Why is private healthcare better?

Private healthcare isn’t necessarily ‘better’ than the NHS. Often the same consultants and surgeons will work in both the NHS and the private sector. The main benefit of private healthcare over the NHS is largely the speed at which you’ll be treated. You will also have a choice of facilities you can visit and doctors you can see. You can expect private ensuite rooms and an environment where friends and family can visit round-the-clock. There’ll also typically be a better quality of hospital food. However, these are generally ‘nice to haves’ rather than essential healthcare services. We’ve written a guide comparing private healthcare and the NHS , so if you want to read more about why private healthcare is worth it, check it out.

Will it cover pre-existing conditions?

A Private Health Insurance policy is designed to cover acute medical conditions. If it can be treated and cured by medication, that’s an acute condition. Any pre-existing condition you have before taking out your policy is unlikely to be covered. Here we’re talking about major health problems, such as cancer, respiratory conditions, and mental health issues. If you choose moratorium underwriting, any condition you have suffered or received treatment for in the past 5 years will be excluded. If you opt for full medical underwriting, any exclusions for existing health conditions will be declared from the outset. When you apply for Private Health Insurance, you’ll have to tell the insurer about any pre-existing conditions.

Does Private Medical Insurance cover overseas travel?

Some of the best UK Private Health Insurance policies include overseas travel cover for a set number of days per policy year as standard. There are also a number of options to upgrade your cover to include travel. If you’re an avid traveller, you might be better off with an International Health Insurance policy . While we’re lucky to have access to free healthcare in the UK via the NHS, other countries don’t receive state-funded medical treatment. The last thing you want while you’re on holiday is to fall ill and be faced with hefty hospital bills.

How do I make sure I keep the best Private Health Insurance?

Your insurer will write to you annually when your private health insurance is up for renewal. Each year you may find your premiums rise slightly. This is typically down to medical inflation, which reflects the growing cost of procedures, drugs and treatments. It’s vitally important you regularly review your policy and premiums to ensure you’re getting the best deal. As part of our service at Drewberry, we take care of this for all our clients. If we find you cheaper or better cover elsewhere, we’ll also be able to help you switch insurers.

Compare 6 Best Private Health Insurance Companies UK 2024 [Review]

Rated 4.92 / 5 by 3881 client reviews
4.9 / 5

Tom ConnerDirector

0127 364 6484

07/10/2024

10 mins

Finding the best Health Insurance can be tricky. There are a range of insurers and plans available, each with their own unique policy options and levels of cover. This can make the decision-making process overwhelming, and it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Not all policies are equal, and some will align more closely with your own specific needs and circumstances. With this in mind, it’s important to understand how they differ and what the key factors are you need to consider before taking out cover.

To help you do this, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to finding the best health insurance below 👇.

5 Minute Video Guide To Private Health Insurance In The UK

Not got enough time to read our guide, but want a quick expert overview? Our very own Alex Weir gives us the rundown on Private Health Insurance and what to consider before buying a policy. Just hit play! 👇

What Is Health Insurance?

Although different providers offer different types of cover, at its core, all Health Insurance is the same. It provides you with private medical care so you don’t have to rely solely on the NHS.

By going private, you enjoy far shorter waiting times, often with a choice of consultants, treatment, and facilities that are convenient for you. It can give you access to:

New drugs and novel treatments that may not yet be available on the NHS
Private hospitals with usually superior facilities, e.g. private, ensuite rooms and round-the-clock visiting hours
Fully paid-for treatment by your insurer (less any excess).

Why Is Private Health Insurance Important?

We are extremely lucky to have access to free healthcare through the National Health Service; however, not all services and treatments are available on it, and due to resource and budget cuts, waiting times are getting longer and longer.

By having private healthcare, you can get peace of mind, knowing that should you need treatment, you will get it quickly and in some of the best facilities.

Check out our reviews for each of the top UK health insurers including Bupa, Aviva and Vitality.

And if you want to get an idea of cost, our online Health Insurance quote tool compares premiums of all the top UK health insurers.

Alex Weir
Independent Health & Protection Expert

Who Are The 6 Top Health Insurance Companies UK?

The UK has a few major Private Health Insurance providers to choose from. Each insurer has its own unique underwriting, policy options and pricing philosophy.

It’s important to compare quotes from each provider to ensure you find the right policy for you. It’s not a case of one-size-fits-all when it comes to insurance, as every person has individual needs and circumstances. And the cheapest quote doesn’t always mean it’s the best for your specific needs.


Outpatient Cover
✅	Included in full as standard. You can remove it to reduce premiums. It covers: Tests / scans and therapies in full Up to £2,000 per policy year for GP-referred outpatient psychiatric care. You can cap outpatient cover at £500 or £1,000 per policy year. If you do, Aviva still pays in full for chemo / radiotherapy, scans and tests before an inpatient admission.
Cancer Care
✅	In full as standard. Includes: Inpatient and outpatient chemo / radiotherapy £100 for each day or night of eligible treatment on the NHS, with no overall limit Bone strengthening drugs (e.g. bisphosphonates) Stem cell / bone marrow transplants £5,000 towards post-surgery prosthetics and £100 towards a wig following hair loss from chemotherapy.
Therapies Cover
⚠️	Aviva includes therapies under outpatient care, but only when referred by a specialist Access to therapies via a GP referral is an optional extra for an additional premium.
Psychiatric Care
💷	Not as standard (except £2,000 towards GP-referred outpatient psychiatric care per policy year) Add it for an extra premium to get up to 28 days of inpatient treatment per year.
Additional Benefits
The Drewberry Verdict
👍	Some outpatient mental healthcare as standard
👍	Aviva’s partnerships offer treatment in a wide variety of private hospital networks
👍	Aviva’s £3,000 and £5,000 excesses are the highest available. If you can afford them they will significantly cut premiums
🏆	5-star rating from independent insurance reviewer Defaqto.
❌	Therapies cover is standard with outpatient care, but only by a specialist’s referral. To get GP-referred therapies, you must pay extra.

Outpatient Cover
💷	Not as standard—add it for an extra premium. If you do, there are 2 options: Standard cover—up to 3 specialist consultations a year, unlimited diagnostic tests and scans Full cover—no annual limit on specialist consultations, diagnostic tests or scans.
Cancer Care
✅	Comprehensive cover included as standard. This provides: Inpatient and outpatient chemo / radiotherapy (including at-home chemotherapy where clinically appropriate) Surgery Biological / hormone therapies Bone strengthening drugs (e.g. bisphosphonates) Proton beam therapy for certain cancers in limited circumstances Stem cell / bone marrow transplants £5,000 towards post-surgery prosthetics, £400 per year towards wigs following hair loss from chemotherapy.
⚠️	If you’ve previously had cancer, AXA may only offer NHS cancer support. Here, AXA won’t pay for cancer care, so you use the NHS unless there’s a licensed treatment the NHS doesn’t offer
Therapies Cover
💷	Not as standard or with outpatient cover. You must add it at extra cost. Get up to 10 sessions from a physiotherapist, acupuncturist, homeopath, osteopath or chiropractor when a GP or Working Body refers you. If a specialist refers you, AXA covers further sessions at its discretion.
Psychiatric Care
💷	Not as standard. Add it for an extra premium. If you do, it pays in full for: Inpatient fees for mental healthcare Specialist fees for psychiatric treatment as an inpatient or outpatient Outpatient treatment by psychologists, psychiatrists and cognitive behavioural therapists.
Additional Benefits
Up to 5 x remote GP appointments (24/7) per year when you pay for extended cover Fast track access to physiotherapy for musculoskeletal problems via AXA’s support for muscles, bones and joints service Health at Hand—a 24/7 helpline staffed by nurses and counsellors to assist with minor health issues Transport in a private ambulance NHS inpatient cash benefit of £50 per night up to £2,000 per year if you opt to have inpatient treatment that your policy would have covered on the NHS instead If you have Comprehensive Cancer Cover, AXA pays an NHS cancer treatment benefit of £50 a day up to £2,000 a year if you opt to have chemo / radiotherapy on the NHS that your policy would have paid for Parent accommodation if your child under 16 is in hospital having eligible inpatient treatment Child ear corrective surgery—one surgery for a child (aged under 14) covering procedure to correct prominent (bat) ears Port-wine stain birthmark correction—laser treatment to improve a port-wine stain birthmark on the face of a child the policy covers aged under 14 Child speech therapy—up to 6 sessions per year for a child under 14 who needs it due to developmental delay.
The Drewberry Verdict
👍	High excess of £5,000 available when you choose full outpatient cover. If you can afford it, this will significantly cut premiums
👍	Excellent cancer care with comprehensive cover. This includes proton beam therapy in limited circumstances for certain cancers, which is rarely available elsewhere
👍	Fast-track access to physiotherapy via AXA’s support for muscles, bones and joints service if you suffer from musculoskeletal issues
👍	AXA provides policies to applicants who are receiving treatment of raised blood pressure
👍	Its personal health policy is one of the best on the market in terms of how flexible cover can be. Policyholders can tailor their cover
🏆	More than 10,500 reviews on independent reviews website Trustpilot, rating it 4.2 stars out of 5 Defaqto gives it a 5-star rating.
❌	Digital GP appointments are limited to 5 per year. Only available when you pay for extended cover
❌	If you’ve had cancer before taking out a policy, AXA typically only offers NHS Cancer Support. This doesn’t cover cancer, so you have to use the NHS for cancer care unless there’s a licensed treatment the NHS doesn’t offer
❌	Therapies cover isn’t included as standard or with outpatient cover. You pay extra to add it on, but even then it’s fairly limited in scope
❌	Premiums can be costly for policyholders with the highest level of cover

Outpatient Cover
❌	Treatment & Care Plan No, unless part of an inpatient admission / follow-up within 6 months of an inpatient discharge
✅	Comprehensive Plan Covered in full, including tests / scans and mental healthcare
Cancer Care
3 options: Full cancer cover—full cover for all inpatient and outpatient cancer treatment with no time / financial limits No cancer cover—doesn’t pay for cancer treatment, you use the NHS for your care if you develop cancer.
Therapies Cover
✅	Both Comprehensive and Treatment & Care plans cover physiotherapy in full
💷	Add the complementary therapies options for an extra premium for access to: Acupuncture Chiropractic treatment Osteopathy.
Psychiatric Cover
✅	Up to 28 days of inpatient mental healthcare covered in full as standard Outpatient mental healthcare covered in full as standard on the Comprehensive plan.
Additional Benefits
24/7 remote GP access 24/7 access and unlimited calls to a helpline staffed by trained nurses for smaller health concerns Menopause Helpline open from 8am to 8pm everyday Direct Access fast track service—see a specialist without visiting your GP first for cancer, mental health and musculoskeletal symptoms Parent accommodation if your child under 16 is in hospital having eligible inpatient treatment Transport in a private ambulance NHS cash benefit of £50 per night for up to 35 nights if you opt to use the NHS for inpatient treatment that your policy would have paid for If you choose full cancer cover, Bupa pays a cancer cash benefit of £100 for each day / night you have NHS cancer treatment that your policy would have paid for.
The Drewberry Verdict
👍	Remote GP service
👍	Full cover for inpatient mental healthcare as standard
👍	Huge network of private hospitals to have treatment in
👍	Bupa provides policies to applicants who are receiving treatment of raised blood pressure
👍	Easiest claims process; policyholders don’t need GP referral
👍	Best cancer care cover in the UK; offers experimental treatment
👍	Specific specialist centres / direct access for cancer (bowel, prostate and breast cancer), cardiovascular & musculoskeletal issues
🏆	More than 23,000 reviews on independent reviews website Trustpilot. This rates it as excellent with 4.2 stars out of 5 5-star rating from Defaqto.
❌	While physiotherapy comes as standard, access to other therapies requires you to pay extra

Outpatient Cover
💷	An optional extra for an additional premium except for CT, MRI and PET scans and outpatient surgery, which are covered in full as standard. Choose either: Full cover—pays for all eligible outpatient care in full Limited cover—limits outpatient treatment to £500 or £1,000 per year.
Cancer Care
✅	In full as standard. The Exeter offers: Chemo / radiotherapy (including at-home chemotherapy where clinically appropriate) Full cover for surgery, including the removal of a tumour and any consequent reconstructive surgery. Stem cell / bone marrow transplant Hormone therapy. NHS cash benefit – £150 per night for up to 30 nights if a member has free in-patient treatment for cancer under the NHS that would otherwise have been covered under your policy.
Therapies Cover
💷	Optional add on for an extra premium. Pays for sessions with a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, acupuncturist, podiatrist, speech therapist or a dietician (up to 2 dietician sessions per member per year), plus visits to a pain clinic The Exeter pays for these in full or up to your outpatient limit.
Psychiatric Cover
💷	Optional add-on for an extra premium. Pays in full for: Up to 28 days of inpatient mental health care Outpatient treatment by psychiatrists, psychologists and cognitive behavioural therapists.
Additional Benefits
Unlimited appointments with a digital GP per policy year HealthWise smartphone app offering up to 2 video consultations per year for a second medical opinion; up to 6 video sessions with a physiotherapist per year; and up to 6 video sessions with specialists to help with mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression; up to 6 consultations with lifestyle and nutrition specialists One health MOT kit per year Transport in a private ambulance Home nursing after an inpatient stay for eligible treatment Parental accommodation if your child under 18 is in hospital having eligible inpatient treatment NHS cash benefit of £150 per night for each night you opt to spend in an NHS hospital receiving inpatient treatment your policy would have paid for.
The Drewberry Verdict
👍	High excess of £5,000 available. If you can afford it, this will significantly cut premiums
👍	Speech therapy included as part of therapies cover; this is rare in the market
👍	Appointments at a pain management clinic are available with therapies cover. This is rare in the market
👍	Competitive premiums; best for low budgets
👍	Community friendly, can provide paper forms as well as online apps
🏆	Winner: Best Health & Wellness Offering, COVER Customer Care Awards 2022 5-star Defaqto rating.
❌	Outpatient options can be confusing. Not only can you limit outpatient cover to cut premiums, but if you do you can then opt to pay extra so you still get unlimited outpatient diagnostics
❌	No option to add optical and dental cover to your policy if you want to
❌	As a smaller insurer, The Exeter doesn’t necessarily have the deep pockets of its larger rivals
❌	Covers cancer treatment in full as standard; however, it’s a more basic coverage than some larger rivals

Outpatient Cover
💷	An optional add on for an extra premium that either pays in full or caps it at £1,500 per year. It includes: GP-referred diagnostic tests (e.g. x-rays and blood tests) up to £750 Scans in full when a specialist refers you for them 6 sessions of physiotherapy following a GP referral.
Cancer Care
✅	In full as standard. It includes: Chemo / radiotherapy, including at-home chemotherapy where clinically appropriate Surgery Biological therapies Hormone therapies Bone strengthening drugs, e.g. bisphosphonates Stem cell / bone marrow transplants £250 towards a wig following hair loss due to chemotherapy 1 genetic test to match your chemotherapy to your cancer.
Therapies Cover
💷	An optional add-on for an extra premium. Physiotherapy comes with outpatient cover, but is limited to 6 sessions if a GP refers you rather than a specialist Pay for the alternative therapies option for further cover. In full, this covers GP and specialist referred acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, homeopathy, osteopathy and podiatry with a 6 session limit if your GP refers you.
Psychiatric Cover
💷	An optional add-on for an extra premium. Pays in full for up to 45 days of inpatient psychiatric treatment Up to £2,000 of outpatient treatment.
Additional Benefits
24/7 digital GP access Free cover for younger children once you’d paid to add your oldest child to the policy Transport in a private ambulance Home nursing for up to 13 weeks following an eligible inpatient procedure NHS cash benefit of £200 for each night you decide to have NHS inpatient treatment for a condition that your policy covers rather than using the plan Baby bonus of £150 for each child born after the policy’s start date.
The Drewberry Verdict
👍	The psychiatric optional add-on covers 45 days of inpatient treatment per year, the longest in the market
👍	Physiotherapy included with outpatient cover
👍	Get a discount if you can afford to pay your premiums annually rather than monthly
👍	Home nursing after an eligible inpatient procedure is available for up to 13 weeks, far longer than with most other insurers
👍	New player in the private health market, best suited to families in London
🏆	Freedom has a 4-star Defaqto rating for its policy
❌	Limits on outpatient diagnostic tests such as X-rays and blood tests of £750 per policy year, even with full outpatient cover. Most providers cover these in full with outpatient care.
❌	As a smaller insurer, Freedom doesn’t necessarily have the deep pockets of its larger rivals.
❌	While Freedom pays for cancer care in full, its coverage is a bit more basic compared to its larger competitors
❌	Limited additional benefits

Outpatient Cover
💷	An optional add-on for an extra premium. Choose for Vitality to pay for all eligible outpatient cover in full or have an annual cap of: £500 £750 £1,000 £1,250 £1,500. If you cap outpatient cover, you can add Full Cover Diagnostics for an extra premium, so Vitality still pays in full for diagnostic tests / scans etc. Only consultations come out of your outpatient limit.
Cancer Care
✅	In full as standard. It covers: Chemo / radiotherapy Surgery Biological / hormone therapies Immunotherapy Bone strengthening drugs (e.g. bisphosphonates) Stem cell therapy Bone marrow transplant Unlimited followup care after eligible cancer treatment Up to £300 per cancer claim for wigs and restyling of wigs Scalp cooling to reduce hair loss from chemotherapy.
Therapies Cover
✅	Physiotherapy as standard when you add outpatient cover providing it’s arranged via Vitality’s Priority Physiotherapy Network
💷	Add these on for an extra premium to get full cover for: Osteopathy Chiropractic treatment Chiropody / podiatry Acupuncture Homeopathy Up to two consultations with a dietician.
Psychiatric Care
💷	Optional add-on for an extra premium. It includes: Unlimited sessions of talking therapies (e.g. counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy) £1,500 towards outpatient mental health treatment 28 days of inpatient and day-patient treatment in a psychiatric hospital.
Additional Benefits
Digital GP service Face-to-face private GP service—see a private GP for an upfront payment of £20 if you select London Care as your hospital list Mental health support as standard—core cover includes mental health support that offers services such as up to 8 talking therapy sessions Vitality Menopause Support – a service dedicated to menopause support and care in partnership with leading digital health platform, Peppy. Transport in a private ambulance Home nursing following an inpatient admission for eligible treatment Parent accommodation if a child under 14 is in hospital having inpatient treatment A baby bonus of £100 on the birth / adoption of a child NHS cash benefit of £250 per per night up to £2,000 if you opt to have NHS inpatient treatment for a condition your policy covers. Lifestyle Surgery Vitality offers certain lifestyle surgeries not usually covered by health insurance once you’ve held the policy for 12 months. This is subject to you paying 25% of the cost of surgery upfront. This includes: Weight loss surgery Pays for a gastric band, gastric sleeve or gastric bypass if you have a BMI or over 40 or a BMI of over 35 with co-morbid conditions such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea or high blood pressure Port-wine stain birthmark correction Up to ten sessions of laser treatment for a child under five the policy covers to correct a port-wine stain birthmark on the face Correction of prominent ears in children Ear reshaping surgery to correct prominent (bat) ears in a child aged between 5 and 14 Breast reduction / male breast tissue removal Female breast reduction or removal of excessive male breast tissue (gynaecomastia) for covered individuals aged under 21 with a BMI of under 27.
The Drewberry Verdict
👍	Access to mental health therapies as standard, with up to 8 sessions per year even without adding psychiatric cover
👍	Physiotherapy included as standard with outpatient cover
👍	Vitality is one of the few insurers offering surgery such as breast reduction and weight loss procedures. While it’s subject to you paying 25% of the cost and meeting strict eligibility criteria, it’s an option few other insurers offer
👍	High nightly NHS cash benefit if you choose to have NHS inpatient treatment rather than using your policy
👍	Vitality’s personal health cover is one of the best for its flexibility to make changes to policy options
🏆	Winner: Moneyfacts 5 Star Private Medical Insurance 2023, Best Private Medical Insurance Provider 2013-2021, Cover Excellence Outstanding Individual Health Insurance 2021 5-star Defaqto rating More than 39,500 client reviews on independent reviews site Trustpilot, rating Vitality 4.2/5.
❌	Highest excess available is £1,000. Other insurers have higher excesses; if you can afford this and want to keep costs down it might make more sense to choose another provider
❌	After a policyholder makes a successful claims, the premiums will steeply increase
❌	Digital GP service isn’t 24/7 (although there is a free 24/7 GP telephone helpline, which you can also use while abroad)

Private Health Insurance Product Reviews

Our expert in-depth review of each of the UK's leading insurance providers

What Do The Best Private Health Insurance Policies Cover?

This is a good question. Even the best Private Healthcare won’t cover you for everything. It’s vital to understand what is offered as standard, the optional extras that can be added and what isn’t included.

Acute Conditions

Firstly, a policy will only cover you for acute conditions. These are conditions which are short term and can be cured with treatment. This means, chronic conditions, such as Diabetes and Heart Disease won’t be covered as they are long term and can’t be cured.

Inpatient & Outpatient Cover

What your policy will actually cover in terms of acute conditions, will depend on the level of protection you put in place. All medical treatment is split into two categories inpatient and outpatient and there are distinct differences between the two:

Inpatient Cover
This is any treatment which requires the use of a hospital bed. Either for a day or overnight
Outpatient Cover
Covers any treatment that you might need that doesn’t require a hospital bed. For example scans and diagnostics.

All Health Insurance policies will include inpatient treatment as standard, however outpatient treatment isn’t included. This is something you will have to build into your policy, and the level you opt for will determine what is included in your cover.

Insurers tend to categorise their Health Insurance products in the following way:

Basic Health Insurance
Basic Health Insurance only pays for inpatient care and doesn’t offer any outpatient care at all
Mid-Range Cover
Mid-Range covers some outpatient treatment up to a set monetary limit per year. The insurer offers a range of choices for this limit, such as £500, £1,000 or £1,500 a year
Comprehensive Health Insurance
As the name suggests, Comprehensive Health Insurance is the best health cover. These plans pay for all eligible inpatient and outpatient care in full.

Do I Need Outpatient Cover?

You don’t have to add outpatient cover to your Private Health Insurance. Having little or no outpatient cover means your premiums will be lower. However, without it you will have to rely on the NHS for outpatient scans and diagnostics. This can often slow down access to private inpatient care.

Below shows what the process for treatment looks like with and without outpatient cover.

Treatment With Outpatient Cover
Private Healthcare Process

Treatment Without Outpatient Cover

Good To Know 🤓
Comprehensive Health Insurance policies provide the highest level of outpatient cover. However they are also the most expensive. If you are limited by budget, look at a mid-range plan. Having some outpatient cover is better than having none at all.

Cancer Cover

All health insurance cover will include cancer care as standard. This will give you access to cutting-edge treatment that isn’t yet available on the NHS. Benefits of this type of cover can include:

Giving you the choice of having chemotherapy at home rather than in a clinical setting
Covering the cost of wigs and prostheses that are required as a result of cancer treatment / surgery
Money to pay for scalp cooling, to reduce hair loss from chemotherapy
Donations to a hospice should you need to stay in one to receive palliative care
Access to home nursing for a certain number of days, where a dedicated private nurse will come to your home to check up on you during your treatment.

Cancer Cover is a highly valuable feature of a Health Insurance policy. It can ensure timely and effective treatment. As well as giving you peace of mind, knowing that you have access to advanced treatments not readily available on the NHS and comprehensive care management.

Alex Weir
Independent Health & Protection Expert

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How To Choose The Best Private Health Insurance UK

Regardless of the type of policy you choose, to get the best private health cover, you’ll need to compare some key factors relating to providers and policies. For example, you’ll want to examine:

The Insurer

First and foremost, look at the insurer providing your cover. What are their customer reviews like? How is the claims experience? Do they offer the level of cover you want in the areas you’re most concerned about?

Each insurer will be different in terms of the service and cover they provide. This is why you can’t view them all as being equal. It’s important to compare them to ensure you get the best cover for you.

Policy Options

This is the real nitty-gritty of the policy, laying out exactly what the Health Insurance plan will and won’t cover you for.

Outpatient Cover
As already mentioned you will have the option of adding outpatient cover to your policy. When comparing insurers look at the different options they provide. Do they offer a mid range plan as well as a comprehensive one?
Choice Of Excess
The Health Insurance policy excess is how much you agree to pay upfront towards your treatment. You can opt for an excess of zero, which means the insurer picks up the entire bill for your treatment. Or at the other end of the scale, some insurers offer a £5,000 excess. The higher your excess, the lower your premiums. It could be more cost effective to set a higher excess to reduce the amount you need to pay each month. Although, this depends on your circumstances.
Hospital List
Insurers arrange their hospital lists in tiers. The best Health Insurance cover offers private treatment in the top tier of hospitals. These include world-leading private facilities in Central London. Choose from a smaller list of less prestigious facilities outside of Central London if you want to save money.
Medical Underwriting
The policy underwriting affects both the cost and the conditions you can claim for based on your pre-existing medical history. We will look at what the best medical underwriting is in more detail below.

Policy Add-Ons

Outside of the core policy features mentioned above, it’s important to look at the additional extras that policies offer. Some may provide more flexibility when it comes to what can be added outside of core cover. When comparing insures look to see if you can add any of the following:

Therapies Cover
Therapy policy options include things like physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractor appointments. Insurers may include it with outpatient cover or add all therapies for an extra premium
Dental & Optical Cover
Dental and optical cover is always an optional extra for an additional premium. It includes routine dental (e.g. checkups, fillings, crowns etc.) and optical care (checkups, money towards glasses / contact lenses). It reimburses you a set amount towards treatment rather than paying in full
Mental Healthcare
Mental health policy options include private health treatment from a psychiatrist / psychologist in a private psychiatric facility. One major insurer offers this as standard, but most have it as an optional add-on for an extra premium.

Additional Benefits

All Health Insurance policies pay for private medical care. Alongside that, most insurers offer a range of extra benefits which can take your cover from basic to comprehensive. These might include:

24/7 virtual GP services
Medical helpline staffed by trained nurses for more minor medical concerns
Mental health support helpline
Gym discounts
A cash benefit if you opt for NHS inpatient care for a condition the policy covers rather using your insurance
A baby bonus if you have a child during your policy
Parent accommodation for one of your children (who the policy covers) if they require private inpatient care.

EXPERT TIP 🤓
Not all Private Health Insurance companies offer the same additional benefits, so it’s best to check these out insurer by insurer.

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Which Is The Best Medical Underwriting For Health Insurance?

If Private Health Insurance is new to you, don’t worry, we’ll make it simple. The way a policy is underwritten refers to an insurer assessing your medical history to decide whether you can get cover or not. You can choose moratorium underwriting or full medical underwriting (FMU).

Moratorium Underwriting

The most common form of underwriting. Moratorium excludes any medical condition for which you’ve had advice, treatment or medication for in the past 5 years.

This is usually on a 2 year rolling moratorium basis. Once you’ve reached the 2 year point on your active policy, your insurer will reconsider any claims for medical conditions suffered before your policy started. For an insurer to do this, you can’t have received any medical attention for the condition in those 2 years.

Full Medical Underwriting

Full medical underwriting (FMU) examines your entire medical history before you take out the policy. It then excludes all pre-existing conditions.

This means you know exactly what you are and aren’t covered for from the start. However, there’s usually very little opportunity to get exclusions removed.

Any health conditions you had more than 5 years ago aren’t generally taken into account when insurers underwrite you on a moratorium basis. However, they will most likely be examined when an insurer underwrites you on an FMU basis.

Which Should I Choose?

When you compare the two options, it all boils down to your medical history.

If you’ve had a minor medical condition in the past then an insurer might decide not to exclude it on an FMU basis once they’ve seen the medical evidence. This won’t likely be the case on a moratorium basis.

Ultimately, whether FMU is better than moratorium really depends on you and your past health. It’s critical to get this right, which is where having an expert in your corner can help.

Get in touch with us today by calling 02074425880 or emailing help@drewberry.co.uk.

Ben Brooks
Independent Health & Protection Expert

How To Get The Best Premiums?

Insurance is very personal, so we can’t offer an exact cost for Private Health Insurance. What you pay will depend on a number of personal and policy factors such as the insurer you choose, your age, location and level of cover.

Ultimately, the more comprehensive Health Insurance becomes, the more you’ll pay each month. For example, choosing add-ons such as psychiatric care or access to the best private hospitals in Central London will bump up the cost of cover.

To give you an idea of what you could pay each month, we’ve put together some example quotes below based on the different factors.

Insurer

Each insurer will charge differently when it comes to premiums. This is because they all have a different appetite to risk. When looking at the best cover for you, make sure you compare the different providers. They may offer very similar policies, but one may charge more for it. The below quote is based on:

A healthy 35 year old
Non-smoker
Office Worker
Comprehensive cover
£250 excess
Brighton based.

Different Insurers

£65.78	£101.48