Review: Saga Health Insurance

Key policy features

• Saga offers private medical insurance and cash plans aimed at over 50s
• Offers a 4-week wait option that kicks in if NHS waiting lists are longer than 4 weeks
• Saga provides award-winning and comprehensive policies

You can get a tailored quote on the Saga website.

Summary

Saga's products are designed for and those aged 50 and over and it has been providing quality health insurance for more than 25 years.

It is a well-established company that boasts an array of accolades and industry awards. Because of that its products can command a premium and many customers are prepared to pay a little more for quality and service.

It made the top 3 of our list of the best health insurance policies.

Learn more about its policies and get a quote on Saga's site.

Types of cover provided by Saga health insurance

Like some other Health Insurance providers, Saga offers two broad categories of policies.

The first is Private Medical Insurance – these are policies that cover the costs of the diagnosis, control and treatment of unexpected, significant medical events. These policies cover much more expensive events and so the policies are more expensive.

Saga also offer a ‘cash plan’. These policies are much cheaper and so can be attractive to those on a budget. However, it is important to note that they are designed to help cope with smaller and more routine medical expenses - such as visits to the dentist or having a health screen done. They do not cover the more extensive diagnoses and treatments that the Private Medical Insurance covers.

Health cash plans typically contribute a proportion of the costs incurred for these smaller expenses.

If you have a condition you're looking to cover it's worth reading our guide to health insurance for pre-existing medical conditions.

Overview of healthcare cover provided by Saga health insurance

Specialising in the needs of over 50s, Saga offers four comprehensive Private Medical Insurance plans: Support, Saver Plus, Secure and Super. All policies are underwritten by AXA PPP.

We've written a separate guide to health insurance for older people.

Saga’s Support cover is its most basic, providing cover for: prompt access to treatment as a private patient; surgeon and anaesthetist fees; accommodation costs; operating theatre and nursing costs; surgical procedures and access to a fast track appointments and consultation helpline. This level of benefits is provided by all of the more extensive levels of cover.

Saver Plus offers all the Support benefits, plus cover for radiotherapy and chemotherapy, consultations and diagnostic tests, CT and MRI scans, physiotherapist fees, homeopathic charges and nursing at home, subject to limits. For example, diagnostic tests, practitioner charges and homeopathic fees have a combined limit of £500 per year, while at-home nursing cover is provided for up to two weeks.

Secure – the next level up – offers these benefits up to a combined limit of £1,200 (with 13 weeks of home nursing) plus ambulance transport and up to £500 of recuperative care.

Super – the most comprehensive cover – offers all these benefits, with unlimited costs for diagnostic tests and practitioner charges, up to £1,500 for homeopathic fees, £1,500 for recuperative care, plus £1,500 for psychiatric treatment and up to £5,000 for accidental dental injury.

All of Saga’s policies come with a ‘4-week wait’ option. This option is designed to help lower the cost of the health insurance if you are happy to use the NHS for treatment where it is available within a 4 week wait. If you select this option and NHS treatment is available within 4 weeks, then for most conditions, private treatment will not be covered.

However, nine conditions – including cataract removal, varicose vein surgery and gall bladder removal – are exempt and immediate private treatment will be covered as usual.

Saga’s ‘Health Cash Plan’ option is designed to help with everyday healthcare expenses by providing financial support towards dental bills, optical bills, specialist consultations, physiotherapy, home help and other common healthcare needs.

The Health Cash Plan is available at three levels, with the amount of benefit varying depending on the level chosen.

For example, Level 1 cover offers up to £80 towards dental care per year, while Level 3 cover offers £190.

A range of other limits apply to the Optical, Hearing Aid, Consultations and other benefits. In addition, most benefits allow you to claim back 75% of the cost incurred, rather than the full cost – i.e. if you have an Optician’s expense of £100, the maximum you could claim is £75, even if you cover limit allowed more to be claimed that year.

Interested? Get an instant quote for Saga’s health insurance plans online.

How much does Saga health insurance cost?

The cost of Saga Private Medical Insurance will depend on a variety of factors, including your age, general health and existing medical conditions, plus the level of cover you choose.

Customers are able to personalise their policies – changing things such as payable excess or adding optional extras such as extended cancer cover – which will also affect your final quote.

Saga’s Health Cash Plan is easier to quantify – the only variables are the level of cover you choose and your age when you join (although there are no age-related increases). Some example prices (gathered in March 2015) include

Level 1 cover: £16.75 per month for 50 to 64-year-olds, or £22.75 for those aged 70+.

Level 2 cover: £31 per month for 65 to 69-year-olds.

Level 3 cover: £32.50 per month for 50 to 64-year-olds, or £42 per month for those aged 70+.

Get a tailored Saga health insurance quote here.

What do Saga health insurance reviews from customers say?

On Trustpilot, the company as a whole has an average score of 8.6 out of 10 from over 4,200 customer reviews.

What do Saga health insurance reviews from the experts say?

Independent financial reviewer Defaqto gives Saga's HealthPlan Super/Super 4 its top 5 Star rating. Its other policies either score 3, 2 or 1 Star.

A Star rating indicates where a product or proposition sits in the market based on the quality and comprehensiveness of the features it offers.

A 5 Star rated policy is “an excellent product with a comprehensive range of features and benefits”.