Key market facts · 2026-07-17
- UK health cash plans are a £479 million market (LaingBuisson, end-2024 data, published October 2025).
- Entry prices verified July 2026: Paycare 4Work £6.87/mo, Medicash from £7.20, Westfield £8.58, BHSF from £9.63, Benenden cash plan from £11.32, Simplyhealth from £23.
- Cash plans typically pay 100% cashback up to fixed annual limits per benefit category — they never fund private surgery beyond token hospital-stay payments.
- Insurance Premium Tax at 12% applies to cash plans too (BHSF's published price includes it; gov.uk rate, July 2026).
Comparison table (July 2026)
| Provider | Entry price (July 2026) | Entry-level cashback examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicash (personal plan) | From £7.20/month | Dental, optical, physio and specialist benefits — limits shown at quote | Children covered at no extra cost |
| Westfield Health Good4you | £8.58/month (Level 1) | Optical £45 (2-yr period), dental £45, therapies £200/yr | Five levels to £52.35/mo (optical £295, dental £255, therapies £1,250); join ages 16–65 |
| BHSF personal plans | From £9.63/month (Bronze) | Dental, optical, therapies, chiropody — limits in policy documents | Four tiers; price includes Insurance Premium Tax |
| Benenden Health cash plan | From £11.32/month | Everyday dental/optical/therapy cashback | Separate product from the £15.85 Benenden Healthcare membership |
| Simplyhealth 1-2-3 Health Plan | From £23/month | Dental, eye tests and glasses, physio, prescriptions | The biggest brand; exact tier limits shown in its plan builder |
| Paycare | 4Work plan from £6.87/month | Optical £40, dental £45, therapy £50 at Level 1 | Not-for-profit; individual Direct Plan priced on request |
| Health Shield | Via employers | Corporate and payroll-deducted plans | Mainly employer-route — no public individual pricing |
All figures verified against each provider's own published documents, July 2026. Provider names link to our full independent reviews where available.
All prices verified against each provider's own site, July 2026. Cash plan tier limits change often — treat the entry prices as the reliable comparator and confirm current benefit tables on the provider's site before buying.
How to compare properly
- Total your actual annual spend first. Add up what you genuinely spend on dental check-ups, hygienist visits, eye tests, glasses and physio in a normal year. A cash plan only wins if the cashback you'd realistically claim exceeds roughly 12 months of premiums.
- Match the tier to the spend. Westfield's Level 1 (£8.58/month = ~£103/year, July 2026) returns up to £45 dental + £45 optical + £200 therapies — good value for a routine year. Higher tiers only pay off if you'll use the bigger therapy limits.
- Check the qualifying periods. Most plans impose short waits before first claims on some benefits.
- Cash plan or PMI — or both? They solve different problems: see our cash plan vs health insurance answer. Some households run a cheap cash plan for everyday costs alongside PMI with a high excess.
Go deeper
- Cash plans for dental costs
- Cash plans for families
- Cash plans for over-60s
- Cash plan vs health insurance — which do you need?
- Best health cash plans UK, ranked
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if you'd actually claim. At Westfield's £8.58/month Level 1 (July 2026) you pay ~£103/year for up to £290 of routine cashback (dental £45, optical £45 over two years, therapies £200) — worthwhile for a family with regular dental and optical costs, poor value if you rarely claim.
Broadly yes for everyday benefits — cash plans generally don't medically underwrite routine dental/optical/therapy cashback, though qualifying periods and some benefit exclusions apply. Check each plan's terms; this is the opposite of PMI, which excludes pre-existing conditions.
Of the plans with published individual pricing verified July 2026, Medicash starts at £7.20/month and Westfield Health at £8.58/month. Paycare's employee-paid 4Work plan starts at £6.87/month where available.