How Much Does Private Health Insurance Cost? UK Price Guide

Last checked: 29 October 2026

There is no single price for private health insurance, because each premium is worked out for the person being covered. As a guide, the average for a 35-year-old non-smoker is around £850 a year (about £71 a month). That is an average, not a quote. Your own price depends mainly on your age, where you live, how much cover you choose and how you share the cost of a claim. The sections below explain each factor in plain words and which way it tends to move the price.

What private health insurance pays for

Private health insurance, also called private medical insurance, pays for private diagnosis and treatment of acute conditions that start after your policy begins. An acute condition is one that is expected to respond to treatment, such as a joint that needs surgery. Private treatment works alongside the NHS: you keep full access to NHS care, and the policy gives you another route to be seen and treated.

Pre-existing conditions and chronic conditions are usually not covered. A pre-existing condition is one you had symptoms of, or treatment for, before the policy started. A chronic condition is one that needs long-term management rather than a cure. Knowing this up front helps you judge what a premium is actually paying for.

Your age

Age is one of the biggest factors in the price. The older you are when you take out a policy, the more it tends to cost, and the rise is steepest in later life. Premiums also usually go up each year at renewal, partly because you are a year older and partly because treatment costs change.

Where you live

Your postcode matters because the cost of private treatment varies across the country. Hospitals and specialists in London typically charge more, so cover that includes central London hospitals usually costs more than cover limited to hospitals elsewhere.

Smoking

Average prices, including the figure above, are normally given for a non-smoker. Insurers ask about your health and lifestyle when you apply, so a smoker should not assume the same average applies to them.

Level of outpatient cover

Most policies have a core part that pays for treatment when you are admitted to hospital as an inpatient or day patient. Outpatient cover is the part that pays for consultations, tests and scans when you are not admitted, often the steps that lead to a diagnosis.

• Full outpatient cover gives the widest protection and costs the most.
• A yearly limit on outpatient costs brings the price down.
• Removing outpatient cover altogether brings it down further, but you would then pay for those consultations and scans yourself.

The excess

The excess is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim before the insurer pays the rest. Generally, the higher the excess, the lower your premium. Policies apply it in different ways: once per policy year, once for each new claim, or as a share of each claim. A higher excess also means you pay more yourself each time you claim.

The hospital list

Each policy comes with a list of hospitals you can use. The broader the list, the higher the premium. A standard list is usually the lowest cost option, an extended list gives wider national choice, and lists that add central London hospitals tend to cost the most. A narrower list may not include the hospitals nearest to you.

How the policy is underwritten

Underwriting is how the insurer decides what your policy will and will not cover based on your medical history. There are two common types for individual policies.

• Moratorium underwriting. You are not asked for your full medical history at the start. Conditions you had in the years before the policy began are excluded at first, and may become eligible after a clear period, often two years without symptoms or treatment. It is quicker to set up, but you learn exactly what is covered only when you claim.
• Full medical underwriting. You complete a health questionnaire when you apply, and the insurer tells you up front what is excluded. This gives more clarity, and claims can be quicker to assess.

The choice of underwriting can affect the price, and either way pre-existing conditions are usually excluded.

The 6-week option

Many insurers offer a 6-week option that lowers the premium. It works like this: if the NHS can provide the treatment you need within six weeks, you are treated by the NHS. If the NHS wait is longer than six weeks, your policy pays for private treatment. It reduces the cost in return for that condition.

The no-claims discount

With most insurers, private health insurance now carries a no-claims discount. Each year without a claim can build up a discount, and making a claim usually means your premium goes up at the next renewal. The exact rules, including how much a claim affects the discount, differ between policies.

Adding a partner or family

You can cover just yourself, or add a partner and children. Each extra person adds to the total premium, because each person's cover is priced in its own right. You can choose one family policy or separate policies for each person, and some insurers offer a discount when more than one person is covered. The total cost depends on how many people are included and how the cover is set up.

How many people have private health insurance

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), a record 6.5 million people in the UK were covered by private medical insurance in 2024, up 4% on 2023. Of those, 4.8 million were covered through a workplace scheme, with the rest on policies they bought for themselves or their family.

Ways to keep the cost down

If the price matters most, these are the common levers:

• A higher excess, at a level you could afford to pay.
• A yearly limit on outpatient cover, or no outpatient cover.
• A narrower hospital list that still includes hospitals near you.
• The 6-week option.
• Paying small costs yourself rather than claiming, which protects a no-claims discount.

Each of these lowers the premium by reducing what the policy pays for. A broker can explain how these options work on the policies available to you, and what each one would mean for your price.