Insurance Calculator Health UK Add Dependants to an Existing Policy
Considering adding your partner or children to your private medical insurance in the UK? As an FCA-authorised broker that has helped arrange over 900,000 policies, WeCovr understands that estimating the cost is your first step. This guide provides the clarity you need to make an informed decision for your family's health.
Estimate the extra monthly cost of adding a partner or child
Adding a dependant to your private health insurance policy is a significant decision. The extra monthly cost isn't a fixed number; it's a personalised calculation based on several key factors. While a precise figure requires a formal quote, we can provide reliable estimates to help you budget.
For a rough guide, adding a healthy, non-smoking partner in their 30s could increase your premium by £40 to £70 per month. Adding a child is often more affordable, potentially ranging from £20 to £50 per month, with some insurers offering discounts or even free cover for subsequent children.
These figures are illustrative. The final price depends on your chosen level of cover, your location, the dependant's age, and the policy's excess.
Why Add a Partner or Child to Your PMI?
While you can buy separate policies for each family member, combining them onto a single plan often makes more sense.
Benefits of a Family Policy:
- Simplicity and Convenience: Manage one policy, one renewal date, and one monthly payment. It significantly reduces administrative hassle.
- Potential Cost Savings: Insurers often provide discounts for family or couple policies compared to the total cost of multiple individual plans. Some providers have special offers, such as covering the first or second child for free.
- Comprehensive Peace of Mind: Knowing your entire family has prompt access to private medical care provides invaluable reassurance. It means avoiding long NHS waiting lists for eligible acute conditions.
- Consistent Cover: Everyone on the policy typically shares the same level of benefits, ensuring no one is left with a lower standard of care.
According to the latest NHS England data, the waiting list for routine consultant-led hospital treatment remains a significant concern, with millions of people waiting. Private medical insurance offers a direct route to bypass these queues for eligible treatments, a benefit that becomes even more powerful when extended to your loved ones.
Factors That Determine the Cost of Adding a Dependant
To understand your potential new premium, it's essential to know what insurers look at. Think of it like a recipe where each ingredient affects the final taste—or in this case, the price.
- Age of the Dependant: This is the most significant factor. The risk of needing medical treatment generally increases with age, so insuring an older partner will cost more than insuring a young child.
- Location (Postcode): Where you live matters. The cost of private medical treatment varies across the UK. Hospitals in Central London, for example, are considerably more expensive than those in other parts of the country. Your premium will reflect the cost of the hospitals in your chosen network.
- Level of Cover: A basic policy covering only inpatient treatment (care that requires a hospital bed overnight) will be cheaper than a comprehensive plan. Adding extra benefits will increase the cost:
- Outpatient Cover: Consultations, diagnostic tests, and scans that don't require a hospital stay. This is one of the most valuable—and costly—add-ons.
- Mental Health Cover: Support for therapy, psychiatric care, and counselling.
- Therapies: Physiotherapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic treatment.
- Dental and Optical Cover: Less common but available as an add-on with some insurers.
- Policy Excess: This is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim. For example, if you have a £250 excess and your treatment costs £2,000, you pay the first £250 and the insurer pays the remaining £1,750. A higher excess leads to a lower monthly premium.
- Hospital List: Insurers offer different tiers of hospital lists. A list that includes only local private hospitals will be cheaper than a nationwide list that includes premium London facilities.
- Underwriting Type: The way an insurer assesses your dependant's medical history affects the policy. This will typically be the same as your existing policy's underwriting.
A Critical Note: Pre-existing and Chronic Conditions
It is vital to understand that standard private medical insurance in the UK is designed to cover acute conditions that arise after you join. It does not cover pre-existing conditions (illnesses you already have or have had symptoms of) or chronic conditions (long-term illnesses like diabetes, asthma, or high blood pressure that require ongoing management rather than a cure).
How Much Does it Cost to Add a Partner? (Estimated Costs)
Adding a partner is essentially adding another adult to the policy. The cost will be based primarily on their age and your existing policy's structure. The table below gives an indication of the potential additional monthly cost for adding a non-smoking partner to a mid-range policy.
| Age of Partner | Estimated Additional Monthly Premium (Standard Cover) | Estimated Additional Monthly Premium (Comprehensive Cover) |
|---|---|---|
| 30s | £40 - £65 | £60 - £90 |
| 40s | £55 - £80 | £80 - £120 |
| 50s | £75 - £110 | £110 - £180 |
Note: These are 2025 estimates for illustrative purposes. Costs vary significantly by insurer, location, and specific health declarations. Comprehensive cover typically includes full outpatient diagnostics and therapies.
How Much Does it Cost to Add a Child? (Estimated Costs)
Children are generally cheaper to insure than adults. Their risk profile is lower, and insurers are competitive in the family market. Many providers offer attractive pricing structures for children.
Key Considerations for Child Cover:
- Age-Banded Pricing: A baby's premium might be different from a teenager's.
- "Free" Child Cover: Some insurers, like Aviva and Bupa, have historically offered promotions where the first, second, or even third child is covered at no extra cost when added to a parent's policy. These offers can provide substantial savings.
- Child-Specific Benefits: Many policies include excellent benefits for children, such as access to specialist paediatric consultants and facilities.
Here is a table illustrating the potential extra monthly cost of adding children to a typical policy.
| Number of Children | Estimated Additional Monthly Premium (Mid-Range Cover) |
|---|---|
| 1 Child | £20 - £50 |
| 2 Children | £35 - £80 (often with a discount for the second child) |
| 3+ Children | £50 - £110 (some insurers cap the cost after 2-3 children) |
Real-Life Example: The Smith family lives in Manchester. Mark, 42, has a PMI policy. He wants to add his wife, Sarah, 40, and their son, Leo, 8.
- Adding Sarah: Based on her age and their mid-range policy, the quote to add her is an extra £65 per month.
- Adding Leo: The insurer has an offer where the first child is half-price. Adding Leo costs an extra £15 per month.
- Total Increase: The family's premium increases by £80 per month to cover everyone.
An expert PMI broker like WeCovr can quickly find which insurers have the best family deals currently available, ensuring you don't miss out on valuable savings.
Comparing Family Policies vs. Separate Individual Policies
Is one big policy always better than several small ones? Not necessarily. The best approach depends on your family's unique needs.
| Feature | Combined Family Policy | Separate Individual Policies |
|---|---|---|
| Administration | Simple: One payment, one renewal date, one point of contact. | Complex: Multiple payments, different renewal dates, more admin. |
| Cost | Often cheaper due to multi-person discounts and child offers. | Can be more expensive in total, but not always. |
| Customisation | Less flexible. Everyone usually has the same level of cover. | Highly flexible. Each person can have a policy tailored to them. |
| No-Claims Discount | A claim by one person can affect the NCD for the whole policy. | Independent. One person's claim does not affect anyone else's NCD. |
| Best For | Families with similar health needs seeking convenience. | Individuals with very different needs (e.g., one wants basic, one wants comprehensive). |
The Process of Adding a Dependant to Your Policy
Adding a family member is usually a straightforward process, especially if you use a broker.
- Contact Your Provider (or Broker): The first step is to inform your insurer or, even better, your broker. A broker can manage the process for you. It's often best to do this ahead of your annual renewal.
- Provide Dependant's Details: You will need to supply the full name, date of birth, and address of the dependant you wish to add.
- Complete a Health Declaration: The new dependant will need to be underwritten. You'll answer questions about their medical history. It is crucial to be completely honest here.
- Choose Underwriting (if applicable): In most cases, the dependant will be added on the same underwriting terms as your existing policy (e.g., Moratorium or Full Medical Underwriting).
- Review the New Quote: The insurer will provide a new premium for the adjusted policy. Review the documents carefully to ensure the cover meets your expectations.
- Confirm and Activate: Once you're happy, you confirm the change, and your dependant will be covered from an agreed-upon start date.
Mid-Term vs. Renewal: You can usually add a dependant mid-way through your policy term (a 'mid-term adjustment'), but the simplest and most common time to do it is at your annual renewal. This is also the best time to review the market with a broker to ensure your current insurer is still the best option.
Understanding Underwriting for New Dependants
When you add a dependant, the insurer needs to assess their health risk. This is known as underwriting.
- Moratorium Underwriting: This is the most common method in the UK. The insurer doesn't ask for a full medical history upfront. Instead, any medical condition a dependant has had symptoms of, or received treatment for, in the 5 years before joining is automatically excluded for the first 2 years of the policy. If, after 2 years, they remain completely free of symptoms, advice, or treatment for that condition, it may become eligible for cover.
- Full Medical Underwriting (FMU): With FMU, you provide a full medical history for the dependant on an application form. The insurer's underwriting team reviews it and then tells you from the start if any specific conditions will be excluded from cover permanently. This provides certainty but can be more complex.
Remember, regardless of the underwriting type, chronic and pre-existing conditions are generally not covered by private medical insurance. The cover is for new, unforeseen, acute conditions.
Wellness Benefits and Added Value for Families
Modern private health cover is about more than just hospital treatment. The best PMI providers include a suite of wellness benefits that your whole family can use, often from day one.
- Digital GP: 24/7 access to a GP via phone or video call. This is incredibly useful for parents with a sick child in the middle of the night.
- Mental Health Support: Many policies now offer access to counselling hotlines, mental health apps like Headspace, or a set number of therapy sessions without needing a GP referral.
- Wellness Programmes: Insurers like Vitality are famous for their reward programmes, encouraging healthy living with discounts on gym memberships, fitness trackers, and healthy food in exchange for staying active.
- Health and Diet Support: As a WeCovr client, you and your family get complimentary access to our AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, CalorieHero, to support your health goals.
- Extra Discounts: When you arrange your health insurance through us, we can also offer you preferential rates on other policies, such as life insurance or income protection, providing holistic financial security for your family.
Choosing a policy with strong wellness benefits can provide genuine day-to-day value, helping your family stay healthy and happy.
Using a PMI Broker Like WeCovr to Find the Best Deal
Navigating the private medical insurance UK market alone can be confusing. A specialist broker works for you, not the insurers, to find the right cover at the best price.
Why use an expert broker?
- Market-Wide Comparison: We compare policies from all the leading UK insurers to find the perfect fit for your family's needs and budget.
- Expert, Impartial Advice: We explain the jargon, clarify the small print, and help you understand the differences between policies. Our advice is free and without obligation.
- No Extra Cost: Our service is paid for by the insurer upon the sale of a policy, so you get our expertise at no cost to you.
- High Customer Satisfaction: We pride ourselves on our service, helping thousands of UK families secure the right protection and peace of mind.
- Hassle-Free Process: We handle the paperwork and liaise with the insurer on your behalf, from the initial quote to any future claims.
What happens if my partner or child has a pre-existing medical condition?
Can I add my adult child to my health insurance policy?
Is it cheaper to add a baby or a teenager to my policy?
Ready to protect your family's health and get a clear, personalised cost?
Contact WeCovr today for a free, no-obligation quote. Our expert advisors will compare the UK's leading insurers to find the perfect health cover for you and your dependants.
Related guides
Why private medical insurance and how does it work?
What is Private Medical Insurance?
Private medical insurance (PMI) is a type of health insurance that provides access to private healthcare services in the UK. It covers the cost of private medical treatment, allowing you to bypass NHS waiting lists and receive faster, more convenient care.How does it work?
Private medical insurance works by paying for your private healthcare costs. When you need treatment, you can choose to go private and your insurance will cover the costs, subject to your policy terms and conditions. This can include:• Private consultations with specialists
• Private hospital treatment and surgery
• Diagnostic tests and scans
• Physiotherapy and rehabilitation
• Mental health treatment
Your premium depends on factors like your age, health, occupation, and the level of cover you choose. Most policies offer different levels of cover, from basic to comprehensive, allowing you to tailor the policy to your needs and budget.
Questions to ask yourself regarding private medical insurance
Just ask yourself:👉 Are you concerned about NHS waiting times for treatment?
👉 Would you prefer to choose your own consultant and hospital?
👉 Do you want faster access to diagnostic tests and scans?
👉 Would you like private hospital accommodation and better food?
👉 Do you want to avoid the stress of NHS waiting lists?
Many people don't realise that private medical insurance is more affordable than they think, especially when you consider the value of faster treatment and better facilities. A great insurance policy can provide peace of mind and ensure you receive the care you need when you need it.
Benefits offered by private medical insurance
Private medical insurance provides numerous benefits that can significantly improve your healthcare experience and outcomes:Faster Access to Treatment
One of the biggest advantages is avoiding NHS waiting lists. While the NHS provides excellent care, waiting times can be lengthy. With private medical insurance, you can often receive treatment within days or weeks rather than months.
Choice of Consultant and Hospital
You can choose your preferred consultant and hospital, giving you more control over your healthcare journey. This is particularly important for complex treatments where you want a specific specialist.
Better Facilities and Accommodation
Private hospitals typically offer superior facilities, including private rooms, better food, and more comfortable surroundings. This can make your recovery more pleasant and potentially faster.
Advanced Treatments
Private medical insurance often covers treatments and medications not available on the NHS, giving you access to the latest medical advances and technologies.
Mental Health Support
Many policies include comprehensive mental health coverage, providing faster access to therapy and psychiatric care when needed.
Tax Benefits for Business Owners
If you're self-employed or a business owner, private medical insurance premiums can be tax-deductible, making it a cost-effective way to protect your health and your business.
Peace of Mind
Knowing you have access to private healthcare when you need it provides invaluable peace of mind, especially for those with ongoing health conditions or concerns about NHS capacity.
Private medical insurance is particularly valuable for those who want to take control of their healthcare journey and ensure they receive the best possible treatment when they need it most.
Important Fact!
We can look at a more suitable option mid-term!
Why is it important to get private medical insurance early?
👉 Many people are very thankful that they had their private medical insurance cover in place before running into some serious health issues. Private medical insurance is as important as life insurance for protecting your family's finances.👉 We insure our cars, houses, and even our phones! Yet our health is the most precious thing we have.
Easily one of the most important insurance purchases an individual or family can make in their lifetime, the decision to buy private medical insurance can be made much simpler with the help of FCA-authorised advisers. They are the specialists who do the searching and analysis helping people choose between various types of private medical insurance policies available in the market, including different levels of cover and policy types most suitable to the client's individual circumstances.
It certainly won't do any harm if you speak with one of our experienced insurance experts who are passionate about advising people on financial matters related to private medical insurance and are keen to provide you with a free consultation.
You can discuss with them in detail what affordable private medical insurance plan for the necessary peace of mind they would recommend! WeCovr works with some of the best advisers in the market.
By tapping the button below, you can book a free call with them in less than 30 seconds right now:
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WeCovr is an insurance specialist for people valuing their peace of mind and a great service.👍 WeCovr will help you get your private medical insurance, life insurance, critical illness insurance and others in no time thanks to our wonderful super-friendly experts ready to assist you every step of the way.
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