Health insurance in the UK
- Private healthcare from as little as £1.45 per day1
- Rated 5 Star by Defaqto
- Get healthy to earn rewards like Apple Watch
Join 2 million UK members that have insurance with us
Rishi qualified as a doctor in 2012 and is the Clinical Operations Director at Vitality.
What is private health insurance?
Health insurance gives you access to private medical treatment. You pay a monthly or annual premium and this helps cover the cost of private treatment you may need.
With us, it can cover acute conditions like short-term illnesses and injuries, faster access to a private GP, access to private hospitals with consultant-led treatment including diagnostic tests, scans and specialist drugs, and cancer care supported by a dedicated consultant. It also covers mental health support and physiotherapy.
Health insurance works alongside the NHS so you can still use the NHS if you have private health insurance. But private health insurance can provide quicker access to diagnosis and treatment, so you can get the treatment you need, when you need it.
What’s covered with our private health insurance?
You'll get all these services as part of our standard health insurance cover
**Approved in-patient and day-patient treatment only with a recognised consultant.
***Risk assessments will provide members with a personalised view of their risk for each of the five common cancers. Depending on their age and assessed risk level, they may be offered a discounted screening with Check4Cancer
Optional extras
And you can enhance your core cover with our optional add-ons
Optical, dental and hearing
Helps you to manage the costs of eye, hearing and dental care. Including emergency dental treatment and hygiene appointments, as well as eye and hearing tests
Out-Patient Cover
Includes unlimited physiotherapy within our network, full cover for MRI, CT and PET scans and cover for our patient consultations, consultant appointments and diagnostic tests - such as X-rays
Mental health cover
Full cover for Talking Therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and counselling. And cover for up to 28 days of in-patient treatment and 28 days of day-patient treatment 2
Worldwide travel insurance
Cover for unexpected travel costs. Includes access to emergency medical treatment while you're abroad and cancellation cover
Choose where you're treated
Choose where you receive medical treatment. Select a hospital list or pick from our panel of specialists, at a place that works best for you
Therapies Cover
Full cover for holistic treatments, including chiropractic and osteopathy treatments, acupuncture, plus up to two consultations with a dietician
2 After 56 days without in-patient or day-patient treatment, we'll fully restore your benefit limits, covering you for further episodes of care during your plan year
What are the Vitality health insurance benefits?
Stay in control of your health. Get rewarded for it too.
Talk to a Vitality GP quickly
Get an appointment fast, helping you to avoid waitlists and access the care you need quickly. You'll also be able to manage your appointments and treatment online with Vitality GP
Choose where you're treated
You can choose a hospital from your chosen hospital list - get the care you want at a time, and place, that suits your needs
Access specialist treatment
Including mental health support, cancer care and physiotherapy. For certain treatments, you can refer yourself without speaking to a GP
Save on top brands
At Vitality, you'll get health insurance with rewards. Access discounts on top brands. And when you get active, you'll earn points which will help you earn more rewards
Who do we cover?
Choose who you want your health insurance to cover
Individual cover
Joint cover
Family cover
A massive weight off my shoulders
I noticed that there were some significant changes in my vision of my left eye. I called Vitality - and got through straight away. From there it was all very quick. I saw a consultant in London the next day. The day after I was being operated on. It was a massive weight off my shoulders.
I felt wrapped in cotton wool
I noticed a lump and I made an appointment with Vitality. It was my first experience of big claim and it was seamless. There was no stress, no anxiety and no waiting. It's a situation where you can't control anything, but I didn't have to worry. I felt like I'd been wrapped in cotton wool.
How much does health insurance cost?
The cost of health insurance varies from person to person. How much you pay for UK health insurance is based on several factors including age, location and health status.
At Vitality, our health insurance starts from £1.45 a day - or £44 a month 1. But the amount you pay depends on:
- Age - as you get older, you're more likely to claim. The cost of health insurance will take this into account
- Where you live - healthcare costs vary across the UK. For example, prices may be higher in London because treatment costs more there
- Current health and wellbeing - certain conditions and lifestyle choices are higher risk, like smoking. Your provider will use your current health status to gauge your premium
- What your chosen excess is - with health insurance, you pay an excess when you make a claim. If you pick a higher excess, you can reduce your premiums
- Type of cover - personalising your cover by adding dependants, or extra cover will affect the cost of health insurance
The best way to get an accurate idea of your monthly premium is to get a quote.
What's a health insurance premium?
A health insurance premium is what you pay for your health insurance plan. You'll pay for your premium by monthly or annual Direct Debit.
Your premium will be reviewed once a year, and can change depending on:
- Your age
- If you've made a claim
- Medical inflation
To keep your premiums down, you can choose a higher excess. For most UK health insurance companies, the higher your excess, the lower your premiums will be. But make sure you can afford the excess, you'll need to pay it if you make a claim.
And with Vitality, when you get active, earn points and improve your Vitality status, you can reduce how much your premium will increase each year.
1 Price is based on the following criteria: a 30-year-old based in Peterborough, plan start date Sept 2025, Full Medical Underwriting, Consultant Select hospital option, £250 excess and £500 out-patient benefit and includes Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)
What does health insurance not cover?
Long-term conditions
Health insurance has been designed to cover curable conditions and does not usually cover long-term treatment.
What is considered a long-term condition?
A long-term condition, also known as a chronic condition, is a disease, illness or injury that:
- needs ongoing monitoring, tests, treatment or medication
- requires rehabilitation for you to cope with it
- continues indefinitely or is likely to come back
- has no known cure
Some examples of long-term conditions would be arthritis, diabetes, hypothyroidism and multiple sclerosis (MS).
While cancer may be ongoing, our plan provides full cover from diagnosis through to treatment and recovery. You will be fully covered for all eligible cancer treatment with our cancer cover.
Pre-existing conditions
Most insurers don't cover pre-existing conditions. They're considered risky by insurers because you're more likely to make a claim.
You can still get private health insurance with a pre-existing condition, you just won't be able to make a claim for any care relating to that condition.
What is considered pre-existing for health insurance in the UK?
A pre-existing condition is any health issue that you had before taking out a private health insurance plan. This can include:
- Physical health conditions like broken bones
- Mental health issues like depression or anxiety
- Long-term conditions like high blood pressure or asthma
- And one-off medical events like appendicitis
Important plan documents
To see the full list of exclusions and what's included in your health cover, look through our health insurance plan documents
How to make a health insurance claim
Making a health insurance claim varies depending on your insurance provider. At Vitality, you can start and manage your claim online:
- Speak to a Vitality GP or self-refer for things like physiotherapy or mental health
- Start your claim online through Care Hub
- Manage your claim online by booking appointments or requesting further care
You can also earn rewards for being healthy
Vitality offers health insurance with rewards. Get active. Earn points. Get great rewards.
To get the offer, buy a Vitality personal health insurance plan between 1 July - 30 September 2026.
- Each adult on the plan will need to complete their Health Profile in the Vitality UK app and start earning activity points.
- Get one month’s premium back – when earning at least three activity points in the first three months of your plan (three activity points is equivalent to recording 7,000 steps in a day).
- Get two months’ premiums back – when earning at least 48 activity points, each month, for two months in a row (48 activity points could be achieved by recording 10,000 steps on 10 separate days).
The money will be paid into your bank account in the fifth month after the plan starts. Qualifying plans, T&Cs apply.
Ready to get a quote?
It's simple, get a health insurance quote online in minutes. Here's some information you'll need:
- Personal details like your name, address and date of birth
- Details of anyone else you’d like to add to your plan such as partner and children
- The date you'd like your plan to start
You can then customise your quote by choosing your excess and adding some optional extras.
Want some help?
You can always get free advice from one of our qualified experts. Just call us on 0330 678 3326* or get a quote online.
