The Exeter Health Insurance, our expert review

About The Exeter

Established in 1927, The Exeter originally traded under the name “Exeter Family Friendly Society” before a merger in 2008 promoted a change to “Exeter Family Friendly.” In 2015, it rebranded to the simplified name we know today: “The Exeter.”

Based in Devon, The Exeter is a friendly society, which means its members rather than shareholders own it. Alongside private medical insurance, The Exeter offers life insurance and income protection insurance, making it a protection specialist.

The Exeter's health insurance plan for individuals and families is called Health+, but it comes in two cover options: Health+ Traditional and Health+ Guided. The key difference rests in how much control you have over where you can receive treatment and which specialists you can see.

Health+ Traditional

With Health+ Traditional you can select from one of three hospital lists when you take out your policy. When you make a claim you can be referred to any specialist that can be accessed on your chosen hospital list. Alternatively, you have the freedom to carry out your own research and pick a different specialist at one of your chosen hospitals, if you prefer. The Exeter will pay the cost of any treatment or procedure by your specialist up to a maximum amount specified in its fee schedule.

The three hospital lists are Essential, Standard and Extended; the more hospitals you want access to, the higher the cost of your policy.

Health+ Guided

Those looking for a more affordable option and willing to sacrifice some control over their treatment options can select guided cover instead of a hospital list. If you go down this route, your GP will make an open referral, detailing the type of specialist you need rather than naming a particular specialist. The Exeter will then recommend a shortlist of up to three specialists from its pre-selected pool for you to choose from. 

This not only makes Health+ Guided a lower cost option that may appeal to those on a budget, but can also help you find a specialist within The Exeter’s fee schedule, removing the need to hunt around to choose someone. However, you need to be comfortable that you are essentially relinquishing some control of your choice of specialist to The Exeter.

You can read more about the pros and cons of guided consultants in our guide. 

You’ll choose your treatment options first

A guided consultant option is not unique to The Exeter, but what sets it apart is how it presents this choice to customers by making it a central part of the customer journey.

On The Exeter’s website, this choice between guided consultants or a traditional hospital list is highlighted as soon as you begin, encouraging customers to consider it carefully. In contrast, many other providers default to the guided option, with the traditional hospital list presented as an add-on much later on. In our view, The Exeter deserves a pat on the back for its clear, and transparent approach here.

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Regardless of whether you opt for the traditional hospital list or a guided consultant, all of The Exeter's health plans come with the same core benefits. Overall, its core cover is strong; for some, it may be sufficient for their needs without any add-ons.

As you would expect The Exeter doesn't limit inpatient or day patient treatment, and will cover outpatient surgery by a specialist. Complex diagnostic scans such as CT, MRI and PET scans are also included.

However, unlike some other providers, the Exeter’s core benefits include cancer cover. This applies to all stages of cancer once it has been diagnosed, including palliative and terminal treatment, with no time or financial limits.

Other notable features of its core cover include:

• Up to three sessions of post-operative outpatient physiotherapy.
• Unlimited home nursing for inpatients or day patients that need nursing after they leave hospital, a NHS cash benefit of £150 per night up to 30 nights if you have free in-patient treatment under the NHS.
• Unlimited parental accommodation if a child under 18 named on your policy requires hospital treatment.

You can enhance The Exeter health insurance by adding four more benefits. Let’s take a look at what these options are and how they can give you comprehensive health cover.

Does The Exeter health insurance cover pre-existing conditions?

The Exeter’s ability to cover pre-existing conditions will be determined by your underwriting method and the length of time since your symptoms occurred or you received treatment. 

With moratorium underwriting, medical conditions you've experienced in the five years before the policy starts are typically excluded initially. However, older conditions may still be covered. Additionally, if a pre-existing condition doesn't require treatment, medication, advice, or show any symptoms for a continuous two-year period after your policy begins, The Exeter is likely to cover it.

Alternatively, with full medical underwriting, The Exeter reviews your medical history when you apply. This allows it to assess the actual risk posed by your conditions, and it may choose to cover some pre-existing issues if they’re considered low-risk or no longer active. 

The Exeter is known for its more precise underwriting and willingness to consider each application on its own merits, so its full underwriting may be more flexible when it comes to including pre-existing conditions or related conditions. This contrasts to many other insurers, who will often be fairly general in their exclusions based on your medical history.

What’s not covered by The Exeter health insurance?

In line with other health insurers, The Exeter health insurance has a number of general exclusions you should be aware of. These include:

These general exclusions will be on top of any personal exclusions you may have for any pre-existing medical conditions. A full list of what is not insured is detailed in The Exeter's Insurance Product Information Document.

How much does The Exeter health insurance cost?

The cost of a health insurance policy with The Exeter will vary depending on your age, where you live, the level of cover you opt for and whether you choose a hospital list or guided consultant. 

Each extra benefit you choose will increase the cost of your Health+ policy, as will opting for higher or unlimited benefits and a more extensive hospital list. Premiums for a Health+ Traditional plan (with a standard hospital list) are typically around 14% more than those for Health+ Guided.

The average price of The Exeter Health insurance for a guided consultant for a 30-year-old living in the South East of England is £38 per month, and £48 per month for a 40-year-old (based on an excess of £250, outpatient cover of £500 per policy year, unlimited outpatient diagnostics, £500 therapies cover but no mental health cover). 

The comparative premiums for the same individuals choosing a Traditional plan with a standard hospital list are £44 per month for a 30-year-old and £55 per month for a 40-year-old.

Our extensive private health insurance pricing research shows that while it is not always the cheapest provider, The Exeter's pricing is very competitive. Its health insurance premiums were consistently below the average market cost across all the age groups we sampled.

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We’ve explained how The Exeter’s health insurance works and the options available, but by now, you’re probably wondering how it compares to other health insurance providers in the market. For instance, where does it excel and what are its shortcomings? Here are six key differences that our experts have identified:

With The Exeter health insurance, you get several choices of underwriting, depending on whether you are new to health insurance or have an existing policy that you want to switch from another insurer.

Underwriting for people with no existing health insurance

If you don’t have an existing health insurance policy your two underwriting options are:

Moratorium underwriting

With standard moratorium underwriting, any condition you’ve had symptoms, medication, treatment or sought advice for in the past five years will be excluded from your policy. However, if you go two years without symptoms, medication, treatment or advice, it will be covered again in the future.

If you make a claim on a policy under moratorium underwriting, The Exeter can request up to five years of medical records. This is so they can assess if the condition was pre-existing or whether you have been trouble-free for two continuous years.

Full medical underwriting

Full medical underwriting requires you to disclose your medical history during the application process and The Exeter may exclude conditions based on the information you provide. This type of underwriting can be a good option for those with complex medical histories or who would like clarity on what's covered when taking out the policy. Your policy certificate will list any medical exclusions that The Exeter applies.

Underwriting for people with other health insurance companies

If you already have health insurance with another provider, a couple of underwriting options may be available.

Continued moratorium

The Exeter will allow you to continue with the moratorium terms you have on your current policy if it was underwritten on a moratorium basis. Its continued moratorium works on a two-year rolling basis in the same way as its standard moratorium, but is based on the start date of your existing policy. 

As a result, The Exeter may cover pre-existing conditions for which you have not had symptoms, medication, advice, or treatment in the past two years, although it can also apply further medical exclusions to your policy.

Continued personal medical exclusions

As long as you meet its criteria, The Exeter will carry across personal medical exclusions from your current insurer if your policy was underwritten on a full medical underwriting or continued personal medical exclusions basis. You must supply a certificate from your insurer when you apply and answer some additional medical questions. 

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What discounts are there for The Exeter Health insurance?

Some groups of customers may be eligible for discounts on the cost of their cover when they buy The Exeter health insurance. Its offers:

• 5% discount on premiums if two adults are named on the same policy
• 7.5% discount if there is one adult and one or more children on the policy
• 10% discount if there are two adults and one or more children on the policy

The Exeter’s Trustpilot reviews can provide some insight into what its customers think about its levels of customer care. The Exeter currently has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot from just over 1,000 reviews, which is a relatively low number of reviews on which to base a firm opinion. Its overall score is on par with many other health insurers, but is lower than those with the best customer satisfaction.

However, it’s important to approach these reviews with some caution as they reflect the experiences of The Exeter’s life insurance and income protection insurance customers as well as those with private health insurance. Filtering its reviews with the word “health” does provide some clarity. Some of these filtered reviews highlight positive aspects such as The Exeter’s helpful staff, efficient administration and competitive pricing.

Example The Exeter health insurance reviews from its customers 

“I’ve been with The Exeter for several years. Their advisers are helpful and professional. The GP service was very useful.”

“Polite, informative, fast service from advisors. Prompt payments to consultants and hospitals.”

“They dealt with my problem without fuss or hesitation and couldn't have been more helpful and considerate.”

Customers who have been more critical of The Exeter’s customer service have reported difficulties with claims and, in some cases, frustration with out-of-date contact details for specialists.

Is it worth having The Exeter health insurance?

The increasing pressure on the NHS regarding GP appointments, diagnostic testing and treatment can mean lengthy waiting times for people to be seen. Private health insurance can be a worthwhile option for those who value faster access to healthcare and can afford it.

Exeter's Health+ Health Insurance could be an appealing choice for many people, especially if you want a fair no claims discount that could keep your cover affordable into the future. Ultimately, whether it’s worth it depends on how The Exeter’s cover matches your specific healthcare needs.

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How to get more information about The Exeter health insurance 

You can learn more about The Exeter’s health insurance and download its product literature and policy guides on its website. 

To see how The Exeter’s main features and benefits compare against other health insurers check out our review of the Best private health insurance in 2025. For an analysis of its pricing read our research guide on how much private health insurance costs.

As we always suggest, you should compare health insurance providers and speak to a broker before you purchase a policy. To get a free comparison quote and to discuss your healthcare requirements with one of our expert health insurance brokers, please complete our form.