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7.3 million treatments are sitting on an NHS waiting list. Private health insurance gets you seen in days, not years (and it costs less than you think).
A short form. Age, postcode, who's being covered, what matters most. No medical exam, no phone number gymnastics.
An FCA-regulated specialist compares cover across the UK's leading insurers and recommends what actually fits — not what pays the most commission.
Cover starts from as little as the price of a gym membership. Next time you need a specialist, you'll be seen in days.
Check the current NHS waiting time for a treatment against how quickly you'd typically be seen privately. Real NHS England data, updated monthly.
Premiums depend on your age, postcode, excess and level of cover. These are typical starting points, not quotes.
Yes — same thing. "Private medical insurance" (PMI) is the industry name; everyone else calls it health insurance. It pays for private diagnosis and treatment of new conditions, so you're not stuck on a waiting list.
The UK average in 2026 is around £80 a month for an individual adult, but your price depends heavily on your age, postcode, excess and level of cover. A healthy 30-year-old can start from around £38 a month; premiums rise with age. The only way to know your number is to get a quote.
It depends what waiting costs you. If a 40-week wait for a hip operation means months off work, or paying £3,000–£10,000 for one private treatment out of pocket, a monthly premium can be the cheaper way to buy certainty. It's most valuable to people who'd rather be seen in days than months.
Core cover pays for private consultations, diagnostics and scans, surgery and hospital care as an inpatient, and cancer treatment. Depending on the policy you can add outpatient cover, mental health support, physiotherapy, digital GP appointments, and dental or optical extras.
The consistent exclusions are pre-existing and chronic (long-term) conditions, emergencies (that's A&E's job), routine pregnancy, cosmetic treatment, and drug or alcohol misuse. Policies differ beyond that — this is exactly where advice earns its keep.
Policies cover new conditions, not ones you already have — though underwriting varies a lot between insurers. Under a moratorium, conditions you've been symptom-free of for typically two years can become covered again. Your adviser will walk you through what applies to you.
Completely. Cover sits alongside the NHS — GPs, A&E and emergency care work exactly as before. You use your cover when you'd otherwise be waiting.
Most comprehensive policies cover cancer from diagnosis through treatment and aftercare — including some drugs not yet routinely available on the NHS. Cancer cover levels differ between insurers, so it's worth comparing carefully.
Often as an add-on rather than standard. Mental health cover typically includes therapy and psychiatric care, with much shorter routes to actually being seen than NHS talking-therapy waiting lists.
Not as standard — dental and optical are usually optional add-ons with their own waiting periods (often three to six months for routine dental). If dental matters to you, say so up front and your adviser will build it in.
Routine maternity care is almost never covered. Some insurers cover complications arising from pregnancy or birth, usually with long waiting periods of 10–24 months. If you're planning a family, tell your adviser — it changes which policy fits.
You're covered for new conditions from day one or after a short initial period of around 14 days, depending on the insurer. Specific add-ons — dental, maternity — carry their own longer waiting periods. There's no general qualifying year for core cover.
The excess is what you pay towards a claim before the insurer pays the rest — typically £100 to £500, once per policy year. A higher excess lowers your monthly premium, so it's one of the main levers for controlling cost.
They're the two ways insurers handle your medical history. Moratorium is quicker to set up: recent conditions are excluded but can become covered after typically two symptom-free years. Full medical underwriting means declaring your history up front, so you know exactly what's excluded from day one.
Yes — couples and family policies are standard, and most insurers discount children's cover. A family of four typically starts from around £140 a month depending on cover level and excess.
Usually yes, for diagnosis and treatment — the same open referral your GP would write for the NHS. Many policies now also include digital GP services, which can issue the referral within days rather than weeks.
Yes — premiums are priced on age and typically rise each year. What's covered doesn't shrink because you've aged, though. Anything that happens after you join is covered, which is why starting while you're well is cheaper for life.
Often, yes. Switching on "continued personal medical exclusions" terms can carry your current underwriting across, so conditions that arose while insured stay covered. It needs doing properly — an adviser will handle the terms.
If your employer pays for it, yes — it's a benefit in kind, reported on your P11D and taxed accordingly. If you pay for your own policy personally, there's no tax to pay on it (and generally no tax relief either).
That's when it's cheapest to start. Premiums are based on your age and health when you join — and anything that happens after you're covered is covered.