WPA Shared Responsibility (Co-pay) Review: Pros, Cons & What's Included

At a glance: From £32/month · Mid tier · Best for: lower premiums via co-payment rather than a fixed excess · Excess options: £0–£250

What is WPA Shared Responsibility?

This is WPA's co-payment policy, structurally different from a standard excess-based plan. Instead of paying one fixed amount per claim (an excess), you share a percentage of each claim's cost with WPA. This can produce a lower monthly premium than an equivalent fixed-excess policy, in exchange for a different, percentage-based cost-sharing arrangement when you actually claim.

Who this plan is actually for

• Buyers who want WPA's claims-time service reputation and configurable allowance structure, but at a lower premium than the full Complete Health plan
• People comfortable with a percentage-based cost share rather than a fixed excess, particularly if they expect claims to be modest in size
• Anyone who's compared the co-pay structure against a standard excess and confirmed it works out cheaper for their likely claim pattern

Pros

• Lower monthly premium than WPA's flagship Complete Health plan, while retaining the same not-for-profit insurer and claims service reputation
• Still includes per-benefit separate allowances, consistent with WPA's broader approach of not pooling all outpatient spending into one combined limit
• Cancer cover and mental health support remain included, not stripped out for the lower price point
• Suits people with a clear sense of their likely claim size — for smaller, predictable claims, a percentage co-pay can work out cheaper than a fixed excess

Cons

• The co-payment structure is less intuitive than a standard excess — you need to actually model out a few claim scenarios to know whether it's genuinely cheaper for you, rather than assuming a percentage is automatically better
• For a single large claim, the co-payment percentage could mean paying more out of pocket than a fixed excess would have cost, depending on the treatment cost and the percentage applied
• Dental and optical remain a separate add-on, same as WPA's other plans
• WPA's narrower hospital network compared to Bupa still applies at this tier — the co-pay structure changes cost-sharing, not network access

What's included as standard

Benefit	Coverage
Cancer cover	Full
Mental health	Included
Outpatient cover	Separate allowance per benefit type, lower tier than Complete Health
Therapies (physio etc.)	Included, separate allowance
Dental & optical	Not included
No-claims discount	Available, co-pay percentage applies per claim instead of fixed excess
Excess options	£0, £100, £250

What it costs

Indicative pricing starts from around £32/month, noticeably below WPA's Complete Health flagship plan. Whether this is actually cheaper for you overall depends on your expected claim pattern — it's worth asking WPA or a broker to model a couple of realistic claim scenarios before assuming the lower premium translates to lower total cost.

How it compares

This sits below WPA Complete Health in WPA's own range — see that full review for the comparison. For a wider-market view of WPA's positioning, see our WPA vs Bupa guide.

Should you choose this plan?

This plan suits you if you want WPA's service reputation at a lower premium and you're comfortable with a percentage-based cost share rather than a fixed excess. If you'd rather know exactly what you'd pay per claim regardless of treatment cost, a standard fixed-excess policy — including WPA's own Complete Health — will be more predictable.

A whole-of-market broker can see this plan alongside every other option on the table, including ones that might suit you better once your full circumstances are taken into account — which is why speaking to one before you buy is usually worth the five minutes it takes.

Speak to an adviser

Prefer to go direct? Get a quote from WPA's own site →

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Prices and features in this review are indicative and based on publicly available product information. Your actual premium and claim cost-sharing will depend on your age, postcode, medical history and the specific treatment claimed for. This article is for general information only and is not financial or insurance advice — always confirm current terms with WPA or a regulated broker before purchasing.