Saga health insurance has no set price. Saga works each premium out policy by policy, so what you pay depends on the plan you choose, the hospitals you want access to, who is on the policy, the age of the eldest person covered and where you live. If you are deciding whether Saga is affordable for you, a real number needs a quote. Saga says its health insurance is only available through Saga, so a broker cannot sell you a Saga plan, but an FCA-authorised broker can ring back to price similar policies from the insurers on its panel, giving you figures to set beside Saga's quote. You request that call using the form on this page.
This page sets out what Saga itself says drives the cost, what each lever does, and how the payment options work. A market range further down gives a sense of scale.
What Saga says goes into your price
Saga's health insurance page has a short answer to the question of what affects the cost of cover. The basic cost is worked out "based on your chosen Saga HealthPlan, hospital access, and any family members added to the policy", and Saga then considers "statistical factors such as the age of the eldest person covered and your geographical region" (Saga, Over 50s Health Insurance, saga.co.uk, read 29 October 2026).
That gives five inputs, and they work differently:
- The plan. Saga sells four HealthPlans, covered in the next section.
- Hospital access. Which hospitals you can use depends on the list you pick, an optional London upgrade, or Guided Care, where Saga helps you choose the provider. The Saga hospital list page explains the three routes.
- Who is covered. A spouse can be added, and so can children up to 21, or up to 25 if they are in full-time education.
- The age of the eldest person. It is the oldest person on the policy that counts, which matters if you are adding a partner who is older than you.
- Where you live. Saga names your geographical region as a factor; how far it moves your figure shows only in a quote.
Two further things sit on top. Saga's May 2025 policy book for HealthPlan Super says its premiums include "the amount of any insurance premium tax or other taxes or levies which are payable by law", so the figure you are quoted already has tax in it. And your no claims discount level, which belongs to the whole policy, is applied to the basic premium rate.
Four plans, and what the price is buying
Saga's page lists four plans, with Super "providing the most comprehensive cover". The rows below are summaries, not the full terms, and each plan has its own policy book, so check the one for the plan you are quoted.
| Plan | What Saga's page says it provides |
|---|---|
| HealthPlan Super | "No annual maximum for eligible outpatient treatments", inpatient and day-patient cover, up to £2,500 a year for mental health treatment, and cover for nursing at home, recuperative care and specified dental procedures |
| HealthPlan Secure | Inpatient and day-patient treatment, plus up to £2,500 a year towards eligible outpatient consultations, diagnostic tests, and therapist, physiotherapist and acupuncturist charges, and full cover for outpatient CT, MRI and PET scans |
| HealthPlan Saver Plus | Inpatient and day-patient treatment, plus up to £1,500 for outpatient treatment and full cover for CT, MRI and PET scans |
| HealthPlan Support | Inpatient and day-patient treatment at a listed hospital or through Guided Care; outside a hospital stay, outpatient surgical procedures, with CT, MRI and PET scans covered only as part of an eligible inpatient or day-patient stay. No benefit for non-surgical cancer treatment, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Sold by phone only |
Super, Secure and Saver Plus rows from Saga's health insurance page, read 29 October 2026; Support row from Saga's HealthPlan Support policy book, May 2025.
The useful point for cost is that the plans differ most in what happens before and around a hospital stay: consultations, scans and tests. A cheaper plan is a smaller promise, and the difference shows up when you claim. What each plan covers is the job of our page on Saga's cover, so this page stays with the price side.
What Saga says brings the price down
Saga's own list of ways to reduce the premium is short: choose an excess, or choose the 4 Week Wait, 6 Week Wait or Guided Care options. Each trades something for the saving.
An excess. The Super policy book says choosing one "may help to reduce your premiums". It is a single deduction from eligible treatment costs in each policy year, applying to every person covered, and it is applied again if treatment runs on past the renewal date. In general a higher excess usually brings a premium down, and you pay that amount yourself whenever you claim.
The 4 Week Wait or 6 Week Wait. The trade is that on these plans "if the NHS can give you the hospital treatment you need within four/six weeks of the date the specialist recommends the private treatment then you must use the NHS". If the NHS in your area is quick for your condition, you may use the policy less than you expect. If it is slow, you will use it as normal. Our page on waiting lists looks at that side.
Guided Care. Here the Super policy book covers treatment from a "selected provider", meaning a hospital, specialist or other provider that Saga has helped you choose. Less choice of where you are treated is the exchange.
Which of these changes your own figure by how much is not something any page can say. Asking Saga for the same quote with and without each option shows what it is worth to you, and a broker can talk through those trade-offs free on the call-back.
Monthly, quarterly or annual: how you pay
The policy lasts a year, and the Super policy book says Saga offers "a choice of monthly, quarterly or annual premiums which can be paid by Direct Debit", with annual premiums also payable by cheque, debit card or credit card. If you are weighing monthly against annual payment, ask Saga to show you the year's total both ways.
Three practical points from the same pages:
- If you stop paying when a premium is due, the policy is cancelled, and nothing arising after that date is paid.
- There is a 14-day cooling-off period when you join and at each renewal, with a refund of the premium if you cancel in it.
- Newborn babies of the policyholder or their partner can be added from birth and are covered until the next renewal "at no extra premium".
For a limited time only, Saga is offering new customers over 50 who buy direct their first three months free, for policies starting before 11.59pm on 10 December 2026, paid monthly by Direct Debit and kept for at least 12 months (Saga's page, read 29 October 2026; Saga can change or withdraw it). It does not apply at renewal, so it lowers the first year's total only.
What cover costs across the market, and why it is not a Saga figure
These figures are not Saga prices. They are indicative ranges for UK private medical insurance in general, as of October 2026, to give a sense of scale: a single adult in their fifties might expect to see roughly £60–£120 a month for mid-range private medical insurance with a moderate excess; around 60, roughly £90–£180 a month; in their seventies, roughly £150–£300 a month. They are not a quote, and no one should assume they will pay the bottom of a range. Age moves the figure more than anything else, and the factors above can push it either side.
If you are putting together a budget, our page on the average cost for over-50s and the monthly cost page work through the same ground without being tied to one insurer.
Getting a Saga health insurance quote: online or by phone
Saga's page says that "online, we only sell policies with the Moratorium underwriting method". Full Medical Underwriting, and Continued Personal Medical Exclusions for people who are moving from another insurer or leaving an employer's scheme, are quoted by phone. The underwriting route changes what is excluded from your policy rather than simply the price, so it is worth deciding which suits your history before you compare figures. Saga and pre-existing conditions explains the routes.
Why a Saga price changes at renewal
Saga recalculates the premium at the start of each policy year, and the Super policy book says premiums have typically risen faster than RPI, so the price you are quoted at joining is a first-year price. The reasons a renewal letter comes in higher, and what to do about it, have their own page: why Saga premiums go up.
Questions on Saga prices
What is the monthly cost of Saga health insurance?
There is no standard monthly figure, because the premium is set per policy from the plan, hospital access, family members, the age of the eldest person covered and region. A monthly price only exists once someone has your age, postcode and chosen options.
Is Saga health insurance expensive?
That depends on what you compare it with, and the only fair test is your own quote set beside quotes for similar cover. Across the market, premiums for people in their fifties and over are generally higher than for younger adults, and Saga's page is addressed to the over-50s. Compare like with like: the same plan level, excess and hospital access, from more than one insurer.
Does adding my partner or children change the price?
Saga lists family members added to the policy as part of the basic cost. Because it also looks at the age of the eldest person covered, adding an older partner is one thing to ask about when you request a quote.
Does the premium include tax?
Yes. Saga's HealthPlan Super policy book says the premium includes any insurance premium tax or other taxes or levies payable by law, so the figure quoted is not a pre-tax number with more to come.
Once you have Saga's quote, the broker behind this site's enquiry form can price similar cover from the insurers it deals with on a free call-back, so you have something to set it against.