Short answer: It's worth it if you value treatment speed and couldn't comfortably self-fund a five-figure operation: the NHS waiting list stood at 7.3 million pathways with a 12.4-week median wait in May 2026, while self-pay hip replacement costs £13,199–£16,579. Against that, average cover costs £82.53/month (March 2026 data). It's poor value if you'd happily use the NHS and have savings to self-pay occasionally.
For who: people weighing the monthly premium against NHS waits and self-pay costs.
Reviewed by: Ben Darke, PMI Experts · Last updated: 2026-07-17
Reviewed by: Ben Darke, PMI Experts · Last updated: 2026-07-17
Key facts
| NHS waiting list | 7.3m pathways; median wait 12.4 weeks; 34.4% over 18 weeks (NHS England RTT, May 2026) |
| Average PMI premium | £82.53/month single adult (myTribe, March 2026 data) — ≈£990/year |
| Self-pay hip replacement | £13,199 (Practice Plus fixed price) to £16,579 (Nuffield, Nov 2025) |
| Self-pay knee replacement | From £16,914 (Nuffield, July 2026) |
| Self-pay cataract | From £2,895/eye (Optegra, July 2026) |
| Private MRI | £249–£360 (Vista Health, July 2026) |
| Claims actually paid | Record £4bn in 2024 (ABI, Jan 2026); 1.8m people claimed |
| The alternative | 30% of private admissions were self-pay in 2025 (PHIN, June 2026) |
Sources
NHS England RTT statistics (May 2026, published 9 July 2026); myTribe survey (March 2026 data); ABI claims data (published January 2026); PHIN market update (June 2026); Nuffield Health, Practice Plus Group, Optegra and Vista Health published prices (2025–26 as dated).