Freedom Health Insurance, our expert review
As a family-run business, Freedom Health Insurance promises a more personal touch compared to its larger health insurer rivals. In our Freedom Health Insurance review we take a closer look at its private medical insurance products, benefits and unique features to help you decide if it is the right option for you.
Is Freedom the best private health insurance?
Freedom performed fairly well in our 2025 private medical insurance ratings, with its flagship Freedom Elite product scoring 91/108, earning it a myTribe rating of four and a half stars.
In keeping with its name, Freedom could be an appealing option for those who want plenty of choice over where they’re treated and by whom, with its standard hospital list providing broad access to consultants and hospitals that is almost unmatched.
Here’s a summary of the key points of our Freedom health insurance review:
- Freedom offers three personal health insurance plans: Freedom Elite, Freedom Essentials and Freedom Worldwide, each suited to different cover needs and budgets.
- Freedom’s comprehensive health insurance (Freedom Elite) uses a traditional hospital list rather than a guided option, providing access to nearly all UK private hospitals and consultants (up to its published fee schedule).
- Its prices aren’t based on your postcode, making it an attractive option for those in traditionally more expensive places, such as London.
- It recently replaced its community-rated model with performance-based renewals, a shift that removes one of its previously unique features.
- Every Freedom Elite policy has the same core benefits, including cancer cover.
- You can add additional benefits, such as mental health cover, outpatient cover, alternative therapies and dental, optical and private GP services, to tailor your policy.
See how Freedom compares: Our expert ratings of the UK’s best private health insurance providers
About Freedom Health Insurance
Freedom Health Insurance was founded in 2003 and is a specialist provider of private medical insurance. Unlike most of the UK health insurance market, which is dominated by the larger household-name insurers, Freedom remains a family-owned business.
Based in Poole, Dorset, the company offers a range of health insurance plans for individuals, families and businesses living in the UK as well as overseas.
Freedom offers three different types of health insurance plans for families and individuals, as well as three business health insurance products. This review will focus on its health insurance products for families and individuals, which are:
All Freedom Elite policies share the same core benefits, providing a strong starting point from which you can customise your plan to fit your individual needs. Let’s discuss some of the main ones in more detail.
Freedom Elite provides full cover for any specialist fees if you are admitted to hospital for treatment as an inpatient or day patient (subject to the fees being in line with its schedule of procedures). It will also pay your hospital charges including the cost of nursing and diagnostic tests, as long as you use a hospital listed in your policy.
The core benefits also cover the cost of specialist-referred MRI, CT and PET scans. However, please note that it doesn’t cover these complex scans if a GP requests them. Specialist consultations and tests, such as blood tests, are covered only if you add Freedom’s optional outpatient cover.
Freedom’s core benefits include cover for certain dental surgery procedures (when a dentist can’t carry them out and must be performed by an oral specialist) and some pregnancy complications. In both cases, the level of cover will depend on any limits for inpatient, day patient or outpatient treatment you have on your policy.
It is also worth noting that Freedom offers two different NHS cash benefit amounts, depending on whether you’re treated at an NHS hospital as day patient (£100 per day) or inpatient (£200 per night). However, unlike some other providers, there is no overall annual limit.
Comprehensive cancer cover
Freedom Elite includes comprehensive cancer cover as part of its core policy. It will pay the full cost of consultations with a cancer specialist, cancer surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, stem cell therapy and bone marrow transplants.
The policy also includes reconstructive surgery, cover for primary and secondary cancers if cancer spreads during treatment, and end-of-life care.
The only notable exclusion is that cancer investigation and diagnosis aren’t available unless you opt for Freedom’s additional outpatient cover (which is similar to most insurers to be fair). So, keep this in mind if cancer diagnosis is a key element of the health cover you want.
Elite hospital list
Living up to its name, Freedom Elite health insurance offers you plenty of flexibility to choose where you receive your treatment and who provides it. Every policyholder gets access to its Elite Hospital list as standard, which includes almost all private hospitals in the UK. With Freedom you can receive treatment at:
- Circle Health Group
- Nuffield Health
- Spire Healthcare
- Ramsay Health Care
- NHS hospitals with private facilities
- Select local and regional private hospitals
The only major exclusion is HCA hospitals in Central London, which aren’t included as standard. However, if you’d like access to HCA Healthcare facilities, you can add them to your policy by selecting the London Plus hospital list for an extra premium.
Unlike many other UK health insurance providers, Freedom doesn’t offer a guided consultant option, whereby the insurer restricts your choice of specialist in return for a slightly lower premium.
Consultant choice
Freedom’s hospital list is one of the most extensive in the market, and the same is true of the consultants you can choose from. Freedom offers you unrestricted access to any consultant or specialist in the UK (subject to its fee schedule).
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Freedom’s core benefits are pretty extensive, but it also offers a range of additional options to personalise your cover. You can add any of the following:
Does Freedom health insurance cover pre-existing conditions?
Freedom’s approach to covering pre-existing conditions depends on the underwriting method you choose and how long ago you experienced symptoms or received treatment.
With moratorium underwriting, any medical conditions you've had in the five years before the policy starts are generally excluded at the outset. However, conditions older than five years may still be covered.
Full medical underwriting provides a more detailed evaluation of your health, allowing Freedom to consider some pre-existing conditions if it deems them low-risk or no longer active.
You can read more about Freedom’s underwriting options below.
What’s not covered by Freedom health insurance?
Like any health insurer, Freedom has a number of standard exclusions that you should familiarise yourself with before taking out a policy. These general exclusions include:
In addition to these standard exclusions, your policy may also list personal exclusions related to any pre-existing medical conditions you have. For a complete overview of what is not insured, refer to Freedom’s Policyholder Guide.
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How much does Freedom health insurance cost?
The premium that you pay for a Freedom health insurance policy will depend on your age, the type of policy you choose, the level of cover and how many people you want to be covered. Importantly, unlike other health insurers, Freedom does not factor in where you live when determining the cost.
A 30-year-old living in the East of England would pay a monthly premium of £67.22 for Freedom Elite (based on a £100 excess, standard hospital list and £1,500 Outpatient Cover), and a 40-year-old would pay £84.67 per month.
Adding extra cover such as private GP, Dental and Optical Benefit, Alternative Therapies and Mental Health care, or opting for the London Plus hospital list or full outpatient cover, will increase the price of your Freedom health insurance policy.
In our private health insurance pricing research, comparing the cost of a typical comprehensive health insurance plan, Freedom was often less competitive than many other UK health insurance companies. However, this was partly because its pricing is based on access to a broad pool of specialists rather than the more limited choice offered by a guided option, which some other providers were quoting.
Having explained how Freedom health insurance works and its main features, it’s important to identify its strengths and weaknesses compared to other UK health insurance companies. Here are some of the key differences to be aware of:
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Freedom Health Insurance offers different underwriting choices depending on whether you want to take out a brand new health insurance policy or switch health insurance from another insurer.
Underwriting for people with no existing health insurance
Those who don’t have an existing health insurance policy can select from two different underwriting options:
Underwriting for people with other health insurance companies
If you have health insurance with another provider, it may be possible to switch your policy to Freedom without losing your cover, although this depends on whether you have any ongoing claims, planned treatment or a serious medical condition. Your two underwriting choices are:
What discounts are there for Freedom Health insurance?
Freedom health insurance offers a couple of ways to save money on your policy through discounts and other incentives.
Pay annually and save 6%
If you have the funds available, you can pay the entire year’s cost in advance and receive a 6% discount on your premium. This annual discount also applies to renewals.
Only pay for your first child
Freedom’s pricing is fairly generous for families. If you take out a family policy with three or fewer children, you'll only pay for your first child. For larger families its maximum charge is capped at four children.
Trying to establish what Freedom’s customers think about its health insurance is more difficult than with other health insurers due to the low volume of reviews it has received. Most of its reviews can be found at Feefo, where Freedom has a rating of 4.6 out of 5.
However, most of its more recent views have been on Trustpilot, so it is also worth checking those out.
Overall, Freedom's health insurance customers seem very satisfied with the levels of service they have received, frequently describing its staff as professional, empathetic and efficient.
Example Freedom health insurance reviews from its customers
“The claims approval process has been very easy and I'm never waiting longer than 5 minutes to talk to them.”
“Very helpful and friendly. I am especially happy with the free GP service. They're very good and can be reached promptly.”
“Freedom Health customer service is exceptional. They respond fast on the web chat and not only help you with your immediate query, they also explain what you need to do next to get the right help and care to make the best from your cover.”
As you would expect, some customers have had a less positive experience, voicing frustrations over claims delays and claims being declined.
Is it worth having Freedom health insurance?
When it comes to receiving treatment or diagnostic testing on the NHS many people will face lengthy waiting times. Private health insurance can speed up the process of accessing healthcare and give you more choice of where and when you can be treated.
Freedom health insurance could be an attractive option if you value a wide choice of consultants and hospitals. It may also mean lower premiums if you live in an area where cover is usually more expensive, thanks to the fact that it doesn’t price on your postcode. However, you should compare Freedom’s private medical insurance with other providers to ensure it is best suited to your specific needs.
How to get more information about Freedom health insurance
If you want to learn more about Freedom Health Insurance you can head to its website where you can download its policy guides.
To compare Freedom’s main features and benefits against other health insurers that may be suitable for you, read our review of the Best private health insurance in 2025. Our research on the cost of private health insurance is also useful if you want to get an idea of how Freedom stacks up in terms of its pricing.
Before choosing a health insurance policy, it’s a good idea to compare different providers and get expert advice. To receive free health insurance quotes and talk through your health cover needs with one of our experienced health insurance brokers, fill out our short form.
Disclaimer: This information is general and what is best for you will depend on your personal circumstances. Please speak with a financial adviser or do your own research before making a decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Freedom part of Axa PPP?
No, Freedom is an independent family-owned business that isn’t part of AXA.
Do Freedom change prices based on where you live?
Freedom is the only UK health insurer that doesn’t change their pricing based on your postcode.
Does Freedom Elite include cancer cover?
Yes, Freedom Elite includes comprehensive cover for cancer treatment as part of its core policy. However, tests and diagnosis for cancer are only included if you take out its optional outpatient cover, which will increase your premium.