🛡️ All 9 major UK health insurers
💰 Plans from £25.18/month

Compare the UK's Leading Health Insurers. Get the Right Cover at the Right Price.

Compare private medical insurance and health cash plans from every major UK provider — every figure verified against the provider's own documents — so you get the right policy, not just the cheapest one.

  • All 9 major providers compared
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  • Every figure verified & dated
Family protected by private medical insurance
Comparing BupaAXA HealthAvivaVitalityWPAThe Exeter + 3 more
9
Major Providers
£82.53/mo
UK Average Premium
60s
To Compare
£4bn
Claims Paid in 2024

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Quick questions about you and the cover you're after. Done in 60 seconds.

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Most people don't think about this until they're already waiting

These aren't scare tactics — they're the published numbers, dated. And they're exactly why more people are comparing private cover.

7.3m

Pathways on the NHS waiting list

Roughly 6.2 million people waiting for consultant-led care, with a median wait of 12.4 weeks (NHS England, May 2026).

34.4%

Of NHS pathways wait over 18 weeks

The NHS constitutional standard says 92% should be treated within 18 weeks. More than one in three now waits longer (May 2026 data).

£16,579

Nuffield Health's self-pay hip replacement price

Going private without insurance means bills like this — Practice Plus Group charges £13,199 fixed (published prices, 2025–26). Insurance exists for exactly these numbers.

12.2%

Of the UK now has private medical insurance

8.43 million people — the highest share since 2008 — and workplace schemes hit a record 4.8 million (LaingBuisson, Oct 2025; ABI, Jan 2026).

You're already thinking about it. That's the hardest part.

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Nine providers reviewed. No punches pulled.

No paid rankings, no fake reviews — just what the policy documents actually say, verified July 2026 and re-checked every ~90 days. Six highlights:

Frequently asked questions

🏥 Private Medical Insurance

There's no single best — it depends on your priority. On published claims performance, WPA authorised 97% of claims (data at 31 Dec 2025) and The Exeter paid 90% in 2025. For mental health included as standard, Vitality (8 sessions) and Aviva (£2,000 outpatient) lead. Bupa is the most complete all-rounder. Our comparison hub puts all nine side by side with verified, dated figures.
Not initially — every standard UK policy excludes conditions you had before joining. On moratorium terms, a condition from the look-back window (5 years at most insurers, 3 at AXA) can become covered after 2 trouble-free years. Benenden Health is the exception: no health questions at all, because it's discretionary healthcare rather than underwritten insurance.
Acute, curable conditions that arise after you join: private specialist consultations, diagnostic tests and scans, surgery, hospital charges and eligible cancer treatment — plus extras like digital GPs, mental health sessions and physiotherapy. Chronic conditions, emergencies and normal pregnancy stay with the NHS.

💷 Costs & Tax

£82.53/month on average for a single adult (myTribe survey of 11,770 real quotes, March 2026 data). Age drives it: basic cover averages £28.54/month at 20 and £151.04 at 70. Provider examples for healthy 30-year-olds run £42–£48/month (2025–26).
With 7.3 million NHS pathways waiting (median 12.4 weeks, May 2026) and self-pay hip surgery at £13,199–£16,579, cover is worth it if you value treatment speed and couldn't comfortably self-fund a five-figure operation. If you'd happily use the NHS and can self-pay occasionally, it's poor value — we say so plainly in our guides.
Not for sole traders — HMRC treats personal PMI as failing the 'wholly and exclusively' business test. A limited company can pay and deduct premiums, but they become a taxable benefit in kind for you via P11D, plus 15% employer Class 1A NIC (2026/27 rules, accessed July 2026).

➕ Health Cash Plans

A low-cost plan that refunds everyday health costs — dental check-ups, eye tests and glasses, physio — up to fixed annual limits, from £7.20/month (Medicash, July 2026). Generally no medical underwriting, and children are often covered free. It will never fund an operation — that's PMI's job.
Yes, and it's a sensible pairing: the cash plan handles predictable dental/optical/physio costs, while PMI with a bigger excess covers the unpredictable serious stuff. Some households run a £8.58/month Westfield plan beside a high-excess policy (July 2026 prices).

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All 9 major UK providers • Every figure verified & dated • Free & no obligation