What is family health insurance?

Family health insurance is a valuable safety net for your family's wellbeing. It gives you peace of mind about the people you love, with faster access to quality healthcare when you need it for many conditions.

You pay a regular monthly or annual premium for one policy that covers your immediate family - you, your partner and your children. If someone falls ill or needs medical care for eligible conditions, it helps you avoid NHS queues and get treated sooner.

What’s covered will depend on the plan you choose. It can cover everything from one-off visits with a private GP, to specialist treatment and hospital stays.

Why choose family health insurance?

We’re very fortunate in the UK to have the NHS to look after us. But despite the best efforts of its hard-working staff, you can face a long waiting list when you need medical attention. And sometimes, the treatment you need might not be readily available on the NHS.

A family health insurance policy runs alongside NHS care, giving you extra peace of mind. That’s why millions of people have turned to private family health insurance.

Think of it as a way to wrap all the members of your household up in one neat package, potentially with several important benefits:

  • Shorter waiting times for diagnosis.

  • Faster access to treatment.

  • More comfortable hospital stays, including private rooms.

  • Overnight accommodation for parents when their child needs to stay in hospital.

  • Access to treatments, services and medication not available on the NHS for some conditions.

If a health issue covered by the policy crops up, your insurer covers some or all of the costs. This ranges from initial consultations to surgeries, depending on the condition and level of cover you’ve chosen.

Why opt for family health insurance instead of individual plans?

Family plans are typically cheaper than taking out an individual policy for each member of your family. Many insurers offer discounts when you insure multiple people under one policy. Some even only charge for one child, no matter how many little ones you have running around. This can be a real money-saver for larger families.

Another perk to arranging family health insurance plans is that it's less hassle. Managing one policy is easier than keeping tabs on separate ones for each family member. This way, you only have one application to make and one renewal to handle each year.

Plus, family plans can be highly customisable. Depending on your policy, you can add extras like dental care for different family members. This ensures that everyone in your family gets the care they need without the complexity of multiple individual policies.

In fact, there’s a few ‘extras’ specific to families with children that you should look out for, including:

  • Parent accommodation: Ever wish you could be right next door when your little one is in hospital? Some policies cover the cost of a nearby stay so you can be close by during their treatment.

  • Corrective ear surgery: If you’re a bit concerned about your child's prominent ears, some insurers offer corrective procedures up to a certain age.

  • Laser treatment: For those noticeable birthmarks, like a ‘port wine stain’ on the face, some plans have you covered with laser treatments that can significantly improve the appearance.

  • Speech therapy: Noticing a delay in your child's speech development? Some policies include a set number of sessions with a speech therapist to give them a little extra help along the way.

  • Baby bonus: A cash payment when you have a baby or adopt one.

What does family health insurance cover?

Typical covered

Your exact cover will depend on the insurer and policy you choose, but here’s a quick summary of what is typically covered by private health insurance, or available as optional extras:

  • Inpatient care: For hospital stays and surgeries.

  • Outpatient care: Includes consultations, diagnostic tests and scans.

  • Private GP access: Very reassuring if you need to see a doctor quickly.

  • Remote GP access: Useful if work, childcare or other commitments mean you can’t visit a doctor.

  • 24/7 phone support: Some policies give access to nurses 365 days a year.

  • Cancer treatment: Access to treatments, including some not available on the NHS, and options like at-home chemotherapy.

  • Dental care: For example, some policies can include regular dental checkups and an annual allowance for treatment.

  • Mental health support: Help from therapists or inpatient care when you need support.

  • Physiotherapy: Cover for osteopaths, chiropractors and similar treatments.

  • Cash and discount perks: Some policies offer cash if you have a baby or adopt a child, discounts on gym membership etc.

What isn’t covered

Ongoing or chronic conditions such as asthma or diabetes are not typically covered by private health insurance. It just isn’t feasible for insurers to cover these: if they did, the cost involved would lead to sky-high expenses and premiums. That’s why health insurance sits alongside the NHS rather than tries to replace it altogether.

Regardless of which family health insurance provider or plan you choose, your policy typically won’t include:

  • Pre-existing conditions (although some might be covered after a symptom-free period, depending on your provider’s terms).

  • Emergency care.

  • Pregnancy and childbirth (unless complications arise).

  • Cosmetic treatments, gender reassignment and injuries from professional sports.

  • Routine dental or optician visits (unless you’ve added that coverage to your plan).

If you’re unsure whether a condition is covered, always check with your insurer or refer to your policy documentation.

How much does private family health insurance cost?

The cost of health insurance for the family can vary quite a bit, depending on things like the age and medical history of each member of the family. The level of cover you choose will also affect the cost.

As you get older, the premiums do tend to go up, but here’s a tip: when it’s time to renew, it’s always worth shopping around to see if another provider can give you a better deal. You might be pleasantly surprised!

What is the average cost of private health insurance for a family of four in the UK? Costs vary significantly from provider to provider. One leading provider says that it’s “around £220 a month for a family including two adults in their 50s and two teenage children”. But elsewhere we’ve seen an average of around £120 for a family of four where the parents are both in their 30s, and an average of around £130 for two-children families as a whole.

So as you can see, premiums vary greatly depending on your family’s age and other circumstances, and which provider you choose. That’s why the best way to find out how much cover for your family would cost is to compare plans from the leading health insurance providers.

How to keep costs down

Want to save on your family health insurance? No worries, there are several strategies to help keep costs down while still ensuring your family gets great care.

Here are a few options to think about when choosing your plan and level of coverage:

The six-week NHS wait option

This means that if the NHS can treat you within six weeks, you use their services.

Increase your excess

Paying a bit more towards a claim, which in turn lowers your premium.

Only add the extras you’ll actually use

Some policies let you add extras like gym membership, so make sure you’ll get value from paying the extra.

Staying healthy

Some insurers reward good habits, like staying active or not smoking, with lower premiums.

Health insurance guides

Answering your questions about family health insurance

Compare more health insurance types

Explore your health insurance options to find the cover that’s best for you.

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Page updated on 25th September 2025, Reviewed by Richard Groom