Health insurance calculator

A health insurance calculator gives you a quick estimate of what private medical cover is likely to cost, based on your age, health, and the level of protection you want. Private health insurance itself is a policy that covers the cost of private medical treatment for illness or injury that would otherwise mean joining an NHS waiting list.

Cover typically includes:

• Private consultations with specialists, often within days rather than months
• Diagnostic tests such as scans and biopsies
• Inpatient treatment and surgery in a private hospital, usually with your own room
• Optional extras like outpatient cover, mental health support, dental, and optical

A calculator can't replace a real quote, but it gives you a realistic starting point before you speak to an advisor about the exact cost for your circumstances.

Insurers price each policy individually. There's no single formula, but most calculators, including ours, ask for the same core details because these are the factors that influence your premium the most.

To get a realistic estimate, you'll typically need to enter:

• Your age and whether you smoke or use nicotine products
• The level of outpatient cover you want, from inpatient-only to full outpatient
• Your preferred excess, usually a choice between £0, £250, £500, or £1,000
• Your hospital list, from a restricted regional network to full access including central London hospitals
• Any optional extras, such as dental and optical cover or mental health support

Insurers use these details to assess your level of risk, which is reflected in the price you pay. Two people of the same age can receive very different quotes depending on the excess and hospital list they choose.

Age is usually the biggest driver of your premium. The table below shows estimated monthly costs for a non-smoker with standard cover (inpatient treatment plus some outpatient benefits) at different ages. These are indicative ranges, not guaranteed prices, so speaking to an advisor is the only way to get a figure specific to you.

Costs don't rise in a straight line. The jump between your 50s and 60s is often the steepest, because claims become more frequent from this age onward. If cost is a concern later in life, reviewing your excess and hospital list before you reach these age bands can help keep increases manageable.

The level of cover you choose affects your premium almost as much as your age. Here's what the typical tiers include.

Basic cover pays for hospital stays and surgery that need an overnight admission. You'd still use the NHS for consultations, scans, and other diagnostic tests.

Mid-range cover adds a capped amount of outpatient treatment each year, covering most routine consultations and tests.

Comprehensive cover removes the outpatient cap and usually includes fuller mental health support and therapies such as physiotherapy.

Adding at least some outpatient cover is often worth the extra cost. Without it, you may still face an NHS wait for the diagnostic tests needed before private treatment can start, which can undermine the point of having cover at all.

Finding the right policy can feel overwhelming, since providers offer a wide range of plans with different inclusions, exclusions, and underwriting styles. A calculator estimate is a useful starting point, but comparing real quotes is the only way to know what you'll actually pay.

When comparing quotes, look beyond the headline premium and check:

• Whether outpatient treatment, diagnostics, and cancer cover are included or optional extras
• Whether mental health support is covered, and to what extent
• The excess and how it applies per claim or per policy year
• Which hospitals and consultants you'd have access to
• How the insurer handles your medical history, since this affects what's covered from day one

Once you have a rough estimate, there are several ways to bring the cost down without giving up cover that matters to you.

• Increase your excess. Agreeing to pay more towards each claim, such as £250 or £500, can noticeably reduce your monthly premium.
• Choose a restricted hospital list. Limiting cover to a regional network of hospitals rather than nationwide access, including central London, typically lowers the price.
• Review your cover at renewal. Premiums often rise more than necessary if a policy is left to auto-renew. Comparing the market each year and querying any large increase with your provider helps keep costs in check.
• Match cover to how you actually use it. If you've never claimed for therapies or optical extras, removing them can lower your premium without affecting the cover you rely on.
• Consider a no-claims discount. Some insurers reduce your premium the longer you go without claiming, similar to car insurance.

For free, independent guidance on managing your finances more broadly, MoneyHelper is a good starting point. The Association of British Insurers also publishes data on how private medical cover is used across the UK, which can be useful context when deciding what level of cover makes sense for you.

If your calculator estimate suggests you could pay less elsewhere, switching is usually straightforward, but it's worth approaching thoughtfully rather than moving on price alone.

Before you switch:

• Review your current policy, including what's covered and any pre-existing conditions already accepted
• Compare quotes from a wide range of providers, not just the first alternative you find
• Check whether the new insurer offers continuous transfer underwriting, so conditions already covered under your old policy stay covered
• Read the new policy's terms carefully, since exclusions and hospital lists can differ even at a similar price

Switching purely to chase a lower premium can sometimes mean losing cover for a condition your current insurer already accepts. Speaking to an advisor before cancelling your existing policy helps you avoid gaps in cover.