Choosing Your Health Insurance Excess: How Much Could You Save?

Your voluntary excess — the amount you pay towards each claim before your insurer covers the rest — can cut your premium by 20-50% if you get it right.

How Much Can You Save?

| Excess Level | Approximate Premium Saving | |-------------|---------------------------| | £100 | 5-10% | | £250 | 10-20% | | £500 | 20-30% | | £1,000 | 30-45% | | £2,000 | 40-55% | | £5,000 | 50-65% |

Example: A 40-year-old paying £120/month with no excess might pay just £72/month with a £1,000 excess — saving £576 per year.

Choosing the Right Excess

1. What can you afford to pay if you claim? Don't take an excess you'd struggle to cover.

2. How likely are you to claim? Young and healthy? Higher excess makes sense. Expecting to use your cover regularly? Lower excess means less out-of-pocket per claim.

3. Per-year or per-claim? Most UK insurers apply excess per policy year — you pay it once regardless of how many claims you make. Some apply it per claim — check which applies before choosing a high excess.

Other Ways to Reduce Your Premium

6-week option — Use NHS if wait is under 6 weeks; go private only if it exceeds that. Big premium reduction.

Hospital list — Restricting your hospital network to a regional list reduces premiums.

Pay annually — Typically 5% discount vs monthly payments.

Compare policies and excess options →

Last updated: September 2026.