Not quite — many private health insurance comparison sites are introducers that pass you to a broker, rather than giving regulated advice themselves.
How it works in practice
A broker is an FCA-authorised firm that can advise on and arrange your policy — it can recommend a specific insurer and set the cover up. That regulated status is what lets it give you advice and take responsibility for it.
Many private health insurance comparison and quote sites work differently. They collect your details and introduce you to a broker or insurer, without giving regulated advice themselves. That is a legitimate model — this site works that way, passing you to one selected FCA-authorised broker — but it is an introduction, not the advice itself, and it is worth knowing which you are dealing with.
There is also a practical reason a price-only table struggles with private medical insurance. Two policies at the same premium can differ on the hospital list, the out-patient limit and how they underwrite your history — differences a comparison grid rarely surfaces. A proper broker conversation usually beats a table for cover this nuanced.
So check who you are actually dealing with. If it is an introducer, that is fine, but the regulated advice comes from the broker it connects you to — and you can confirm that firm on the FCA register.
Questions to put to the insurer or broker
- Is this site a broker, or does it introduce me to one?
- Who gives the actual regulated advice on my policy?
- Does the comparison account for hospital lists and underwriting, not just price?
Related questions
- Can a broker get me cheaper private health insurance than going direct?
- Can a broker help me get private health insurance with a pre-existing condition?
- Can a broker switch my private health insurance to a cheaper insurer?
- Do private health insurance brokers help at renewal?
How this site fits in
This explains how UK private health insurance brokers work in general. Health Insurance UK is not itself a broker and is not FCA-authorised; when you request a quote we introduce you to one selected FCA-authorised broker, which is responsible for any regulated advice, and we may be paid for the introduction. Always check any firm on the FCA Financial Services Register before you act, and remember a broker cannot cover a condition you already have — that is set by underwriting, not by who arranges the policy.
Get a free quote — a specialist broker calls you back, free and with no obligation.
Or see how UK cover compares and the FCA-authorised broker list.