Your WPA Renewal Just Went Up? How to Cut the Cost Without Losing Cover

If your WPA renewal has landed and the price has jumped, you’re not alone. Increases are common at renewal, and they rarely mean you’ve done anything wrong. Before you accept it, or cancel in frustration, it’s worth knowing why it happened and which levers can bring the cost back down without losing the cover that matters to you.

Why has my WPA premium gone up?

• Medical inflation: the cost of private treatment, scans and drugs tends to rise faster than general inflation, and insurers pass that on.
• Your age: premiums step up as you move into older age bands.
• Claims: if you or anyone on your policy claimed in the last year, that can affect the renewal price.
• Changes to your excess or shared-responsibility option: check whether the way you share the cost of claims has changed at renewal.

Ways to lower the cost without dropping cover

• Raise your excess: agreeing to pay a bit more towards a claim can noticeably reduce the annual premium.
• Check your hospital list: if your plan includes expensive central London hospitals you’d never use, a more local list can cost less.
• Review outpatient cover: moving from unlimited to a capped outpatient limit, or adding a six-week option where it’s offered, can cut the price for many people.
• Review your shared-responsibility option: taking on a little more of the cost of a claim can lower the premium.
• Compare the market: another insurer on the panel may offer similar cover for less.

Will I lose cover for existing conditions if I switch?

This is the worry that keeps most people paying more than they need to. Many people can move to a new insurer on a continued personal medical exclusions (CPME) basis, sometimes called switch underwriting, where the new insurer broadly mirrors the terms you have now, so conditions already covered generally stay covered. It isn’t available or right for everyone, and the timing around your renewal date matters, so it’s worth having it checked before you make a change.

Never cancel your existing policy until the new one is confirmed on the right terms.

A free check before you accept the renewal

ComparePMI compares your WPA renewal across a wide panel of insurers, including Bupa, AXA Health, Vitality, Aviva, WPA and The Exeter, so you can see how it stacks up. We don’t give advice or favour any insurer; if you’d like advice or decide to switch, we introduce you to an FCA-authorised firm who provides it and arranges the move properly. It’s free and there’s no obligation. You may also find our guide to switching from WPA useful.