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Private medical insurance
Compare Private Medical Insurance Quotes
Private medical insurance, or PMI, is the formal name for UK health cover. The important differences between policies are in underwriting, hospital access and annual limits — not the headline premium.
- Understand moratorium and full medical underwriting before you apply
- See how hospital lists and guided consultant options change the cost
- Check the annual limits that actually apply when you claim
Quote request · 2 minutes
Tell us what cover you need
- Your details
- About your cover — complete
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How it works
2. We match your enquiry
We pass your details to an FCA-authorised health insurance broker whose panel suits your requirements.
3. You get advice and a quote
The broker compares the insurers available to them, explains the exclusions, and quotes on cover that fits.
Underwriting: the single biggest decision
Moratorium underwriting automatically excludes conditions you have had symptoms, treatment or advice for in a defined period before the policy started — commonly five years. If you then go a continuous period, often two years, with no symptoms, treatment or advice, the condition may become eligible.
Full medical underwriting asks you to declare your history when you apply. The insurer then writes exclusions into your policy, so you know where you stand before you pay anything.
Continued personal medical exclusions may be offered when you move insurer, broadly carrying across your existing terms. It is not automatic and not all insurers will offer it.
Hospital access and consultant choice
Insurers group hospitals into lists. A local or guided list keeps premiums down; an extended list adds premium and central London facilities. Separately, some plans use guided consultant selection, where the insurer offers a shortlist of consultants for your condition. Both settings are worth checking against the hospitals you would realistically travel to.
Reading the limits before the price
Two quotes can differ by a few pounds a month and be very different products. Compare the out-patient limit, the diagnostic cover, the therapies and mental health caps, the cancer cover level, and the excess. If a policy caps something you are likely to use, the saving disappears at the first claim.
Where PMI usually performs well
- Planned surgery for a new condition
- Fast access to a specialist opinion and diagnostics
- Choice of hospital within your list
- Cancer pathways, at higher levels of cover
Where PMI usually will not help
- • Existing or recently treated conditions
- • Chronic condition monitoring and repeat prescriptions
- • Emergency and trauma care
- • Routine maternity and most fertility treatment
Cover, limits and exclusions vary between insurers and policies. Your broker will confirm exactly what is and is not covered before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Related pages
Ready to see what cover would cost?
Complete the form at the top of this page. We will pass your enquiry to an FCA-authorised broker who can quote on private medical cover for you.