4.38 million people in Britain are self-employed as of October 2024, yet the majority are thought not to have health insurance.

This means that getting ill or injured as a self-employed worker in the UK can be a worrying time. 

Typically, self-employed workers do not receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and with long NHS waiting queues, it could be a long road to recovery.

Whilst some workers in the UK may be on a business health insurance plan, for many, including self-employed, this isn't the case.

LV reported that 60% of self-employed workers would use their savings to pay bills if they were unable to work for two months, but having health insurance cover could keep you away from the savings pot.

Health insurance for self-employed workers

Having health insurance as a self-employed worker, allows you to be covered for any unexpected illnesses or injuries that may occur. This can be particularly beneficial for freelancers, business owners or sole traders.

Not being able to work as a self-employed person can be a big problem, when there is no sick pay guaranteed from work or SSP. Being unable to work could have knock on effects, such as affecting mental health or causing financial worry.

Whilst treatments and healthcare is available on the NHS, it could mean waiting a long time before getting treatment. 

Elective treatments with the NHS (non-emergency treatments) has an average 18 week wait from referral to treatment. However, some patients do wait even longer than that. So that would be at least five months of struggling to work or being unable to work at all.

Health insurance includes a core cover of:

• In-patient cover - Covers hospital accommodation charges, specialist fees such as consultants, surgeons and anaesthetists and diagnostic tests and scans - CT, PET and MRI scans, X-rays or physiological tests.
  
  
• Day-patient cover - Covers you when you’re admitted to hospital and discharged the same day and includes the same benefits as in-patient cover.
  
  
• Out-patient cover - Most private medical insurance policies will offer some out-patient cover within their core cover.
  
  
• Cancer cover - Most private medical insurance policies will offer cancer cover within their core cover.
  
  
• Digital GPs - Most policies offer Digital GPs and telephone support within their core cover offering, to allow you access to prompt and convenient health advice.
  

Let's take a look into the benefits of private health insurance as a self-employed worker...

Quicker access to treatments

Being self-employed and investing in health insurance offers several key benefits. Firstly, it provides faster access to specialist care and treatments, allowing you to bypass NHS waiting lists.

With health insurance, you also get the option to choose your preferred hospital or consultant, ensuring you receive care from trusted professionals.

You can also access advanced medical technologies and innovative treatments that may not be readily available through the NHS.

In particular when it comes to cancer cover, health insurance gives you access to the latest cancer treatments and is intended to make treatment as comfortable as possible.

With private healthcare offering quicker access to treatments, you can return to work much quicker.

Flexibility with digital GPs

Most health insurance plans come with digital GPs. Digital GPs give you access to online doctors 24/7 via a phone or online consultation. This is a great health insurance benefit that allows real flexibility that you wouldn't get from an NHS GP surgery.

Appointments can be scheduled at a time that suits you and from anywhere. This means you don't necessarily need to take time off work, or travel for your appointment as it can all be done at ease virtually. 

Digital GPs also means no queuing to book an appointment. The days of losing time whilst waiting on hold to get an appointment or visiting a surgery first thing in the morning are long gone.

Appointments are also available much quicker, with some insurers such as Aviva, offering appointments in as little as 30 minutes. You also have unlimited consultations to use as often as you need and it won't make any affect on your claim status by using the service.

Peace of Mind

Health insurance for self-employed workers can provide excellent peace of mind.

Whilst falling ill or suffering an injury can still be a nightmare for the self-employed, having health insurance can help provide peace of mind and reassurance thanks to much quicker access to private healthcare services.

Having a plan also prepares you for any unexpected illnesses or injuries. For example, if you needed to get treatment quickly, you may choose to self-pay for private healthcare. Having a plan would cover these bills and make payments much more manageable.

Affordability

More people are realising that private health insurance is worth it. Finding the right cover at the right price will of course come at a cost, but many people find it's much more affordable than they thought and the benefits are unmatched.

Using a health insurance comparison service also allows a lot more accessibility when finding a policy.

Many more people are finding that getting advice and recommendations from a health insurance expert allows them to find a policy that is completely suitable for their needs and at the best price.

How to find the right health insurance policy

When self-employed, obtaining health coverage is a straightforward process, especially when using a trusted comparison service.

Having advice can help you to fully understand the policies available to you and an expert adviser will be able to provide recommendations based on their understanding of your needs.

It's also really important to understand your policy from the get-go, as if the time comes to make a claim, you'll be completely confident.

At Usay Compare, we understand that this process can often be overwhelming, but working with a reputable insurance comparison service like us can simplify the process.

What to expect with Usay Compare?

• Free, no obligation advice, recommendations and quote
• We do all the hard work of comparing and gathering your quote
• We understand your policy details and help explain it step by step
• You can ask as many questions as you need
• You have continuous support throughout your policy and at renewal

If you want to find out more about what policies are available to you, get in touch with our expert advisers for a free, no obligation quote. Simply fill out the quote form below or give us a call on: 01285 864670