The Exeter health insurance: a broker's review of Health+
Who The Exeter are, what Health+ covers, how the outpatient options, excess and No Claims Discount work, and whether it suits you. Compared with the market, at no extra cost.
The Exeter is a member-owned UK insurer with a strong reputation for private medical insurance, even though it is not a household name like Bupa, AXA or Aviva. This review of The Exeter health insurance explains who The Exeter are, what its Health+ policy covers, how the outpatient and hospital options work, how much it costs and whether it is the right insurer for you. As a health insurance broker, we compare The Exeter with the rest of the market before you buy, and it costs you nothing extra because the commission is already included in the premium.
Who are The Exeter?
The Exeter is a friendly society, founded in 1927 and based in Exeter, Devon. As a mutual, it is owned by its members rather than shareholders, so it can focus on members and service rather than paying dividends. It was previously known as Exeter Family Friendly and changed its name to The Exeter in 2015.
The Exeter is a specialist insurer that offers private medical insurance alongside protection products such as income protection and life insurance. It is regularly recognised in industry awards and is well regarded by advisers for its claims service and clear policy wording.
What is The Exeter Health+ policy?
Health+ is The Exeter's only private medical insurance product. It replaced two older plans in 2018 and is built around a core policy that you can add to. The core cover focuses on the things that matter most when you need hospital treatment, and you then decide how much outpatient cover and which extras you want, so you only pay for what you need.
What does The Exeter health insurance cover as standard?
The Health+ core policy includes:
- In-patient and day-patient treatment in a private hospital on your chosen list
- CT, MRI and PET scans
- Comprehensive cancer care, including access to cancer drugs and treatments that may not be available on the NHS because of cost
- Palliative and end-of-life care, and a donation to a hospice if you are admitted after a terminal diagnosis
- Post-operative physiotherapy, with a small number of sessions after eligible surgery
- Surgically implanted prosthesis costs as part of eligible surgery
- An NHS cash benefit for each night you choose to be treated as an in-patient in an NHS hospital instead
- Extras such as private ambulance, home nursing after eligible treatment, and parental accommodation for children up to 18
Members also get the HealthWise app, which includes a digital GP service with a set number of phone or video consultations each year, second medical opinions, physiotherapy consultations and mental health support sessions.
What are The Exeter's outpatient options?
Outpatient cover is where Health+ is most flexible. You can keep the core policy with minimal outpatient cover to keep the premium low, or add outpatient cover with a limit of £500 or £1,000 a year, or full outpatient cover. If you choose a limit, you can also add unlimited outpatient diagnostics, so tests and scans are paid in full and only specialist consultation fees count towards your limit. That option is a sensible middle ground for many people.
What optional extras can you add?
Therapies
Physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, podiatry and speech therapy, which is unusual among insurers.
Mental health
In-patient mental health care and outpatient treatment by psychiatrists, psychologists and cognitive behavioural therapists.
Protected No Claims Discount
For an extra premium you can protect your discount level after a claim.
Which hospitals can you use?
The Exeter offers three hospital lists. The Essential list includes hospitals from many of the UK's largest private hospital groups and NHS private patient units. The Standard list adds a wider range of independent hospitals and clinics. The Extended list gives the widest choice, including more central London hospitals. For most clients in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, the Essential or Standard list gives good access to local private healthcare without paying for London hospitals they are unlikely to use.
How much does The Exeter health insurance cost?
The price of a Health+ policy depends on your age, where you live, your medical history, the hospital list, your outpatient cover, the extras you add and your excess. As a guide only, a healthy adult in their thirties on core cover with a moderate excess might pay a few tens of pounds a month, while full outpatient cover and extras for an older couple will cost considerably more. These figures are illustrative and are not a quote. We quote The Exeter alongside AXA, Bupa, Aviva, Vitality, WPA and others so you can compare like for like.
See The Exeter next to AXA, Bupa and Aviva
Same outpatient cover, same excess, same hospital access. The real difference, side by side.
How do the excess and No Claims Discount work?
The Exeter offers a wide range of excess options, from £0 up to several thousand pounds, one of the widest ranges in the market. You pay the excess only once per policy year, however many times you claim. The Exeter also runs a multi-level No Claims Discount. You move up a level for each claim-free year, small claims may not affect your level, and larger claims move you down. NHS cash benefits and hospice donations do not count as claims.
What does The Exeter not cover?
Like all private medical insurance, Health+ does not usually cover chronic conditions, pre-existing conditions (depending on underwriting), emergency treatment, normal pregnancy and childbirth, cosmetic surgery, infertility, preventative screening or kidney dialysis. The policy documents list everything, and we go through them with you before you buy.
How does underwriting work with The Exeter?
When you take out a policy, The Exeter will underwrite it on a moratorium or full medical underwriting basis. With moratorium, you do not give your medical history up front and recent pre-existing conditions are excluded until you have gone a set period without needing help for them. With full medical underwriting, you disclose your history and The Exeter tells you what is excluded from the start. If you are switching from another insurer, you may be able to move on a continued personal medical exclusions basis, so you keep the cover you already have.
Is The Exeter health insurance any good?
For many people, The Exeter is one of the best choices in the market. Its strengths are its mutual status, comprehensive cancer care, flexible outpatient options including unlimited diagnostics, a broad range of excess levels, strong extras like speech therapy and parental accommodation, and a well-regarded claims service. It suits people who want solid hospital and cancer cover and prefer to decide exactly how much outpatient cover to buy.
It may not suit you if you want dental and optical cover on the same policy, lifestyle rewards for staying active, or the lowest possible price for very basic cover. Whether The Exeter is best for you depends on what you want the insurance to do.
The Exeter compared with AXA, Bupa and other insurers
The Exeter competes with the largest insurers, including AXA, Bupa, Aviva and Vitality, and with other specialists such as WPA and Freedom. It is often competitive on price for people who choose limited outpatient cover with unlimited diagnostics, and its mutual structure appeals to people who want a long-term relationship with their insurer. We place The Exeter next to the alternatives on the same basis so you can see the real difference.
Buying from The Exeter direct
You see one insurer's price and options. Nobody checks whether the same cover is better value elsewhere, and nobody reviews it at renewal.
Using Montgomery Financial
The Exeter compared with the wider market on the same basis, underwriting and switch terms explained, and your renewal reviewed every year. No extra cost to you.
Why use a broker for The Exeter health insurance?
You can buy direct, but a broker or adviser gives you a comparison first, at no extra cost. We explain the outpatient options, underwriting and switch terms, and make sure the policy suits your needs. Most people stay with the same insurer year after year and nobody ever shops their renewal. We do. We review your policy against the market every year and tell you plainly whether it is still good value.
Montgomery Financial is a family-run broker based in Northamptonshire, arranging private medical insurance and PMI across Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and the UK.
The Exeter health insurance: your questions
Is The Exeter a good health insurer?
The Exeter is a well-regarded mutual insurer with strong cancer cover, flexible options and a good claims reputation.
Does The Exeter offer a digital GP?
Yes. Members can use a digital GP service through the HealthWise app, with a set number of consultations each year.
Does The Exeter cover physiotherapy?
Post-operative physiotherapy after eligible surgery is included, and wider physiotherapy cover is available through the therapies option.
Can I switch to The Exeter from another insurer?
Often, yes. Switching on continued exclusions may let you keep cover for conditions that started on your current policy.
This page is general information, not a personal recommendation. Policy features are subject to The Exeter's terms and may change.
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