Health Assured Pricing: Worth It or Consider Kara Connect? August 2026

If you’ve visited Health Assured’s pricing page, you know the drill: the advertised rate is based on a 5-year (60-month) term with 100+ employees, the on-page calculator quotes other headcounts at higher per-person rates, and you still need to figure out whether the Core plan’s 6 counselling sessions will suffice or you need Wisdom Super Care’s 12. Traditional EAP pricing can feel like signing a mortgage before you’ve moved in.

A note on accuracy. This article draws on publicly available information, sourced and linked throughout, and reflects our understanding as at 13 August 2026. Providers named here, and anyone who has used these services, are welcome to flag anything inaccurate or out of date at hello@karaconnect.com. We review every request and update where appropriate.

This comparison is published by Kara Connect, which offers an alternative employee wellbeing service to the provider reviewed here.

Health Assured is the UK and Ireland’s largest independent Employee Assistance Programme provider, supporting over 13 million lives across more than 88,000 organisations. The platform offers a 24/7 confidential support line, structured counselling, legal and financial advice, and a digital wellbeing app called Wisdom. But as workplace mental health expectations have shifted toward employee choice, immediate access, and measurable engagement, Health Assured’s model (phone-based triage, fixed session caps, and advertised long-term pricing bases) raises questions for organisations evaluating their options.

We’ve analysed Health Assured’s pricing tiers, contract requirements, and service model. We believe it’s the right choice if:

– You want a bundled EAP with counselling, legal, and financial advice in one package
– You value 24/7 telephone support with in-house counsellors
– You need a provider with scale and public sector experience
– You prefer fixed per-employee costs for straightforward budgeting

However, Health Assured might not be a good choice if:

– You want to pay only for sessions employees actually use
– You want bookable 1:1 specialists
– You want employees to choose their own professional without triage
– You prioritise clinical engagement rates over baseline coverage

In this case, consider Kara Connect: a marketplace-based wellbeing platform that takes a different approach to employee mental health. There is no triage: every person can book directly with a vetted professional, without a prior triage step. With pay-as-you-go pricing at €100 per session, no lock-in contracts, access to practitioners across 60+ specialities curated from a network of 3,000+, and clinical engagement rates where 15%+ of employees book 1:1 sessions (compared to just 1.8% of employees offered counselling through traditional EAPs), Kara Connect represents a shift in how organisations deliver wellbeing support.

We’ve included a detailed pricing comparison with Kara Connect in this review, as the strongest option for organisations seeking high-engagement wellbeing support without long-term commitments.

Table of Contents

– Health Assured Pricing Summary
– Health Assured Pricing: In-Depth Overview
– Where Health Assured Falls Short
– Best Health Assured Alternative: Kara Connect
– Health Assured Feature Value Breakdown (vs Kara Connect)
– Final Verdict: Health Assured vs Kara Connect
– Health Assured Pricing FAQ

Health Assured Pricing Summary

Health Assured Pricing: In-Depth Overview

Health Assured charges per person, per month, with tiered packages. Its advertised rates start from £1.30 per person per month (Core plan), plus VAT; its own pricing footnotes state these advertised rates are based on a 5-year (60-month) term with 100+ employees. All listed prices exclude VAT. The on-page calculator quotes higher per-person rates for smaller headcounts. Organisations with fewer employees or different contract terms will need a custom quote, which may mean different per-person costs. Here’s what each tier includes.

Health Assured Core Plan

The Core plan is Health Assured’s foundational EAP offering. Employees call the 24/7 confidential support line staffed by in-house counsellors and legal advisors, who conduct a triage assessment to determine the appropriate care pathway. Where structured counselling is recommended, employees receive up to 6 sessions. The Wisdom app adds self-serve tools: mood tracking, mini health checks, and four-week health plans.

The Bottom Line 👉 Core suits large organisations needing baseline EAP coverage at a predictable cost, but the 5-year basis of the headline pricing (100+ employees) and the session cap will frustrate companies wanting flexibility.

Health Assured Peak Plan

Peak adds 4 more counselling sessions per issue and introduces professional development features. The Life and Leadership Coaching session provides one-on-one development support, while the Mental Health First Aid course offers accredited training. Pricing is available through Health Assured‘s sales team.

The Bottom Line 👉 Peak is Health Assured’s mid-range option for organisations wanting more clinical capacity and staff training, though the added features may not justify the price increase for smaller teams.

Health Assured Wisdom Super Care Plan

Wisdom Super Care is Health Assured’s top-tier package, adding virtual GP access through Livi, quadrupling the coaching sessions, and doubling the MHFA courses. The virtual GP access extends the service beyond mental health into general medical consultations, including prescriptions and referrals.

The Bottom Line 👉 Wisdom Super Care delivers Health Assured’s full suite including virtual GP, but the premium pricing and the 5-year basis of the advertised rates (100+ employees) make it an investment only larger organisations can justify.

Health Assured Additional Costs

Beyond the listed tier prices, several factors affect the true cost:

– VAT: UK-listed prices are stated as “plus VAT,” adding 20% to the quoted rates
– Employee thresholds: The headline from-£1.30 rate is based on a 60-month term with 100+ employees; the on-page calculator quotes smaller headcounts at higher per-person rates
– Different contract terms: The advertised rates assume a 60-month term (100+ employees basis); other terms may carry different rates, though these are not publicly disclosed
– Add-on services: Whistleblowing support (SpeakUp) is offered separately, priced at approximately £1 per employee per annum through partners

Where Health Assured Falls Short

Health Assured offers broad EAP coverage backed by scale and established processes, but its traditional model creates challenges for organisations seeking modern, flexible approaches to employee wellbeing:

Pricing Built Around 5-Year Terms

– Advertised headline pricing is based on a 5-year (60-month) term with 100+ employees
– Organisations taking the advertised rates are therefore working to a 5-year horizon, which limits the ability to switch providers or adjust services
– Companies with fluctuating headcounts may pay for capacity they don’t use
– Other contract terms may be available, but rates are not publicly disclosed

Triage Adds Steps Before Access

– Health Assured uses a phone-based intake model where employees call a support line and a counsellor conducts an assessment to determine the appropriate care pathway
– Providers frame this as a clinical safeguard that matches people to appropriate support; the practical trade-off is added steps before a first session
– Where an issue falls outside the programme’s contracted scope, the employee is signposted or external or public services rather than supported within the programme

Low Industry Engagement Rates

– According to the EAPA UK ‘Holding It Together’ report (2023), of the 24.45 million UK employees with EAP access in 2022, only 640,000 (2.6%) contacted their provider, and just 434,250 (1.8%) were offered counselling
– The phone-based intake model, where employees must call and be assessed before accessing structured support, which reduces uptake.
– Health Assured has invested in the Wisdom app to boost digital engagement, though app-based tools serve a different function than clinical support

Limited Employee Choice in Professional Selection

– Employees are allocated to counsellors following the assessment rather than choosing their own
– The assessment determines the care pathway, which can feel limiting for employees who value personal agency in their care
– Because the first point of contact is a triage counsellor rather than the practitioner who will provide ongoing support, employees explain their situation twice: once to the triage counsellor and again to the counsellor they are referred to

Confidentiality: What Happened and How It Resolved

– A 2024 BBC investigation alleged that corporate clients could listen in on confidential support line calls without caller consent, and that staff were pressured to limit counselling referrals
– Health Assured’s CEO denied the allegations, calling them a mischaracterisation of standard call-auditing processes
– The BACP temporarily suspended Health Assured’s organisational accreditation while it reviewed the claims; accreditation is currently in place. EAPA UK opened its own review
– In March 2026, Health & Protection reported that EAPA UK had concluded its investigation, finding that a few aspects of the conduct described fell short of its Code of Ethics on confidentiality and informed consent. EAPA did not name the provider in its statement. It took no formal action beyond requesting a further independent external audit of clinical governance and operational processes, said it did not intend further action subject to that review’s findings, and noted the provider had engaged constructively throughout. Health Assured did not dispute the conclusions, saying it had been proactively pushing for the external audit and had reviewed and updated its protocols and internal procedures
– Health Assured’s service-user ratings are strong, at 4.7 out of 5 across more than 1,600 Trustpilot reviews and 4.8 out of 5 across around 1,300 Google reviews (both accessed 13 August 2026)

These characteristics have led some organisations to explore alternatives that prioritise employee choice, measurable engagement, and flexible pricing.

Best Health Assured Alternative: Kara Connect

Kara Connect takes a different approach to employee wellbeing. Instead of the traditional EAP model, it operates as a marketplace where employees choose their own professionals and employers pay only for sessions used. The platform’s core principle: there is no triage. Every person can browse practitioners and book directly.

For organisations that find Health Assured triage-based access frustrating Kara Connect addresses these gaps with pay-as-you-go pricing, direct booking with practitioners across 60+ specialities and 30+ languages, and clinical engagement rates where 15%+ of employees book 1:1 sessions with professionals (compared to the 1.8% offered counselling through traditional EAPs).

Founded in Iceland by cognitive psychologist Thorbjorg Helga Vigfusdottir, Kara Connect was built to solve the access problem in mental health care. The platform now serves as a corporate wellbeing benefit across the Nordics, UK, and Ireland, supporting organisations including the Government of Iceland and Reykjavik Energy. Its approach (what Kara Connect calls a Nordic Model of Care) inverts the traditional EAP: instead of requiring employees to call a support line and be assessed before booking, employees browse practitioners, self-assess their wellbeing, and book sessions on their own terms.

Kara Connect maintains a public trust centre with ISO 27001 certification, GDPR compliance, and NORDEC accreditation. All sessions run through a secure, built-in video conferencing tool with no reliance on external software like Zoom or Teams. Each practitioner operates within a dedicated, encrypted Professional Digital Workstation (a data-siloed environment where sessions, clinical notes, and documentation are managed in isolation from other practitioners and employers). The Icelandic government and EU agencies use the platform, reflecting a high standard of data security.

Kara Connect excels for organisations that want employees to actually use their wellbeing benefit, companies that prefer paying for outcomes rather than coverage, and HR teams looking for bookable 1:1 specialists across a wider range of needs.

Kara Connect Starter Hub: €100 per session (Pay-As-You-Go)

Unlike Health Assured’s per-person-per-month model, Kara Connect’s Starter Hub charges nothing until an employee books and completes a session. Employers set their own monthly budget cap and pay only for what gets used.

Companies pay for the sessions their employees use. Each company receives a branded Wellbeing Hub featuring 40–70 practitioners curated from Kara Connect’s broader network of roughly 3,000, tailored to the workforce’s needs rather than a generic directory.

Employees can choose between online sessions or visiting the practitioner at their private practice or clinic, making this a hybrid model rather than a digital-only offering.

The Bottom Line 👉 The Starter Hub reduces the financial risk of traditional EAPs, making it a low-risk entry point for organisations that want to measure real engagement before scaling investment.

Kara Connect Advanced Plans: Custom Pricing

For larger organisations, Kara Connect offers tailored Wellbeing Hubs with custom branding, anonymised reporting, and wellbeing strategy support. These plans include dedicated Customer Success Managers who handle implementation, employee rollout sessions, and ongoing reporting. Implementation averages 4 weeks from sign-off to go-live.

The Bottom Line 👉 Advanced plans suit organisations ready to invest in a tailored wellbeing strategy with measurable engagement, while maintaining flexible pricing.

Kara Connect: What’s Included at Every Level

Regardless of plan, every employee using Kara Connect gets:

– No triage. Every employee can book directly with any practitioner in their company’s curated hub
– First session with the actual practitioner. Because there is no triage step, the employee’s first conversation is with the professional who will support them. They never explain their situation twice
– 60+ specialist areas organised across five wellbeing pillars: Mental & Emotional Wellbeing (anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, resilience, mindfulness), Professional Growth & Workplace Health (burnout prevention, career coaching, conflict mediation), Physical Health & Vitality (nutrition, sleep, physical therapy, menopause, substance use), Family, Relationships & Community (parenting, divorce, LGBTQI+, elderly care, neurodiversity), and Financial & Legal Security (budgeting, debt management, investing), many of which are not offered as bookable 1:1 specialities in a generalist short-term counselling model
– Session availability within 48 hours, often same-day or next-day
– 30+ languages with sessions delivered by a practitioner fluent in the employee’s language, not a translation line relaying the conversation through an interpreter
– Online or in-person sessions. Employees choose between video sessions on Kara Connect’s secure, built-in platform or visiting the practitioner at their private practice
– GDPR-compliant, end-to-end encrypted sessions backed by ISO 27001 certification, NORDEC accreditation, and a public trust centre
– Complete confidentiality from employers. Only anonymised usage data is shared; individual session content is never disclosed
– WHO-5 Wellbeing Index, a clinically validated World Health Organisation self-assessment tool for employees to privately monitor their wellbeing over time, with aggregated anonymised data giving organisations strategic insight into workforce wellbeing trends
– ARM-5 Therapeutic Alliance Measurement, anonymous post-session feedback measuring the quality of the practitioner-employee relationship, a clinically meaningful metric that correlates with treatment outcomes
– Credit request system. When company-funded sessions run out but ongoing support is warranted, practitioners can request additional sessions with clinical rationale, without disclosing the employee’s identity to the employer
– Family access. Employees can share session credits with family members aged 16+, at the employer’s discretion
– Transition to private pay if employer credits run out, preserving the therapeutic relationship rather than forcing the employee to start over with a new provider

Health Assured Feature Value Breakdown (vs Kara Connect)

Pricing Model and Financial Risk

Health Assured’s Approach: Health Assured charges a flat per-person, per-month fee regardless of whether employees use the service. With advertised rates starting from £1.30 per person, per month (based, per its own pricing footnote, on a 60-month term with 100+ employees), and tiered packages priced through sales consultation, this model provides budget certainty but creates unused capacity when utilisation is low. According to the EAPA UK ‘Holding It Together’ report, just 1.8% of eligible UK employees were offered counselling through their EAP in 2022.

Kara Connect’s Approach: Kara Connect’s Starter Hub charges €100 per session actually used, with no upfront or ongoing subscription costs. If only 15 employees use the service and each has 3 sessions, the annual cost is €4,500. The employer controls spending through monthly budget caps and credit allocation. This reduces the unused-capacity problem but makes budgeting less predictable than a fixed per-head model. Kara Connect costs more per employee who engages, but that is the point: the investment goes toward employees who are actually receiving professional support.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kara Connect is better for organisations that want to avoid paying for unused capacity, while Health Assured suits those who prefer fixed, predictable costs regardless of utilisation.

Access Model and Employee Experience

Health Assured’s Approach: Employees call a 24/7 support line and speak to a counsellor who conducts an assessment and determines the appropriate care pathway. The counsellor may provide in-the-moment support, refer to structured counselling, or direct the employee to legal or financial advisors. Providers frame this as a clinical safeguard; the practical trade-off is that the employee explains their situation to the first counsellor and, where structured counselling is recommended, again to the counsellor they are referred to. Where an issue falls outside the programme’s contracted scope, the employee is signposted to external services.

Kara Connect’s Approach: Employees browse a curated directory of 40–70 hand-selected practitioners, select their preferred professional, and book directly, with availability typically within 48 hours, often same-day or next-day. There is no triage step, no call centre, and no HR involvement. There is no triage: whether the need is depression, bereavement, neurodiversity, menopause, addiction, or financial stress, the employee can book with a specialist who covers it. The first conversation is with the actual practitioner who will support them. Kara Connect also includes finance and legal professionals, so employees can access these specialities through the same direct-booking model.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kara Connect is better for employee autonomy, speed of access, and breadth of coverage. Health Assured is better for organisations wanting a single integrated support line covering mental health, legal, and financial advice in one call.

Engagement and Utilisation

Health Assured’s Approach: As a traditional EAP, Health Assured operates in an industry with low utilisation. The EAPA UK ‘Holding It Together’ report (2023) found that of 24.45 million UK employees with EAP access in 2022, only 640,000 (2.6%) contacted their provider, and just 434,250 (1.8%) were offered counselling, with the number who actually completed counselling unknown but no higher than 1.8%. A total of 1.375 million sessions were delivered, averaging roughly 3.2 sessions per person offered counselling. Health Assured does not publish its own utilisation rate; these are industry-wide figures.

The phone-based intake model adds a step before employees access structured support. Health Assured has invested in the Wisdom app to boost digital engagement alongside its core clinical offering.

Kara Connect’s Approach: Kara Connect reports overall engagement rates averaging around 23%, with 15% of employees booking 1:1 sessions with professionals. This distinction matters: the 15%+ figure reflects actual clinical engagement (employees sitting down with a practitioner), not logins, course completions, or app opens. The direct-booking model removes friction: employees see available professionals, pick one, and schedule. Kara Connect reports a 300% ROI for businesses based on reduced absenteeism and higher productivity tied to this engagement.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kara Connect is better for organisations that measure wellbeing benefit success by whether employees actually use the service.

Coverage Breadth and Speciality Access

Health Assured’s Approach: Health Assured’s counselling services follow the traditional EAP model, covering general mental health support alongside integrated legal and financial advice, with digital therapy pathways through SilverCloud, Rightsteps and Power to Recover. Structured counselling in this model is short-term and generalist by design. Employees presenting with needs outside the contracted scope are signposted to external services or the public health system rather than supported within the programme.

Kara Connect’s Approach: Kara Connect covers 60+ specialities organised across five wellbeing pillars, including areas rarely offered as bookable 1:1 specialities in a traditional EAP: neurodiversity support, menopause assistance, addiction and substance use, nutrition and diet, physical therapy, sleep support, speech therapy, career coaching, LGBTQI+ support, parenting and family dynamics, and financial coaching. Bookable 1:1 specialist sessions in these areas are not part of the traditional EAP model.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kara Connect covers more ground. Organisations whose workforces need bookable 1:1 specialists, particularly in areas like neurodiversity and menopause where UK legal obligations are tightening, will find a generalist counselling model limiting.

Contract Flexibility

Health Assured’s Approach: Health Assured’s advertised headline pricing is based on a 5-year (60-month) term with 100+ employees. Organisations taking the advertised rates are therefore working to a 5-year horizon, which provides stability but limits the ability to switch providers, adjust services, or respond to changing workforce needs. Other contract terms may be available, but terms and pricing are not publicly disclosed.

Kara Connect’s Approach: The Starter Hub operates with no minimum time commitments and no lock-in contracts. The pay-per-session model allows organisations to start with a controlled rollout and scale as needed. This flexibility suits organisations testing wellbeing benefits for the first time or those with rapidly changing needs.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kara Connect is better for organisations wanting flexibility and low commitment, while Health Assured suits those ready for a long-term partnership.

Trust and Data Privacy

Health Assured’s Approach: Health Assured’s confidentiality practices came under scrutiny following a 2024 BBC investigation that alleged corporate clients could listen in on confidential support line calls without caller consent, and that staff were pressured to limit counselling referrals. Health Assured’s CEO denied the allegations. The BACP temporarily suspended the company’s organisational accreditation while it reviewed the claims; accreditation is currently in place. EAPA UK concluded its own review in March 2026 without formal action beyond requesting a further independent external audit (detail above).

Kara Connect’s Approach: Kara Connect maintains a public trust centre showing all compliance certifications, including ISO 27001, GDPR compliance, and NORDEC accreditation. All video sessions run through a secure, built-in conferencing tool (no reliance on external software like Zoom or Teams) with end-to-end encryption. Each practitioner operates within a dedicated, encrypted Professional Digital Workstation where sessions, clinical notes, and documentation are managed in isolation from other practitioners and employers. The Icelandic government and EU agencies use the platform.

🪙 Value Verdict: For organisations where trust and data privacy are deciding factors, Kara Connect’s transparent, independently certified security architecture offers a measurable advantage.

Final Verdict: Health Assured vs Kara Connect

The choice between Health Assured and Kara Connect depends on how your organisation thinks about employee wellbeing: as a coverage obligation or an engagement opportunity.

👍 Health Assured is a traditional EAP provider built for large organisations that want always-on wellbeing infrastructure. With advertised rates from £1.30 per person per month, it bundles a 24/7 support line, structured counselling (6–12 sessions depending on tier), legal and financial advice, and the Wisdom digital platform into a single fixed cost. This model works best for organisations with 100+ employees seeking predictable budgeting, public sector bodies and large enterprises needing established compliance credentials, and companies that value having integrated legal, financial, and medical support alongside mental health services.

Book a demo with Health Assured here

👉 Kara Connect is a marketplace-based wellbeing platform built on the principle that every person should choose their own professional, with no triage before booking. With pay-as-you-go pricing at €100 per session, no contracts, setup fees, or minimums, it delivers clinical engagement rates around 15% for 1:1 professional sessions (compared to the 1.8% of employees offered counselling through traditional EAPs).

With 60+ specialities spanning mental health, neurodiversity, menopause, addiction, nutrition, and financial coaching (areas rarely offered as bookable 1:1 specialities in a generalist short-term counselling model), employees get support for the issue they actually have. This direct-access approach suits organisations frustrated by low EAP utilisation, companies wanting to start with a controlled rollout before committing to a multi-year arrangement, and HR teams that want every employee able to book without triage.

Book a demo with Kara Connect here.

The difference isn’t just the pricing structure. It’s philosophy. Health Assured asks “How can we provide coverage for every employee?” Kara Connect asks “How can we make sure every employee actually gets the support they need?“

Health Assured Pricing FAQ

Is Health Assured free to use?

Health Assured does not offer a free plan or trial. Organisations interested in the service can schedule a free demo to explore the platform before committing. The headline from-£1.30 rate is based on a 60-month term with 100+ employees; the on-page calculator quotes smaller headcounts at higher per-person rates.

How much does Health Assured really cost per employee?

Health Assured’s advertised rates start from £1.30 per person per month (Core plan), plus VAT; its own pricing footnotes state these advertised rates are based on a 5-year (60-month) term with 100+ employees. The on-page calculator quotes higher per-person rates for smaller headcounts, scaling to £44.79 per person per month at 2 employees, with contract terms confirmed at quote stage (all figures as of 12 August 2026). All prices exclude VAT (adding 20% in the UK).

What’s included in Health Assured’s cheapest plan?

The Core plan includes 24/7 confidential support line access, up to 6 structured counselling sessions per issue per year, legal and financial advice, and access to the Wisdom app with mood tracking, mini health checks, and self-help resources. Per-person pricing for Core is quoted by the on-page calculator (from £1.30 pp/pm at 100+ employees, plus VAT; as of 12 August 2026).

How does Kara Connect’s pricing compare to Health Assured?

The two platforms use different pricing models. Health Assured charges per employee per month whether they use the service or not (advertised rates from £1.30 pp/pm, based per Health Assured’s footnote on a 60-month term with 100+ employees, plus VAT; as of 12 August 2026). Kara Connect charges €100 per session actually used, with no subscription fees. For an organisation where 15 employees each use 3 sessions annually, Kara Connect would cost approximately €4,500/year, whereas Health Assured’s annual cost depends on the per-person rate quoted by the on-page calculator for the chosen headcount and plan. Kara Connect costs more per employee who engages, but with clinical engagement rates exceeding 15% versus the 1.8% offered counselling through traditional EAPs, the investment goes toward employees actually receiving professional support.

Can I try Kara Connect before committing?

Yes. Kara Connect’s Starter Hub is free to set up with no subscription fees and no contract. You pay only when an employee books and completes a session. The pay-per-session model lets you start with a controlled rollout and scale as engagement data confirms the value, making it straightforward to test the platform with a defined group before rolling it out organisation-wide.

Which platform has better engagement rates?

Kara Connect reports overall engagement rates averaging around 23%, with 15% of employees booking 1:1 sessions with professionals. This clinical engagement figure (employees actually sitting down with a practitioner) is the more meaningful measure. By comparison, the EAPA UK ‘Holding It Together’ report (2023) records 24.45 million UK employees with EAP access in 2022, of whom 434,250 (1.8%, calculated from the report’s figures) were offered counselling. The difference traces to Kara Connect’s direct-booking model, which removes the phone-based triage step of traditional EAPs. Employees browse practitioners, book directly, and receive support without a prior triage assessment.