Did you know that being healthy can lower your health insurance premiums?
Living a healthy lifestyle – eating well and exercising – has become a major trend in the UK over the past few years. Growth in the popularity of organic food, healthy living gurus, clean eating cookbooks, fitness trackers and apps, and new gyms around the UK are all contributing to the health trend that’s sweeping our nation.
PMI and healthy lifestyle discounts
In the past, the private medical insurance (PMI) industry has been criticised for charging unhealthy, overweight customers – who have a greater chance of becoming unwell – the same as customers who prioritise keeping fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Health insurers have taken this on board, and some PMI providers now offer discounts and incentives for policyholders to stay fit and healthy.
For example, many insurers provide discounts for customers who maintain a healthy weight, based on body mass index (BMI). One Usay insurer, The Exeter, offers a discount on its PMI policies for customers with a BMI of less than 32. Others, such as WPA, only insure customers with a BMI of between 19 and 35.
This focus on BMI stems from the science of health, which says that obesity is one of the worst conditions a person can have for their health (after smoking). The less active and clean living you are, the more likely you are to develop health issues. Higher risk customers mean higher risk for the insurer – and the greater the chances they’ll have to pay out claims – therefore many insurers charge higher premiums for overweight customers.
Vitality
Leading the charge in this trend among insurers is Vitality (formerly Pru Health). Its popular membership programme offers a range of health benefits and incentives including:
Monthly rewards and discounts: the more points you accumulate for being active, the bigger the discounts you receive
Discounts on Apple Watch: the more steps you take, the more points you’ll receive – and the points you accumulate, the greater the discount you receive
Up to 15% of your premium paid as cashback, as an incentive for not smoking
Up to 50% off health checks/screenings
50% off Virgin Active or Nuffield Health monthly gym memberships (a joining fee will apply)
Get points each time you attend a Virgin Active or David Lloyd gym
Changed your lifestyle? Get a new quote and compare health insurance plans
If you’ve made a major lifestyle change – such as losing a significant amount of weight, or quitting smoking – since you took out your private medical insurance policy, it could be worth shopping around for a better deal. Our trained advisers search the market to find the best deal possible – saving you money without compromising on cover.
Market Leading Insurers
We work with the UK leading insurers. This means we can compare the market and provide you with the very best quote to suit your individual needs and often for less investment than you may initially think.
