There is no standard price — it is set by your age, where you live, the level of cover and the excess you choose, so two people can pay very differently for what looks like the same thing.

How to think about it

A premium is built from a handful of factors, and age is the biggest. Cover is priced by how old you are, so an older applicant pays more, and the same person pays more each year. On top of age sit your postcode, the level of cover you choose — the hospital list and the out-patient limit — and the excess you agree to pay toward any claim.

That is why quoted prices vary so widely. Two people of the same age can be quoted very differently if one has picked a broad hospital list and a low excess and the other has trimmed both. It is also why a single average figure is close to meaningless until your own details are actually run.

The good news is that several of those factors are levers you control. A higher excess, a narrower hospital list, an NHS-wait option that only pays when the NHS cannot treat you quickly, or dropping extras like dental and optical all bring the premium down. Choosing where to set them is how you fit the cover to a budget rather than accepting the first number.

Two honest caveats. The premium rises every year — from age and from medical inflation — even in a claim-free year. And because private medical insurance is not covered by the FCA rules that stopped home and motor insurers penalising loyal customers, your renewal can sit above a new customer's price, so comparing the market matters. See how the excess changes the price and why it rises each year.

Questions to put to the insurer or broker

  • What is driving my quote — my age, my postcode or the cover level?
  • Which levers would cut it most without losing the cover I actually want?
  • What would the same cover cost across several insurers rather than just one?

Related questions

Where this stops and advice begins

This is general information to help you decide, not a recommendation to buy or a personal recommendation of any policy — that depends on your health, your budget and your priorities. Private medical insurance never covers a condition you already have, and every insurer excludes the ongoing management of chronic conditions. An FCA-authorised broker can price cover for your circumstances and explain the trade-offs; the figures here are indicative and change at renewal.

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.