As an FCA-authorised broker that has helped arrange over 750,000 policies, WeCovr understands that for UK freelancers, time is money and health is everything. This guide explores which private medical insurance is best for the self-employed, comparing two leading flexible providers: Freedom Health Insurance and WPA.
When you're self-employed, the safety net of company sick pay and employer-provided health benefits simply doesn't exist. Your ability to earn is directly linked to your ability to work. An unexpected illness or injury doesn't just impact your health; it threatens your livelihood. This is where private medical insurance (PMI) becomes not a luxury, but a crucial business tool.
Among the many providers in the UK market, two names often come up for their flexible and customisable approach: Freedom Health Insurance and WPA (Western Provident Association). Both offer distinct advantages for freelancers, sole traders, and contractors who need high-quality cover that adapts to their unique financial and healthcare needs.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about these two specialist insurers, helping you decide which might be the perfect partner for your freelance career.
The traditional 9-to-5 comes with benefits that freelancers go without. The most significant of these is the security of knowing you can take time off for illness without your income grinding to a halt. For the UK's vibrant community of over 4.2 million self-employed professionals (ONS, 2023), health is the ultimate asset.
So, what's the problem PMI solves? In a word: waiting.
While the NHS provides exceptional care, it is under immense pressure. As the UK heads into 2025, the elective care waiting list in England remains a significant concern, with millions of people waiting for routine procedures. For a freelancer, waiting months for a diagnosis or treatment for a painful condition like a bad back or a joint problem can be financially devastating.
Private medical insurance allows you to bypass these queues. It offers:
It is vital to understand what private medical insurance is for. PMI is designed to cover acute conditions. An acute condition is a disease, illness, or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment and lead to a full recovery. Think of things like joint replacements, cataract surgery, or hernia repairs.
Standard UK private health cover does not cover chronic conditions—illnesses that are long-term and cannot be cured, only managed (e.g., diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure). It also does not cover pre-existing conditions that you had before you took out the policy.
Freedom Health Insurance entered the market with a clear mission: to make private healthcare more accessible and flexible. They moved away from the traditional "one-size-fits-all" model, which makes them an excellent fit for freelancers who need to control their budget without compromising on essential cover.
Sarah is a 35-year-old freelance graphic designer. Her income depends on her being able to work at her desk without pain. She's worried about developing a repetitive strain injury or back problems.
She opts for a Freedom Essentials policy. She keeps the core cover for surgery and cancer but decides against full outpatient cover to keep her premium low. She knows she can use her local NHS GP for initial consultations. Six months later, she develops severe wrist pain. Instead of waiting weeks for an NHS physio referral, she uses her policy to see a private specialist, gets a swift diagnosis, and begins treatment immediately, minimising disruption to her client work.
Feature | Description | Ideal For Freelancers Because... |
---|---|---|
Policy Structure | Modular (Core + optional add-ons) | You only pay for the cover you actually need, offering excellent budget control. |
Key Product | Freedom Essentials | Focuses on essential, high-cost treatments, keeping premiums affordable. |
GP Referral | Self-referral option available | Saves time and hassle, getting you to a specialist faster. |
Underwriting | Moratorium & Full Medical Underwriting | Offers choice in how your medical history is assessed. |
Overall Philosophy | Flexibility and Choice | Puts you in the driver's seat of your healthcare journey. |
WPA is one of the UK's most respected health insurers, with a history stretching back over 120 years. As a not-for-profit organisation, their structure is fundamentally different from most commercial insurers. Any surplus they make is reinvested back into the business to improve benefits and services for their members, rather than being paid out to shareholders.
Tom, a 48-year-old self-employed IT consultant, wants robust health cover but needs to keep his monthly business expenses predictable. He's healthy but wants a safety net for serious issues like cancer or heart problems.
He chooses a WPA Flexible Health policy with a 25% co-payment. His monthly premium is very competitive. A year later, he needs a minor surgical procedure costing £4,000. Under his Shared Responsibility agreement, Tom pays 25% (£1,000) and WPA pays the remaining £3,000. For Tom, this one-off payment was far more manageable than paying a higher premium every single month for years.
Feature | Description | Ideal For Freelancers Because... |
---|---|---|
Company Structure | Not-for-profit | Focus is on member benefits, not shareholder profits, fostering trust. |
Cost Model | Shared Responsibility (Co-payment) | Significantly lowers monthly premiums in exchange for sharing claim costs. |
Key Product | Flexible Health | Highly customisable policy with the unique co-payment feature. |
Cancer Cover | Comprehensive and often market-leading | Provides exceptional peace of mind for one of life's biggest worries. |
Overall Philosophy | Partnership and Sustainability | You partner with them to manage costs, ensuring long-term affordability. |
So, which provider is right for you? The best choice depends entirely on your priorities, budget, and how you prefer to manage your healthcare and finances. Let's compare them directly.
Feature | Freedom Health Insurance | WPA (Western Provident Association) |
---|---|---|
Flexibility | Excellent. The modular "Essentials" plan allows you to build a policy from the ground up. | Excellent. The "Flexible Health" plan offers huge customisation, especially with the Shared Responsibility model. |
Cost & Affordability | Premiums are controlled by adding or removing modules (e.g., outpatient cover). A high excess can also reduce costs. | Premiums are significantly reduced by choosing a co-payment percentage. A higher co-payment means a lower monthly cost. |
Who It's Best For | The freelancer who wants total control over their policy components and may want to self-refer to a specialist. | The freelancer who prefers a lower fixed monthly cost and is comfortable paying a share of any potential claim. |
Core Cover | Strong inpatient and day-patient cover for surgery and eligible treatments, including cancer. | Robust inpatient and day-patient cover, often with an annual financial limit that can be topped up. |
Outpatient Options | Can be added as a module, with different levels of cover available, from diagnostics only to full specialist consultations. | Can be added as an option. The cost of this is also affected by the co-payment you choose. |
Cancer Cover | Comprehensive cover for diagnosis and treatment is standard on their main policies. | Market-leading and extensive, often including drugs and treatments not readily available on the NHS. |
Mental Health | Mental health cover is typically an optional add-on, allowing you to include it if it's a priority. | WPA provides access to support lines, and more extensive cover can be added to the policy. |
Hospital Network | Offers a wide choice of UK hospitals, with options to restrict the list to lower the premium. | Provides access to a nationwide network of several hundred quality-assessed hospitals. |
Unique Selling Point | Self-referral. The ability to bypass the GP for a specialist consultation is a major time-saver. | Not-for-profit status & Shared Responsibility. A focus on members and a unique way to make cover affordable. |
Working with an independent PMI broker like WeCovr can help you get detailed quotes for both providers, tailored to your exact circumstances. We can model the costs of different excesses, co-payment levels, and optional extras, giving you a crystal-clear picture of what you'll get for your money.
When buying private medical insurance in the UK, two terms you'll always encounter are "underwriting" and "excess". Understanding them is key to choosing the right policy.
Underwriting is how an insurer assesses the risk of taking you on as a customer, specifically regarding your past health.
Both Freedom and WPA offer both types of underwriting, giving you the flexibility to choose.
An excess is a fixed amount you agree to pay towards the cost of a claim. It works just like the excess on your car or home insurance.
Modern private health cover is about more than just paying for treatment when you're ill. It's about helping you stay well. Many policies now include a fantastic range of value-added benefits at no extra cost:
At WeCovr, we enhance this value further. When you arrange a PMI or Life Insurance policy through us, we provide:
Feeling overwhelmed? Don't be. Follow this simple, five-step process to find the perfect cover.
Your health is your most valuable business asset. Protecting it with the right private health cover isn't an expense—it's an investment in your career's longevity and your own peace of mind. Both Freedom and WPA offer compelling, flexible solutions for the UK's self-employed workforce.
Ready to find out which is the best fit for you?
Contact WeCovr today for a free, no-obligation quote. Our expert advisors will compare these providers and many more, ensuring you get the right protection at the best possible price.