How much does private health insurance cost?

With so many options available, it’s easy to focus solely on price when choosing private health insurance. But the cheapest health insurance policy is unlikely to be the best.

In this guide, we’ll explore the key factors that influence the cost of private health insurance—and share practical tips to help you find the right level of cover for you needs at the best possible value.

What is private health insurance?

Health insurance gives you access to private healthcare and helps cover the cost of private medical treatment. It’s also known as private health insurance or private medical insurance (PMI).

It can cover seeing a private GP, physiotherapist, or mental health professional. It also covers in-patient and day-patient treatment costs like hospital fees, consultant fees, diagnostic tests and scans (MRI, CT, PET), as well as surgical procedures and cancer treatments.

One of the main benefits of private health insurance is that it gives you quick access to private medical facilities, latest drugs and treatments. It also helps pay for early diagnosis and treatment of acute conditions.

With private health insurance, you and your family can get the medical care you need when you need it at a time and place that suits you.

Having private health insurance in the UK doesn't affect your right to use NHS services. Most NHS services are free to people who are ordinarily resident in the UK regardless of whether they hold private medical cover. This means living in the UK on a lawful and properly settled basis.

Many people with private health insurance continue to use their GP for routine care, emergency services through A&E, and other NHS services as needed. Private health insurance simply provides an additional option for faster access to certain treatments or private facilities, but it never replaces or excludes access to NHS care. You can choose to use either service depending on your circumstances, preferences, or the nature of your medical needs.

Read more: What is private health insurance and what it covers?

What are health insurance premiums?

A health insurance premium is the amount you pay for your health insurance cover. You can choose to pay your premium monthly, quarterly, or annually, typically by Direct Debit.

The amount you pay depends on many factors, like your age, level of cover, excess you choose and underwriting option.

Your premium will be reviewed once a year and can change depending on your age, claims you've made and medical inflation.

At Vitality, premiums are calculated using three main factors. We call it an ABC pricing approach:

• Age. As you get older, premiums generally rise by around 3% annually but this can vary.
• Base rate. This reflects changes in the overall cost of providing healthcare, including hospital/provider charges, medical technology, and drugs. Medical inflation tends to be higher than overall inflation. The base rate can also differ based on where you live and your level of cover.
• Claims you have made. The total amount paid in claims for you is calculated over a specific period (first 10 months in the first year, then the last 2 months of the previous year and the first 10 months of the current year). Based on this amount, you are placed into a claims band, which affects your premium increase. A lower claims band results in a lower increase. At Vitality, claims for certain benefits like Primary Care, minor diagnostic tests ordered by face-to-face GP in our network, NHS Hospital Cash Benefit (including for cancer), Optical, Dental and Hearing Cover, and Worldwide Travel Cover are not included in this claims calculation for renewal pricing.

Your plan premium may also change during the plan year if you add or remove dependants from cover.

Before each annual renewal date, the insurer will notify you of the premium rates and plan terms for the next year. The plan normally automatically renews unless you instruct otherwise.

What is a health insurance excess?

An excess is an amount that you pay for your medical treatment. You pay it as an upfront cost and your insurance covers the rest of the cost.

You can set your excess at different levels, such as zero, £100, £250, £500 or £1,000. Choosing an excess is one of the options available to help control or reduce your premiums. You also decide how your excess will be applied:

• Once each plan year: For each person covered under the plan, you only pay the excess for the first condition you claim for in each plan year, even if you make multiple claims during the plan year. However, if treatment for a condition continues into the following plan year, the excess will apply again.
• Each time you make a claim: You pay the excess amount for each new condition you claim for. If treatment for a particular condition continues for more than 12 months, it will be considered a new claim and the excess applies again.

For example, if you have a £250 excess applied per person per plan year and your first eligible treatment in the year costs £300 for physiotherapy, you pay the £250 excess to the provider, and your insurer pays the remaining £50. If you have a second eligible treatment costing £3,000 in the same plan year, you will not have to pay the excess again, and your insurer will cover the full £3,000.

Your insurer will deduct the excess from the first invoice(s) they would pay, and you pay the excess amount directly to the relevant person, hospital, or facility that provided your treatment.

Read more: Everything You Need to Know About Health Insurance Excess

How much does private health insurance cost?

The cost of private medical insurance varies from person to person. It depends on several factors, like your age, lifestyle, and where you live. The cost also varies based on type of policy you choose, level of excess and underwriting option.

Key factors that affect your premium at Vitality include:

• Cover options: The base premium depends on the level of cover you choose. Adding optional cover such as Optical, Dental and Hearing Cover, or Worldwide Travel Cover will increase your premium.
• Hospital options: Your choice of Vitality’s hospital network (like Countrywide, or London Care options) affects your plan costs.
• Excess level: Choosing a higher excess amount (£250, £500, or £1,000) can help control or reduce your premiums, as you'll pay more upfront for treatment but less in monthly costs.
• Underwriting method: The underwriting option you choose determines how pre-existing conditions are handled and can impact your premium costs.

At Vitality, our Core Cover starts at £44 per month¹. However, the most accurate way to determine your health insurance costs is to get a personalised quote. We also recommend comparing different health plans to find the cover that best suits your needs and budget.

Read more: How to compare health insurance plans?

How to reduce health insurance premiums?

There are several ways to potentially reduce your health insurance premiums. These methods relate both to how your premium is initially set and how it changes at your annual renewal.

Here are the key ways to reduce the cost of your private health insurance:

1. Choose the right level of cover

The initial premium depends on the level of cover you choose. At Vitality, our Core Cover includes essential benefits, and you can add optional cover like Out-patient Cover, Mental Health Cover, Therapies Cover, Optical, Dental and Hearing Cover, and Worldwide Travel Cover. Adding these optional covers will result in an additional premium. That’s why selecting only the cover options you need and potentially choosing lower limits on options like Out-patient Cover can help keep your premium lower.

2. Choose a higher excess amount

This is a direct way to influence your initial premium. At Vitality, you can choose a fixed cash amount (£250, £500, or £1,000) that you pay towards your treatment. Choosing a higher excess amount generally helps control or reduce your premiums. Also, you can choose how often you pay your excess: either once per plan year or each time you make a claim, giving you more flexibility in managing your costs.

3. Choose your underwriting

Underwriting is the process insurers use to assess your age, medical history, and past claims before offering a health insurance quote. The type of underwriting you choose can affect what is covered and how much you pay.

Full Medical Underwriting: With Full Medical Underwriting, you complete a health questionnaire detailing your medical history. This information is reviewed by medical underwriters, and any conditions you currently have—or have had in the past—that are likely to need treatment in the future are typically excluded from cover. These exclusions are clearly listed on your membership certificate.

While Full Medical Underwriting does not guarantee cover for pre-existing conditions, it may allow for cover in some cases where other underwriting methods would not. Most importantly, it gives you clarity from the outset, so you know exactly what is and isn’t covered.

Moratorium Underwriting: If you prefer not to disclose your full medical history upfront, Moratorium Underwriting may be a suitable option. You won’t need to answer health questions when you apply. Instead, your medical history is assessed only when you make a claim.

Under the Moratorium Clause, any condition for which you received treatment, experienced symptoms, sought advice, or were aware of in the five years before your cover started will initially be excluded. However, if you go two continuous years from your policy start date without any symptoms, treatment, medication, or advice for that condition (or any related condition), it may then become eligible for cover.

4. Select your hospital option

Your choice of hospital option affects your plan cover and costs. Different hospital lists include different sets of private hospitals and NHS private patient units, giving you flexibility in where you can receive treatment. At Vitality we offer three hospital options: Consultant Select, Countrywide, and London Care, enabling you to tailor your plan even further to suit your preferences and budget.

5. Engage with the Vitality Programme

The Vitality Programme is a core part of the Vitality plan and is designed to help you live a healthier life and reward you for doing so. By engaging in healthy activities (like exercise, health assessments, check-ups) and earning Vitality points, you can improve your Vitality status (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum).

Your Vitality status is a key factor in the "ABC pricing approach" used to calculate your renewal premium. A higher Vitality status can reduce the increase to your premium at renewal. If you make no claims, a higher status could potentially lead to a discount on your premium before age and base rate increases are applied.

6. Consider switching from another provider

If you already have private health insurance with another provider, consider switching to Vitality. We could potentially beat your renewal premium when you switch, depending on your medical history and answers to lifestyle questions.

Read more: How to Switch Health Insurance Providers?

Key takeaways

• Health insurance provides access to private healthcare and helps cover the cost. It covers seeing a private GP, physiotherapist or mental health professional, as well as stays in private hospitals and access to drug therapies.
• Private health insurance complements NHS care. You can keep full access to free NHS services regardless of having private health cover.
• The amount you pay for cover depends on many factors. These include your age and where you live. Your medical history and lifestyle will also be considered, as will the type of cover, underwriting option, and the level of excess you choose.
• Age affects your premiums. The younger you are when you take out cover, the cheaper your premiums will be. At Vitality, premiums starts from £44 a month1.
• Higher excess reduces monthly premiums. Choosing to pay upfront per treatment can significantly lower your premium payments.
• Active lifestyle can reduce the cost of health insurance. Participating in Vitality Programme, maintaining good health status, and making fewer claims can help keep premium increases lower at renewal.
• There are several factors to consider when taking out cover. Do you have the right level of cover? Are your premiums affordable? Are you getting value for money? Compare options before choosing, as the cheapest policy isn't always the best value.

Why choose Vitality health insurance?

Thinking about taking out a health insurance policy or curious to learn more about what Vitality offers?

Here’s why over 2 million people choose Vitality:

Comprehensive Core Cover

• Primary Care benefits including video consultations with a Vitality GP and access to our 24/7 Health Advice Line.
• Mental Health support, with up to 8 Talking Therapy sessions per year—including CBT and counselling.
• Private physiotherapy, with up to 6 sessions annually through our network of providers.
• In-patient and day-patient treatment with full cover for hospital fees, consultant fees, and diagnostic scans when admitted.
• Advanced Cancer Cover with full support for treatment, including drug therapies and personalised care.
• Vitality Menopause Support, delivered in partnership with Peppy.
• Plus, extras like NHS Hospital Cash Benefit, Childbirth Cash Benefit, and Home Nursing after hospital stays.

The Vitality Programme

We go beyond traditional insurance by supporting you to live a healthier life—and rewarding you for it.

• Earn Vitality points by taking part in healthy activities such as exercising, completing health assessments, or attending health check-ups.
• Your points contribute to your Vitality status—Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
• The higher your status, the more you could save on your premium at renewal.
• You’ll also unlock access to a wide range of discounts and rewards from partners like Apple Watch, Amazon Gift Card, Deliveroo Plus Gold, PureGym and many more.

Smart Digital Tools

Manage your health journey with ease through the Care Hub, available via Member Zone or the Vitality UK app:

• Book GP appointments
• Track and manage claims
• Self-refer for physiotherapy or Talking Therapies
• Access personalised support—all in one place.

Ready to get a quote?

Getting a personalised health insurance online quote with Vitality is quick, simple, and hassle-free.

Just answer a few basic questions—like your age, location, and preferred level of cover—and we’ll show you how much your plan could cost.

Need help with getting a quote? Our qualified experts are here to help. Request a free call back and get tailored advice.

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¹ Price is based on the following criteria: a 35-year-old based in Peterborough, plan start date April 2025, Full Medical Underwriting, Consultant Select hospital option, £250 excess and £500 out-patient benefit and includes Insurance Premium Tax (IPT).