What is private health insurance?
At its most basic, private health insurance pays out for private treatment if you fall ill.
Generally speaking, health insurance is designed to pay for private treatment of medical conditions that respond quickly to treatment (usually called ‘acute’ conditions), as well as elective surgery and medical tests.
This guide explains exactly what you need to know about private health insurance, from how it works to the best providers.
- Find out more See our guides on private surgery and private GPs.
Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.
Best private health insurers
We’ve surveyed private health insurance customers who have claimed within the past two years to get their views.
Which? members can log in to read our reviews of health insurers, and scored by their customers – including our Which? Recommended Providers.
If you’re not a Which? member you can get access to this and all of our reviews by signing up.
Health insurer reviews
Which? members can log in to read our in-depth reviews of health insurers, using expert and customer feedback.
If you’re not a Which? member you can get access to this and all of our reviews by signing up.
How much does private health cover cost?
Like many other types of insurance, the costs of private health insurance vary depending on your circumstances and the specifics of the cover bought.
Similarly, where you live can have a dramatic effect on costs of treatment and, consequently, on the premium you’ll pay.
Premiums also inevitably rise with age. For younger customers, a comprehensive health insurance policy might cost a few hundred pounds a year. For customers over retirement age, cover is more likely to be well into the thousands.
The table shows some example quotes of what two couples (aged 35 and 55) would potentially pay annually if they sought cover for surgery, comprehensive heart and cancer cover, diagnostic tests and scans and also cover for therapies (such as physiotherapy).
However, these are illustrative. Prices can vary considerably depending on the specific cover options you choose, as well as your age and medical history.
Table note: These are illustrative quotes obtained from the insurers’ websites in August 2023. We selected the cheapest combination of cover providing full inpatient care, comprehensive heart and cancer cover, diagnostic tests and scans and some cover for therapies for a couple, in good health, living in south London. Outpatient cover was removed where it was possible to do so. We selected no excess, but did select a waiting time where offered. 1 Cover for therapies not available online so not included in quote.
More on private health insurance
How we analyse private health insurance
Our Which? Recommended Providers are companies that go the extra mile to satisfy their customers, based on feedback from our surveys. These insurers stand out in our analysis for their customer score, as well as having an average or better claims score.
WPA (Western Provident Association) achieved a customer score of 74% and a claims score of 82%, making it our only Which? Recommended Provider.
Find out what it offers in our full review.
Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch. Find out more
What about cover levels?
Our Which? Recommended Provider analysis isn’t a comparison of the cover levels in insurers’ policies.
Health insurance cover is highly complex with wide ranges of options designed to suit different customer needs and budgets. If you’re unsure which kind of cover will suit you best, we highly recommend enlisting some expert help.
You can find a specialist broker on the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) website.
Find out more from our insurance guides:
link