"As pressure on public healthcare builds, demand for flexible, reliable access to private care is only rising."
- Ian Sawyer, commercial director at Howden Life & Health
Of those surveyed (2,000), 60% of adults in the UK said that if their employer funded benefits, they would now choose Private Medical Insurance (PMI). This was ranked above extra holiday allowance (41%), paid time off (40%), and Life Insurance (37%).
27% have self-funded private treatment in the last five years, spending close to £6k on average – one in seven have spent over £15k on private treatment. Notably, there has been a 46% year-on-year increase in searches for ‘cheap health insurance’, and a 53% rise in ‘health insurance quotes’ searches.
These findings follow recent NHS league table data which shows four in five (80%) NHS trusts are ‘off track’, with performance varying dramatically by postcode. This has led to 21% of adults losing sleep over healthcare anxiety, which is the equivalent to 8mn adults nationwide.
“With NHS waiting lists continuing to rise, a postcode lottery dictating the quality and speed of treatment, and one in five people losing sleep over fears of not being able to access the care they need, it’s clear that healthcare anxiety is becoming a major concern for millions,” explained Ian Sawyer, commercial director at Howden Life & Health.
He said: “That growing unease is reflected in the sharp increase in searches for PMI over the past year and the fact that more than a quarter of people have already self-funded treatment in the last five years.”
“As pressure on public healthcare builds, demand for flexible, reliable access to private care is only rising. While many still feel PMI is a luxury, it’s worth exploring the options available – there are more affordable and adaptable solutions than many people realise,” Ian concluded.
