Because you are not comparing the same thing, even when the procedure name matches exactly.

What the policy documents actually say

Published prices are packages, and packages differ. One hospital's figure may assume a one-night stay where another assumes two; one may include the implant and the follow-up appointment where another bills both separately. The procedure name on the price list is the least reliable part of the comparison.

Variant pricing hides inside single names too. Spire Manchester prices a hysterectomy differently depending on whether it is vaginal or abdominal, and a knee replacement differently depending on whether it is robotic-assisted. A hospital quoting the cheaper variant will look cheaper on a list that shows only the procedure name.

Consultant fees and theatre costs vary geographically, which is the largest structural driver. Central London facilities sit outside many insurers' standard hospital lists for the same reason — WPA sells access to them as a Premium Hospitals option on top of a standard list of around 1,000 sites.

Every hospital group states that its published prices are indicative and subject to change. They are a starting point for a written quotation, not a bill.

The useful comparison is not price against price but inclusion against inclusion. Ask each hospital what is in the package, what is excluded, and what happens if recovery takes longer than assumed.

Questions to put to the insurer or broker

  • What is in the package and what is billed separately?
  • Which variant of the procedure is this price for?
  • Is this a fixed quote or an indicative figure?

Related questions

Sources

  • Source: WPA — Private Medical Insurance — Insurance Product Information Document (Complete Health) (2025-11), read 4 September 2026.
  • Source: self-pay price list — Self-pay treatment prices — Nuffield Health The Holly, read 4 September 2026.
  • Source: Spire Healthcare London East self-pay price list — Self-pay treatment prices — Spire London East Hospital, read 4 September 2026.
  • Source: Spire Healthcare Manchester self-pay price list — Self-pay treatment prices — Spire Manchester Hospital, read 4 September 2026.
  • Source: Spire Healthcare St Anthonys self-pay price list — Self-pay treatment prices — Spire St Anthonys Hospital, read 4 September 2026.
  • Source: Spire Healthcare The Montefiore self-pay price list — Self-pay treatment prices — the montefiore hospital, read 4 September 2026.

The limit behind every answer here

None of this reaches a condition you already have. Cover is written for problems that arise after it starts, so anything you have symptoms of when you apply is excluded — permanently under full medical underwriting, or until a symptom-free period has passed under a moratorium. Chronic conditions are excluded by every insurer whose wording we hold. Figures quoted come from current policy documents and change at renewal, so check the document you are actually offered.

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