A private medical insurance broker, and whether you need one
Comparison sites sort on premium. We sort on whether the policy will actually pay for the thing you are worried about.
Compare the market with usMost people buying private health insurance start on a comparison site, get four prices, pick the cheapest and find out what it actually covers two years later when they claim. A health insurance broker exists to stop that happening.
Here is what one does, what it costs you, and how to tell a good one from a bad one.
What is a private medical insurance broker?
A private medical insurance broker is a regulated intermediary who compares health insurance policies across the market, recommends one, and then handles the relationship with the insurer for as long as you hold the policy. Brokers are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and have to be able to justify the recommendation they make.
The distinction that matters is not broker versus comparison site. It is advice versus a list of prices. A comparison tool sorts on premium. An insurance broker asks what medicines you take, whether you want your existing consultant, whether mental health cover matters to you, and how you would feel about a six-week NHS wait — then tells you which health insurance providers will and will not work for you. Most medical insurance brokers also hold agencies with insurers that do not appear on public comparison tools at all.
Is it worth using a broker for private medical insurance?
For a straightforward under-30 with no medical history, honestly, not very. You will get a reasonable outcome online.
It becomes worth it the moment anything is non-standard. If you have pre-existing medical conditions, the way each insurer handles them differs enormously, and picking wrongly can leave you paying for cover that will never pay out for the one thing you were worried about. If you are switching from an existing health insurance policy, the continuity terms you can negotiate are the entire ballgame. If you want business health insurance for a team, there is no meaningful comparison tool at all. And at renewal, when premiums jump, someone has to actually do something about it.
The other quiet benefit is the claim. When you are unwell and an insurer has declined something, a broker who placed thousands of pounds of business with that insurer is a better advocate than you are on hold.
Is it cheaper to go direct to an insurer, or use a broker?
Almost never cheaper direct, and frequently more expensive.
Going direct
- You see one insurer's answer
- Same premium — commission is built in either way
- You handle the underwriting choice alone
- You argue your own claim
Through a broker
- Several private medical insurers compared on like-for-like cover
- Same premium, no fee to you
- The underwriting choice explained before you commit
- Someone with an agency relationship pushing your claim
UK health insurers do not generally operate a cheaper direct price. What changes is which insurance plan you end up on. The saving, where there is one, comes from structure rather than discount: a higher excess, a six-week NHS option, a tighter hospital list, or dropping outpatient limits you were never going to use.
How much does a private medical insurance broker cost, and who pays?
You pay nothing directly. The service is free at the point of use.
Brokers are paid commission by the insurer on the policy they place, and that commission is already reflected in the premium you would have paid buying direct. Some brokers also charge a fee for complex international health insurance or large corporate schemes; we do not charge fees on standard private medical insurance. Ask any broker to state plainly how they are paid before you engage them, and be wary of anyone who is evasive about it.
Renewal coming up, or a condition you are worried about? That is the conversation worth having.
Book a phone callWhat types of private medical insurance can a broker help with?
All of them, and the range is wider than most people realise.
Individual and family
Cover for you, a partner and children on one policy, with the hospital list and outpatient limits set to your budget.
Business and group
Business health insurance and group schemes from two employees upwards, where no meaningful comparison tool exists.
Company directors
Cover paid through the limited company, with the P11D and corporation tax position explained before you commit.
Health cash plans
Everyday dental, optical and physiotherapy costs reimbursed. Cheaper, and often the right first step.
International health insurance
For people living, working or spending long periods abroad, where UK-only policies fall over.
Knowing when not to
If your real worry is income stopping rather than treatment waiting, income protection is the better buy. We will say so.
Insurance specialists who only ever recommend the thing they sell are not specialists.
What to expect when you work with a health insurance broker
A first conversation of twenty to thirty minutes, covering who needs covering, your medical history, what you actually want access to, and a realistic budget. Then a comparison of the relevant UK health insurance providers with the differences translated into English rather than insurer jargon. Then a recommendation with the reasoning attached, so you can disagree with it.
Underwriting is where the real decision sits. Moratorium underwriting asks no medical questions upfront but excludes recent conditions for a period; full medical underwriting asks everything now and tells you exactly what is and is not covered from day one. Which suits you depends on your medical conditions and your appetite for surprises. A broker who does not walk you through that choice has not done the job.
How to choose the best private medical insurance broker for you
Four things to check, in order.
First, how many insurers they actually hold agencies with. "We compare the market" should be backed by a named list including the major health insurers such as Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva and Vitality. Second, whether they are a member of the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries, which is the trade body for the sector. Third, who handles your renewal — the person who sold it, a call centre, or nobody. Fourth, real reviews from people who have claimed, not just people who bought.
Ignore rankings of the best health insurance brokers in the UK that read like a directory. The best PMI broker for you is the one who understands your situation and picks up the phone when something goes wrong.
Renewals, where a broker earns their keep
Health insurance premiums rise at renewal, often sharply, driven by medical inflation and by your own claims. The single most common mistake is paying the renewal invoice without question for six years running.
At renewal a broker should re-shop the market, check whether a switch preserves your continuity of cover for existing medical conditions, and tell you honestly when staying put is the right answer — which it often is, because moving can reset how pre-existing conditions are treated. Switching for the sake of a small saving and losing cover for an existing condition is a bad trade, and a broker's main job at renewal is sometimes to talk you out of it.
Private medical insurance broker questions, answered
Do I need a broker, or can I go direct?
You can always go direct. You will usually pay the same and see fewer options, and you will handle any claim dispute yourself.
Does private health insurance cover pre-existing conditions?
Generally not, though the detail varies by insurer and by underwriting type. Some conditions can come back into cover after a symptom-free period under a moratorium. This is precisely the area where advice pays for itself.
Can I switch health insurance after making a claim?
You can, but the condition you claimed for may be excluded by the new insurer unless continued personal medical exclusions terms are agreed. Always check before moving.
Is mental health cover included?
Sometimes as standard, more often as an add-on with its own limits on inpatient nights and outpatient sessions. Limits vary widely between health insurance providers, so read that section specifically.
What happens when my company cover ends?
Many insurers offer continuation terms that carry your medical history across without fresh underwriting, but usually only within a short window after leaving. Speak to someone before the deadline, not after.
How much does private health insurance cost in the UK?
It depends on age, postcode, excess, hospital list and whether outpatient cover is capped. Any figure quoted without those details is meaningless, so we quote properly rather than guess.
Let's find the right health insurance for your situation
We are a health insurance broker covering clients across the UK from our office in Northamptonshire. Book a call and we will compare the market properly, explain the underwriting choice, and give you a recommendation you can actually interrogate.
Compare the market with usGeneral information, not a personal recommendation. Cover, exclusions and underwriting terms vary by insurer.