

Age	Core	Mid-range	Comprehensive
20	£11.23	£27.97	£49.57
30	£20.16	£49.34	£81.82
40	£26.93	£66.14	£107.37
50	£36.42	£88.88	£141.86
60	£52.43	£124.00	£194.75

SOURCE: WPA quote data, May 2025

Based on a non-smoker living in the East of England.
Core benefit quote: £250 Outpatient consultations, in and day patient hospital treatment, remote GP services, Health and Wellbeing Helpline, NHS Hospital Cash Benefits, £100 Excess

Mid-range quote: In addition to core benefits, includes Comprehensive Cancer Care, £1K Outpatient Consultations, £1K Outpatient Diagnostic Tests, £500 Therapy, Cash Extras Level 1, £100 Excess

Comprehensive quote: In addition to Core benefits. Unlimited Outpatient Consultations, Outpatient Diagnostic Tests and Therapy, 28 days/nights per year Mental Health Inpatient, £2.5K Mental Health Outpatient/Therapy, 70 days Overseas Emergency Treatment, Cash Extras Level 2, Premium Hospitals, £100 Excess.

6 key differences between WPA and other health insurance providers?

Now that you know how WPA healthcare works, it’s important to understand how it compares with other health insurance providers. In particular, where does it stand out, and where does it fall short? Here are some of the key differences to consider:

We’d suggest that when comparing health insurance policies, you should look beyond the benefits, cost and terms and also factor customer service into your decision-making process. This is where WPA excels. It has the best Trustpilot rating of all the health insurers we have reviewed, and its customer satisfaction levels remain consistently high year-on-year.

Because it only offers health insurance you can also be reassured that all the WPA reviews on Trustpilot are relevant.

Long waiting times for calls to be answered are a common frustration among health insurance customers and brokers. However, data published on its website for April 2025, shows that on average, WPA answers customer calls within just two minutes.

Flexibility can be an overused term when describing financial products, but it’s a well-earned accolade in the case of WPA Complete Health. You can add the cover you need and set individual limits for many benefits, unlike other providers where limits are typically fixed or combined with other benefits.

Overall, there are around 11 different choices you can make, which is an unprecedented level of control when it comes to creating your health cover. The only negative that we have already highlighted is that such a flexible health policy does make setting up your policy more complicated, but we believe this trade-off is worth it.

WPA’s no claims discount (NCD) may not be market-leading, but it is still very fair. There are 14 levels and you start at level 12 with a 64% discount on your premiums. You will move up one level for each year that you don’t make a claim, up to a maximum discount of 70%. Small claims of between £0.01 and £250 will move you down one level, claims of between £250.01 and £750 will drop you two levels, and claims over £750 will see you fall three levels.

Some benefits, including NHS Hospital Cash Benefit, physio pathway and cash extras, won’t affect your WPA no claims discount, and the same applies to any excess amount you pay.

WPA also stands out for its hospital list and specialist access. With WPA healthcare, you get unrestricted access to any private medical consultant or specialist in the UK within some fair monetary limits.

It also has one of the best standard hospital lists in the market, with a choice of over 1,000 hospitals, clinics and scanning centres. Only high-end hospitals, often found in central London, are excluded unless you opt for the Premium Hospitals extra.

Unlike some other providers, WPA does not offer a guided list, whereby your insurer provides a shortlist of private hospitals and consultants to pick from in return for a lower premium.

WPA is one of the few health insurers that allows you to self-refer for structured counselling sessions, up to a maximum of six per year. It can be accessed through WPA’s Health and Wellbeing helpline, where you will be assessed.

If you add WPA’s Therapy optional extra to your cover, you can also self-refer for up to four sessions with a physio, chiropractor or osteopath, up to your chosen limit.

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WPA’s medical underwriting options

WPA health insurance offers several underwriting options, depending on whether you are taking out a new policy or looking to switch an existing policy from another insurer.

Underwriting for people with no existing health insurance

If you are new to private health insurance you can select moratorium or full medical underwriting. The only exception is if you are 66 or older, in which case WPA restricts you to joining on a full medical underwriting basis.

Moratorium underwriting

If you choose moratorium underwriting you won’t need to share your medical history with WPA when you apply, but you will need to provide detailed medical information when you claim.

Any pre-existing conditions that occurred in the five years before your policy starts will automatically be excluded. However, if you go two continuous years after you join WPA without any symptoms, medication, advice or treatment for those conditions, they will then be covered.

Full Medical Underwriting

With full medical underwriting WPA will ask you questions about your medical and family history when you apply. It will review your past medical history and, in most cases, exclude recent or ongoing medical conditions. Any personal exclusions will be clearly listed on the Certificate of Insurance that WPA provides with your policy.

Underwriting for people with other health insurance companies

If you have existing health insurance cover that you want to move to WPA you can switch through continued moratorium or continued personal medical exclusions (CPME), depending on which underwriting you already have.

Continued moratorium

Where your previous health insurance was underwritten on a moratorium basis you may be able to switch to WPA with continued moratorium, allowing you to maintain your existing moratorium period.

Continued personal medical exclusions

If you have undergone full medical underwriting in the past, and there has been no break in your cover since, you can opt for continued personal medical exclusions with WPA. This means you can carry across your current personal exclusions, although WPA may ask you more medical questions and apply additional exclusions based on this information.

Graphic of a piggy bank with the words "WPA Health Insurance Discounts" overlaid

What discounts are there for WPA Health insurance?

Some groups of customers may be eligible for discounts and offers when they take out WPA health insurance or once they have a policy in place:

Medical professionals discount

WPA will apply a 10% discount on the premiums for medical professionals (doctors, specialists, therapists, dentists, etc) when they buy WPA health insurance.

Refer a friend

Existing WPA members can receive £100 if they refer a friend who takes out a WPA insurance. This can be WPA’s individual health insurance (Complete Health), or one of its business health insurance plans (Enterprise Flexible Benefits or Precision Corporate Healthcare). Each household can make up to five referrals each policy year.

Membership discounts

WPA members can accesshealth, wellbeing and lifestyle special offers via the My WPA Portal or the WPA Health app, including products and services from well-known brands such as Nuffield Health, Specsavers, Fitbit and Garmin. These offers include:

Where can I find customer reviews on WPA health insurance?

WPA’s Trustpilot reviews offer a great snapshot of the levels of customer service its health insurance customers have experienced.

WPA currently enjoys a rating of 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 4,000 reviews, which is a higher rating than any other health insurer we’ve reviewed. Impressively, 88% of the reviewers gave WPA the full 5-stars suggesting strong customer satisfaction.

Much of the positive feedback centres around WPA’s efficient claims process, responsive staff and user-friendly mobile app.

Example WPA health insurance reviews from its customers:

“Generally you get what you pay for and dealing with WPA is almost always seamless and simple.”

“Professional, knowledgeable and compassionate customer service is consistent from WPA.”

“Really prompt in dealing with my claim. Excellent customer service.”

Is it worth having WPA health insurance?

Getting private health insurance can be a wise decision if you are looking to get quicker access to medical treatment and, based on your policy, a faster diagnosis without having to rely on the NHS. As well as shorter waiting times, private medical insurance also gives you more choice over where and when you receive treatment.

Whether WPA health insurance is worth it will depend on your personal healthcare needs, your budget and the health solutions you’re ultimately looking for. However, we think that WPA’s highly customisable health insurance, strong customer service, and competitive pricing make it a good health insurance company to consider and one of the best options for those seeking private healthcare in 2025.

How to get more information about WPA health insurance cover

If you’d like more WPA health insurance information, to read its terms and conditions, or access its product literature, visit its website.

For more independent expert analysis from us you can check out how WPA ranks against other providers in our review of the Best private health insurance in 2025 and see how its pricing compares in our research guide on how much private health insurance costs.

For a free comparison quote and to discuss your health insurance options with an expert broker please complete our form.

Disclaimer: This information is general and what is best for you will depend on your personal circumstances. Please speak with a financial adviser or do your own research before making a decision.