TL;DR
WeCovr's comprehensive guide to affordable cover for people over 60 Welcome to your definitive 2026 guide. As an FCA-authorised expert that has helped arrange over 900,000 policies, WeCovr specialises in helping you navigate the UK private medical insurance market. This guide is designed to give you the clarity and confidence to find the right health cover for your needs.
Key takeaways
- Speedy Access: Bypass long waiting lists for eligible consultations, scans, and treatments. This can mean getting a diagnosis and starting treatment in weeks, not months or years.
- Choice and Control: You can often choose your specialist, consultant, and the hospital where you receive your care.
- Comfort and Privacy: Treatment is typically provided in a private hospital with your own en-suite room, flexible visiting hours, and more comfortable amenities.
- Access to Specialist Drugs and Treatments: Some policies provide cover for cancer drugs or treatments that may not be available on the NHS due to cost or licensing.
- An acute condition is a disease, illness, or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment and lead to a full recovery. Examples include joint replacements, cataract surgery, hernia repair, or treatment for a new cancer diagnosis. PMI is designed to cover these.
WeCovr's comprehensive guide to affordable cover for people over 60
Welcome to your definitive 2026 guide. As an FCA-authorised expert that has helped arrange over 900,000 policies, WeCovr specialises in helping you navigate the UK private medical insurance market. This guide is designed to give you the clarity and confidence to find the right health cover for your needs.
Entering your 60s, 70s, and beyond is a time for enjoying life, not worrying about healthcare. Yet, with increasing pressures on our beloved NHS, many people are looking for peace of mind. Private Medical Insurance (PMI) offers a powerful way to take control of your health, ensuring you get fast access to high-quality treatment when you need it most.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about securing affordable and effective health insurance for over 60s.
Why Consider Private Health Insurance After 60?
While the NHS provides excellent care, it's no secret that the system is under immense strain. For those over 60, this can mean longer waits for consultations, diagnostics, and elective surgeries like hip or knee replacements.
The Reality of NHS Waiting Lists
According to the latest NHS England data, the referral to treatment (RTT) waiting list remains a significant challenge. In late 2024, millions of people were waiting to start consultant-led elective treatment. For common procedures that affect older adults, the wait can often stretch for many months, impacting quality of life and mobility.
Private health insurance is designed to work alongside the NHS. It's not a replacement, but a complementary service that offers you:
- Speedy Access: Bypass long waiting lists for eligible consultations, scans, and treatments. This can mean getting a diagnosis and starting treatment in weeks, not months or years.
- Choice and Control: You can often choose your specialist, consultant, and the hospital where you receive your care.
- Comfort and Privacy: Treatment is typically provided in a private hospital with your own en-suite room, flexible visiting hours, and more comfortable amenities.
- Access to Specialist Drugs and Treatments: Some policies provide cover for cancer drugs or treatments that may not be available on the NHS due to cost or licensing.
For many, this peace of mind is the single most valuable benefit. It’s the reassurance that should a new health concern arise, you have a plan in place to deal with it quickly and effectively.
How Does Private Medical Insurance (PMI) Actually Work?
Think of private medical insurance like your car or home insurance. You pay a monthly or annual premium to an insurer. In return, if you develop an eligible medical condition after your policy starts, the insurer pays for your private treatment.
It’s simple in principle, but the details are crucial.
The Golden Rule: PMI is for Acute Conditions, Not Chronic Ones
This is the most important concept to understand in UK private health insurance.
- An acute condition is a disease, illness, or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment and lead to a full recovery. Examples include joint replacements, cataract surgery, hernia repair, or treatment for a new cancer diagnosis. PMI is designed to cover these.
- A chronic condition is an illness that cannot be cured and needs long-term management. Examples include diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, asthma, and COPD. Standard UK PMI policies do not cover the routine management of chronic conditions.
Similarly, PMI does not cover pre-existing conditions. A pre-existing condition is any health issue for which you have experienced symptoms, received medication, or sought advice before taking out your policy.
So, if you already have arthritis in your knee, a new PMI policy will not pay for its ongoing management or an eventual replacement. However, if you develop a new problem in your other knee after your policy begins, that could be covered.
What Does a Typical PMI Policy for Over 60s Cover?
Policies are modular, meaning you start with a core level of cover and can add optional extras. This allows you to tailor the plan to your budget and needs.
Core Cover (Usually Included as Standard)
| Feature | Description | Real-Life Example |
|---|---|---|
| In-Patient Treatment | Covers costs when you are admitted to a hospital bed overnight. This includes surgery fees, consultant fees, hospital accommodation, and nursing care. | You need a hip replacement. Your policy covers the entire cost of the operation and your stay in a private hospital. |
| Day-Patient Treatment | Covers procedures where you are admitted to a hospital bed for the day but do not stay overnight. | You require cataract surgery. Your policy pays for the procedure at a private day-case clinic. |
| Comprehensive Cancer Care | This is a cornerstone of most PMI policies. It covers diagnostics, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for new cancer diagnoses. Many policies also cover advanced therapies and aftercare. | Following a diagnosis of prostate cancer, your insurance covers your consultation with a leading oncologist, robotic surgery, and a course of radiotherapy. |
Common Optional Extras (Add-ons to Enhance Your Cover)
| Feature | Description | Is it worth it for over 60s? |
|---|---|---|
| Out-Patient Cover | Pays for specialist consultations and diagnostic tests that do not require a hospital admission. This is how you get your initial diagnosis. | Highly recommended. Without it, you would need to use the NHS for your initial diagnosis, which could involve a long wait, defeating a key purpose of having PMI. You can often choose a limit (e.g., £1,000 per year) to manage costs. |
| Therapies Cover | Covers treatments like physiotherapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic care, often up to a set number of sessions. | Very useful. Essential for recovery after surgery (like a knee replacement) or for managing musculoskeletal issues that are common in later life. |
| Mental Health Cover | Provides access to psychiatric consultations, therapy, and sometimes in-patient care for mental health conditions. | Increasingly important. Mental wellbeing is crucial at any age. This cover ensures fast access to support for conditions like anxiety or depression. |
| Dental and Optical | Provides contributions towards routine check-ups, dental treatment, and the cost of glasses or contact lenses. | Less common. This is often a lower-value add-on. It may be more cost-effective to budget for these separately or get a dedicated dental plan. |
Understanding Underwriting: The Key to Your Cover
"Underwriting" is the process an insurer uses to assess your health history and decide what they will and will not cover. For those over 60, there are two main types.
1. Moratorium Underwriting
This is the most common and simplest option.
- How it works: You don't need to complete a detailed medical questionnaire. Instead, the policy automatically excludes any condition for which you have had symptoms, medication, or advice in the 5 years before the policy start date.
- The "2-year rule": If you go for a continuous 2-year period after your policy starts without any symptoms, treatment, or advice for that condition, it may become eligible for cover.
- Pros: Quick and easy application.
- Cons: Lack of certainty. You may not know for sure if a condition is covered until you make a claim.
Example: You had some knee pain 3 years ago and saw your GP. With a moratorium policy, anything related to that knee would be excluded for at least the first 2 years of your policy. If the pain returns in year 1, it won't be covered. If you remain symptom-free for 2 full years, future problems with that knee could be covered.
2. Full Medical Underwriting (FMU)
This method offers more clarity from the outset.
- How it works: You complete a detailed health questionnaire, declaring your full medical history. The insurer's underwriting team reviews your information and issues a policy with specific, named exclusions.
- Pros: You know exactly what is and isn't covered from day one. There are no grey areas.
- Cons: The application process is longer. The exclusions applied are usually permanent and will not be reviewed.
For those with a complex medical history, FMU can be a better choice as it provides certainty. An expert broker like WeCovr can help you decide which underwriting type is best for your circumstances and guide you through the application.
8 Proven Ways to Make Health Insurance for Over 60s More Affordable
Premiums naturally increase with age, but there are many effective strategies to keep your private health cover affordable without sacrificing essential protection.
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Increase Your Policy Excess: The excess is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim. For example, if you have a £250 excess and your treatment costs £5,000, you pay the first £250 and the insurer pays the rest. Choosing a higher excess (£500 or £1,000) can significantly reduce your monthly premium.
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Choose a "Guided" or "Expert Select" Option: Insurers have networks of approved hospitals and specialists. A standard policy might let you choose from a wide list. A "guided" option restricts you to a smaller, curated list of high-quality consultants who are known to provide cost-effective care. This can lower your premium by 15-20%.
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Opt for the "6-Week Wait" Option: This is a popular cost-saving feature. If the NHS can provide the in-patient treatment you need within 6 weeks of it being recommended, you agree to use the NHS. If the NHS waiting list is longer than 6 weeks, your private cover kicks in. This can reduce premiums by up to 25% as it reduces the insurer's risk.
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Tailor Your Out-Patient Cover: As mentioned, full out-patient cover can be expensive. Consider limiting it to a set amount per year (e.g., £1,000). This provides enough cover for the crucial diagnostic phase of most conditions while keeping costs manageable.
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Select a Limited Hospital List: Insurers group hospitals into tiers. A comprehensive list includes prime central London hospitals, which are the most expensive. By choosing a list that excludes these high-cost facilities (unless you live nearby and need them), you can achieve substantial savings.
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Pay Annually: Most insurers offer a discount of around 5% if you pay your premium for the full year upfront, as it reduces their administration costs.
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Review Your Policy Annually: Don't just let your policy auto-renew. Your needs may change, and new, more competitive products may have entered the market. An annual review ensures you always have the best value.
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Use an Independent Broker: This is perhaps the most effective tip. A specialist PMI broker like WeCovr compares quotes from all the leading UK insurers on your behalf. We know the market inside out and can find the policy that offers the best value for your specific age and health profile, at no cost to you.
Comparing Top UK Private Health Insurance Providers for Over 60s
The UK PMI market is competitive, with several excellent providers. Each has unique strengths, especially when it comes to serving customers over 60.
| Provider | Key Strengths for Over 60s | Unique Features |
|---|---|---|
| Aviva | Strong core product with excellent cancer cover and a solid reputation. Offers a "Healthier Solutions" policy with good flexibility. | Known for its 'BacktoBetter' service for musculoskeletal issues and comprehensive mental health pathway. Often very competitive on price. |
| AXA Health | Highly regarded for its customer service and extensive hospital network. Offers a "Personal Health" plan with clear options. | Provides a 24/7 virtual GP service (Doctor@Hand) and strong mental health support. Often praised for a smooth claims process. |
| Bupa | The UK's best-known health insurer with a huge network, including its own hospitals and clinics. Offers "Bupa By You". | Unrivalled brand recognition. Provides direct access for some conditions (e.g., cancer, mental health) without needing a GP referral. |
| The Exeter | A mutual society (owned by its members, not shareholders) that specialises in underwriting for older applicants and those with some health conditions. | Known for its flexible and sympathetic underwriting approach. Often a go-to choice for those who may have been declined elsewhere. No upper age limit on new applications. |
| Vitality | Unique approach that rewards healthy living with discounts and benefits, including lower premiums. | The "Vitality Programme" encourages activity (tracking steps, gym visits) in return for rewards like cinema tickets and coffee. Can be very cost-effective if you are active. |
Important Note: The "best" provider is entirely personal. It depends on your location, your budget, your health, and the level of cover you want. This is why comparing the market with an expert is so valuable.
Beyond Insurance: A Proactive Approach to Health and Wellbeing
Health insurance is a safety net, but the best strategy is to stay as healthy as possible. Your 60s and beyond are the perfect time to focus on wellness.
- Nourish Your Body: A balanced diet rich in fruit, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains is your first line of defence. The NHS Eatwell Guide is a fantastic resource. Staying hydrated is also key.
- Stay Active: The Chief Medical Officer's guidelines for adults aged 65 and over recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. This could be brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing. Activities that improve strength and balance, like yoga or tai chi, are also vital for preventing falls.
- Prioritise Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Good sleep hygiene—like having a regular bedtime, avoiding caffeine late in the day, and creating a dark, quiet bedroom—can make a huge difference to your physical and mental health.
- Nurture Your Mind: Staying socially connected with friends and family, pursuing hobbies, and engaging in lifelong learning are powerful tools for cognitive health. Don't underestimate the power of a good book, a challenging crossword, or volunteering.
- Travel with Confidence: If you're a keen traveller, remember that your UK PMI policy does not cover you abroad. You will still need separate travel insurance. However, having PMI can give you peace of mind that any ongoing care you might need on your return to the UK is in place.
As a WeCovr client, you also get complimentary access to CalorieHero, our AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app. It's a simple, effective tool to help you stay on top of your dietary goals and support your overall wellbeing.
The WeCovr Advantage: Why Use an Expert Broker?
Navigating the world of private medical insurance can feel overwhelming. The terminology is complex, the options are numerous, and the stakes are high. This is where an independent broker adds real value.
- Independent, Expert Advice: We are not tied to any single insurer. Our loyalty is to you, our client. We provide impartial advice on which policies and providers best suit your needs.
- Market-Wide Comparison: We use our expertise and technology to compare dozens of policies from all the leading UK insurers, saving you hours of research.
- No Cost to You: Our service is completely free for you to use. We are paid a commission by the insurer you choose, which is already built into the premium. You pay the same price (or often less) than going direct.
- Help with the Details: We help you understand the fine print, choose the right underwriting method, and complete your application correctly.
- Ongoing Support: Our relationship doesn't end once your policy is live. We're here to help you at renewal time to ensure you're still on the best deal, and we can offer guidance if you need to make a claim.
- Added Benefits: When you purchase a Private Medical Insurance or Life Insurance policy through WeCovr, we offer exclusive discounts on other types of cover, helping you protect more for less.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need a medical exam to get health insurance over 60?
Can I get private health cover if I have pre-existing conditions?
How much does health insurance cost for a 65-year-old in the UK?
Is private health insurance worth it over 60?
Take the Next Step Towards Peace of Mind
Choosing the right private medical insurance is one of the most important decisions you can make for your future health and wellbeing. You don't have to make it alone.
The team of friendly, independent experts at WeCovr is here to help. We'll listen to your needs, answer your questions, and compare the UK's leading insurers to find you the most suitable and affordable cover.
Get your free, no-obligation quote today and see how easy it is to protect your health with WeCovr.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics (ONS): Mortality, earnings, and household statistics.
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA): Insurance and consumer protection guidance.
- Association of British Insurers (ABI): Life insurance and protection market publications.
- HMRC: Tax treatment guidance for relevant protection and benefits products.
