How to reduce the cost of your private health insurance (14 ways ranked by savings)
Our guide explains the different ways to lower your private health insurance premium, what each one means for your cover, and how much it could save, with examples based on myTribe’s original 2026 pricing research.
Richard Eagling is the Senior Editor at myTribe, with 25+ years in personal finance journalism and a CII Certificate in Financial Services. Previously at Moneyfacts and NerdWallet UK, his work has featured in The Guardian, BBC and The Telegraph.
Full BioSaving money on your health insurance
Here are some of the key points worth considering if you’re looking to reduce the cost of your private health insurance:
- The biggest like-for-like saving comes from comparing insurers at renewal or comparing quotes through myTribe to find the most competitively priced insurer for the same cover. For example, for over 50s, the cheapest insurer’s average price is up to 48% lower than the most expensive.
- Removing outpatient cover can take around a third off your premium, but you’ll have to pay for consultations and certain diagnostic tests yourself (complex scans, such as MRIs, PET and CT will usually still be covered).
- Increasing your policy excess can be a quick win. A £250 excess can save around 14% and a £500 excess around 23% compared with no excess.
- An NHS wait option or a narrower hospital list can make a significant difference to cost. In our examples, Aviva’s six-week NHS wait option cut premiums by around 20-23%, and Vitality’s narrowest hospital list saved almost 38%.
- A guided consultant option saves around 16% without reducing the treatment you’re covered for.
- Every option to save money on your health insurance has a trade-off, even if it’s only the time it takes to compare the market.
Get a lower premium without jeopardising essential cover
With so many different ways to cut the cost of a private health insurance policy, it’s vital that you don’t make a change that could inadvertently weaken your cover. It’s why we would always recommend that you compare all your savings options to find the right policy at the best price.
Which adjustments can save you the most on your health insurance?
The table below compares the different ways to reduce the cost of health insurance covered in this guide, and ranks each option by its likely impact on your premium. Percentages are averages from our 2026 pricing research unless stated. Your own potential savings will depend on your age, postcode, insurer and current level of cover.
Join thousands who have saved on health insurance with myTribe
“…saved me almost £1,000 on my annual renewal …” saved me £600 per month
“…very easy to work with to get answers to my somewhat complex questions… He also saved me several hundred pounds”saving me over £400 per month
“…I am now moving to a different provider, on a better policy, at a much reduced premium.”£1,000 on my annual renewal
14 ways to reduce the cost of your health insurance
Some of these steps lower your premium without changing what your health insurance covers. Others save money by reducing your cover, so weigh the potential savings against how you’d actually use your policy.
1. Compare insurers at renewal
What it means: Before you accept your health insurance renewal quote, see what other insurers would charge for the same or similar cover. Your renewal price is set by your current insurer, not the market, and different insurers can price the same person very differently.
What it does to your cover: You can potentially keep the same level of cover at a lower price. The insurer that’s cheapest for you at 50 is unlikely to be the cheapest at 70, so it’s worth comparing every year.
Potential saving: High. For over 50s the most competitive insurer’s average price was 37-48% lower than the least competitive insurer. That’s a gap of around £842 a year on comprehensive cover at 50, rising to £1,513 at 70. Even closing part of that gap at renewal could save hundreds of pounds.
The trade-offs: Comparing insurers can take a bit of time, and policies aren’t all built the same way, so you need to make sure that you are comparing like with like.
Read how one myTribe customer saved over £400 a month and gained more cover, after using our comparison service when her premium went up.
2. Compare quotes across insurers
What it means: Comparing quotes shows you how different insurers price the same terms and how each option affects your cover. Some options, such as Bupa Guided Care, are not offered on the insurer’s website, so comparing quotes shows you whether they are open to you.
What it does to your cover: Depending on what you decide, it could mean you move to an insurer that offers more cover than you currently have, adjust your cover level to better suit you, or decide to stay with your existing insurer.
Potential saving: High, though indirectly. Comparing quotes doesn’t reduce your premium by itself, but gives you access to the other savings in this guide, including options not sold on insurers’ websites. Comparing quotes usually costs you nothing extra, because any commission is paid by the insurer rather than by you.
The trade-offs: You’ll need to spend time and be comfortable explaining your situation and medical history.
Compare health insurance quotes to see what other insurers would charge you, or read how one client switched to a better policy for less.
3. Remove or reduce outpatient cover
What it means: Outpatient cover pays for specialist consultations and diagnostic tests where you aren’t admitted for a day or overnight to hospital. Depending on your insurer, it may also include physiotherapy and other outpatient treatments. It’s an optional extra on top of the inpatient and day-patient cover every policy includes, and one of the most expensive parts of a policy.
What it does to your cover: Without outpatient cover you’ll usually need to be diagnosed before you can claim for treatment under your health insurance. So, that means either going via the NHS, or self-paying for private services. You don’t have to completely remove outpatient cover, simply capping your annual allowance can result in significant savings.
Potential saving: High. £1,000 of outpatient cover adds around 50% to a premium, so removing it takes roughly a third off. myTribe’s 2026 figures show that at 60, average comprehensive cover costs £132.53 a month against £90.39 for basic cover (no outpatient cover), a saving of around £505 a year. At 70, the saving is around £675.
The trade-offs: By removing outpatient cover, you’ll either need to fund specialist consultations, physiotherapy, and diagnostic tests yourself, or use the NHS. So, the trade-offs are that you could find yourself having to pay more out of your own pocket, or accept potential delays in being seen in the NHS.
Find out more about outpatient limits in health insurance.
4. Increase your excess
What it means: Your excess is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim before your insurer pays the rest. The more of the risk you take on, the less your insurer charges you for your policy.
What it does to your cover: Your cover stays the same, but you take on more of the cost when you claim.
Potential saving: Medium-high. A £250 excess cuts premiums by around 14% and a £500 excess by around 23%, compared with no excess, on a policy with a guided consultant option. In monetary terms, on a comprehensive policy, a £250 excess saves about £140 a year at 40, and £405 at 70, compared with having no excess. A £500 excess saves about £230 and £665.
The trade-offs: If you claim, the excess could cost more than you saved, especially if treatment spans two policy years and you pay it twice. Choose an amount you could pay at short notice, because a health insurance policy you're reluctant to claim on isn’t doing its job.
5. Narrow your hospital choice
What it means: Your hospital list sets which private hospitals you can use. Lists that include expensive central London hospitals are the most expensive.
What it does to your cover: Moving to a regional or local list can lower your health insurance premium, often without affecting the hospitals you’d realistically use, especially if you live outside London. In the capital, premiums are already 27.2% above the national average, so a narrower list can be worth considering there too.
Potential saving: Medium-high (High if you're moving off a central London list). The saving depends on your insurer, your current hospital list and where you live. For a 50-year-old in the East of England, switching from the widest hospital list to its narrowest can cut premiums by almost 38% with Vitality and by 33% with Aviva.
The trade-offs: You’ll have fewer hospitals to choose from. Before you make a change, check that the hospitals you’d want to use, ideally ones near you, are still on the list.
6. Add an NHS wait option
What it means: Some insurers offer an NHS wait option, whereby you agree to have treatment on the NHS if it’s available within a set period, usually six weeks. If the NHS waiting time is longer, your private cover kicks in as normal. Saga also offers a shorter four-week version.
What it does to your cover: Your cover stays the same, but when you can use it differs. If the NHS can treat you within the six or four week period, then that’s where you’ll be treated. NHS waits for many planned procedures are currently longer than six weeks, so at least for those, you’d likely still qualify for private treatment.
Potential saving: Medium-high. For a 55-year-old living in the East of England, Aviva’s six-week option cut premiums by around 20-23%, and Saga’s four-week option cut them by around 15%.
The trade-offs: You may have to be treated on the NHS rather than privately, and you’ll have less control over when, where and by whom you’re treated.
Read about your options if you’re stuck on a waiting list.
7. Buy a new policy from your current insurer
What it means: Apply for a new policy with your current insurer, maintaining the same policy configuration or changing it to better suit your current needs.
What it does to your cover: You will be treated as a new customer and will need to be re-underwritten, meaning that pre-existing conditions that were covered on your previous policy may not be in the future.
Potential saving: Medium-high. As a new customer, the price you’ll pay will likely be less than what you’ve been paying under your existing policy, but this option should be handled with a great deal of care, as a potential reason your policy is cheaper is that less is covered.
The trade-offs: Any recent pre-existing conditions that may currently be covered would likely be excluded, thus the price reduction. This approach should only be considered if you have a completely clean bill of health and are aware of the risks.
8. Choose a guided consultant option
What it means: Instead of choosing any specialist from your insurer’s approved list, a guided consultant option offers you a shortlist, usually two or three approved specialists and hospitals, when you need treatment.
What it does to your cover: Your cover for the treatment itself stays the same. Insurers name and run these options differently, so the amount of choice of specialist you keep varies.
Potential saving: Medium. myTribe’s 2026 pricing research found a guided option cuts health insurance premiums by around 16% on average. For many people it’s the best balance between saving money and keeping cover.
The trade-offs: You can’t pick a specific consultant, so check how your insurer’s version works if that is important to you.
See what these changes would do to your price: compare health insurance plans with different excesses, hospital lists and outpatient limits.
9. Remove optional extras
What it means: The more comprehensive your private health insurance plan, the higher your premiums will be. Insurers often offer add-ons such as mental health cover, therapies, travel cover, and routine dental and optical cover and each one adds to the cost.
What it does to your cover: You’ll lose cover for whatever extras you remove. However, extras that may have suited you when you took out the policy may no longer be needed, particularly as your needs can change as you get older. Routine dental and optical add-ons often pay out limited cash amounts, so if the yearly cost is close to what you’d claim back, you may be better off paying for check-ups directly.
Potential saving: Medium, depending on how many health insurance extras you have and your insurer. On a WPA core policy, our 2025 research found cash benefit level 1 added around 26% to the premium, mental health cover 19%, therapies 18% and overseas cover 5%.
The trade-offs: If you later need what you’ve removed, you won’t be covered. You should review your cover first, as it may be cheaper to keep an add-on and save elsewhere.
10. Qualify for health and lifestyle discounts
What it means: Some insurers give healthy applicants a discount, based on a few health questions that you need to answer when you take out your policy. Criteria usually include not smoking, a healthy BMI and not having diabetes.
What it does to your cover: Your cover stays the same, only the price changes if you qualify for the discount.
Potential saving: Medium. Bupa offers an annual 10% health and lifestyle discount. Aviva’s similar discount is up to 15% in your first year, falling to 10% at your first renewal and 5% at your second, then ending (the offer currently runs until 31 December 2026). Vitality instead rewards staying active with lower increases at renewal.
The trade-offs: You have to be willing to answer some medical questions and meet the criteria, and with Aviva the discount disappears after a few years.
11. Challenge your renewal price
What it means: You can tell your insurer you’ve found a cheaper quote elsewhere and ask them to match or beat it.
What it does to your cover: A renewal quote isn’t always your insurer’s final offer. Your insurer may reduce the price, offer a different level of cover or make other changes to keep you.
Potential saving: Low-medium. How much negotiating with your insurer will save is impossible to gauge as it will depend on your own situation. It’s also not guaranteed to work.
The trade-offs: It takes a little time to haggle with your insurer, and it works best when you have a competing quote in hand.
Comparing quotes through myTribe does the research for you. Read how one client used comparison findings to save several hundred pounds without leaving her current insurer.
12. Stop smoking/vaping
What it means: Smokers, vapers and other nicotine users will generally pay slightly more for private health insurance. Quitting smoking removes the extra premium some insurers such as AXA, Bupa, The Exeter and WPA charge nicotine users.
What it does to your cover: Your cover remains unchanged. With Aviva and Bupa, quitting smoking can also make you eligible for their health and lifestyle discounts, so Bupa customers could save twice.
Potential saving: Low-medium. Insurers that load premiums typically charge smokers around 5-10% more for their health insurance.
The trade-offs: You usually need to be smoke-free for at least 12 months before it counts.
Find out more about health insurance for smokers.
13. Pay annually instead of monthly
What it means: Paying your health insurance premium in one annual payment, which some insurers reward with a discount.
What it does to your cover: Nothing changes except how you pay for your cover.
Potential saving: Low. You can usually save around 5-6% on your health insurance by paying annually, rather than monthly, where a discount is offered. For example, a 5% discount on a 60-year-old’s average comprehensive premium saves about £80 a year; at 70, about £124 a year.
The trade-offs: Paying your premium in one annual payment is one of the simplest ways to cut the cost of health insurance, but you need to afford a larger lump sum up front, and not every insurer offers a discount.
14. Protect your no-claims discount
What it means: You pay small bills yourself rather than claiming on your health insurance policy, so your no-claims discount (NCD) can keep building. Many insurers use an NCD scale, so premiums rise more at renewal after a claim. For small amounts it can be cheaper to pay yourself than to claim and lose some discount for years.
What it does to your cover: Your cover remains the same, you just choose not to use it for minor costs.
Potential saving: Low. Protecting your NCD by paying a claim yourself won’t usually lower your premium, but it can avoid steep increases at renewal after a claim. Some insurers treat small claims more leniently than others, so check this when comparing policies.
The trade-offs: You pay for small claims yourself. Ask your insurer how your scale works before deciding if it’s worth it.
Read next
See what new customers pay at your age, compare it with your renewal and check whether you could switch for less.
What combining changes could save on your health insurance
Combining two or three changes could move the dial on your health insurance premium more than relying on one change alone. The table below shows how opting for a £250 excess plus choosing a guided consultant option cuts the annual cost of a comprehensive health insurance policy by around 28%:
Customer stories
How myTribe helps people compare health insurance with confidence
At myTribe, we help you compare health insurance by matching you with one of our FCA-regulated partner brokers, who we vet and monitor.
More cover for over £400 less a month
Lady B’s health insurance had become so expensive that she started looking for a better deal. Her questions were answered patiently and she never felt like a burden.
The quotes she received offered more cover for over £400 less a month. She described them as “frankly astonishing”.
Based on Lady B’s Google review
Clearer options and a better policy for less
Anne found the information on the myTribe website helpful and informative. Her options were explained clearly.
In her review, she said she was moving to a different insurer on a better policy, at a much lower premium.
Based on Anne AE’s Google review
Several hundred pounds saved with her existing insurer
Barbara had some complex questions about her private health insurance. It was easy to work with and she got her answers back quickly.
She used the research when speaking to her existing insurer and saved several hundred pounds.
Based on Barbara Harris’ Google review
These examples reflect individual customers’ experiences. Your options and any savings will depend on your circumstances and policy.
How to get help to reduce the cost of your health insurance
Private health insurance is only good value if it pays for the treatment you’re likely to need, so the aim is the lowest price for cover you’d actually use, not the lowest price full stop.
If you’re arranging cover for staff, our guide to lowering company health insurance premiums covers the options for businesses.
Cut your premium, not the cover you need
Compare the UK’s leading health insurance providers and join thousands who have saved with myTribe.
Rated Excellent
on
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the biggest difference to the cost of health insurance?
Apart from age and location, which you can’t change, outpatient cover has one of the most important influences on health insurance premiums. Our research found £1,000 of outpatient cover adds around 50% to the cost of a policy compared with having none.
How can over 50s reduce the cost of health insurance?
Over 50s can usually save most on the cost of their health insurance by comparing the market at renewal, raising their excess, choosing a guided consultant option, narrowing their hospital choice and reviewing outpatient cover.
Why does my health insurance go up every year?
Private health insurance premiums typically rise each year due to your age, medical inflation (the rising cost of private treatment), and the claims you’ve made. Reviewing your cover and comparing insurers at each renewal can help keep these increases in check.
Is it worth switching health insurance when I’m older?
It can be worth switching health insurance providers as you get older, but check how switching affects your underwriting first. It can often be arranged so that a switch keeps your existing terms.
Does paying annually make health insurance cheaper?
Yes, some insurers will offer you a discount for paying for your health insurance annually in one lump sum rather than paying monthly premiums. Paying annually can save around 5-6%, though not every insurer offers a discount for this.
More questions? Search our site to find the answers
Disclaimer: This is general information, not personal advice. Speak to a qualified broker before making a decision. Our broker partners compare policies from a panel of leading UK health insurers, but not all insurers may be available.