More than a quarter of UK adults have paid for private medical treatment in the past five years, spending an average of £6,000 each, research has revealed.
The findings, from Howden Life and Health, highlight a growing reliance on private healthcare at a time when the NHS is under mounting pressure. The research also showed that there’s a rising expectation that employers will step in by offering private medical insurance (PMI) as part of workplace benefits packages.
Howden’s Health Gap research, based on a survey of 2,000 UK adults, revealed that 27 percent (around 14.6 million people) have self-funded medical treatment since 2020.
One in seven reported spending more than £15,000, with many funding not just their own care but also treatment for family members. Of those who paid for care, 59 percent funded their own treatment, 36 percent paid for a child, and 35 percent for a partner. Almost a quarter (24 percent) paid for a parent, and 9 percent for another family member.
The main drivers of self-funding included diagnostic tests and scans (22 percent), injuries (19 percent), and mental health services (15 percent). These choices come against a backdrop of strained NHS services and lengthy waits for treatment. New league tables show that four in five (80 percent) NHS Trusts are “off track”, with significant regional variation in waiting times and outcomes. The NHS backlog has now reached 7.3 million, an increase of more than 10,000 in just one month.
The benefits angle
With many employees already dipping into their own pockets for treatment, demand for PMI is growing sharply. Howden reports that online searches for “cheap health insurance” are up 46 percent year on year, while searches for “health insurance quotes” have risen 53 percent.
Crucially, the survey also found that six in ten adults would choose PMI as their preferred fully funded workplace benefit. This puts health cover well ahead of more traditional options such as extra holiday allowance (41 percent), paid time off (40 percent), or life insurance (37 percent). This signals an employee preference for benefits that provide peace of mind on healthcare access.
“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 health anxiety is becoming a major concern for millions,” said Ian Sawyer, commercial director at Howden Life and Health.
“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 past five years.”
He added: “As pressure on public healthcare builds, demand for flexible, reliable access to private care is only rising. And 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.”
