1. Home
  2. Health insurance
  3. Family health insurance

Family health insurance

Cover your loved ones with family insurance

  • Compare quotes from top health insurers, including Bupa, Axa and more

  • Get a quote in minutes

  • Get support from broker of the year, Assured Futures

What is family health insurance?

Family health insurance covers your whole family under one health insurance policy. You’ll only have to pay one monthly or annual payment to cover you, your partner and your children.

Family private health insurance often works out cheaper and makes it easier to keep track of what you’re covered for. Family health insurance could meet the costs of all the private healthcare your family needs.

Depending on the cover level, you and your family can:

  • Get treatment at private UK hospitals
  • Avoid lengthy NHS waiting lists
  • Get consultations with private GPs
  • Be diagnosed quicker through private testing
  • Access additional extras like physiotherapy, chiropractic care and more

Who can be listed on a family health insurance policy?

You can cover up to 7 people on your family private health insurance policy. This includes up to 2 adults and up to 5 children.

If you’re looking to cover just 2 adults, or one adult and a child, try joint health insurance instead. This will give you all the same benefits as family health insurance but under a smaller policy.

Why choose family health insurance?

The main benefit of family health insurance is the price. Covering everyone at once often works out cheaper than covering them under separate policies*.

It also makes keeping track of who’s covered for what much easier, allowing you to focus on what really matters when a member of your family is unwell.

*Based on Confused data September 2022.

How can I get cheaper family health insurance?

Here are a few ways to cut the cost of family health insurance:

  • Work out what you want covered
  • Think about your excess
  • Pay annually
  • Cut back on the extras you don’t need
  • Live clean

Work out what you want covered. Family health insurance can vary from basic to comprehensive cover. Basic policies are cheaper but only cover things like hospital stays and surgery. Comprehensive policies cost more but could cover everything from diagnostic testing to physiotherapy. Find the coverage level that suits you and your budget.

Think about your excess as the more you’re willing to pay towards the cost of a claim, the cheaper your insurance costs will be.

Pay annually and your policy will usually be cheaper compared to paying monthly.

Cut back on the extras you don’t need. Some family health insurance policies will offer extras like chiropractic care, 24/7 mental health care and other add-ons. While these can be handy, such extras can drive up your insurance costs. Consider what you need and what you don’t.

Live clean as fitter, healthier non-smokers typically enjoy lower insurance costs. If you and your family live an active, healthy lifestyle, you could pay less.

What does family health insurance cover?

This depends on your cover level, with more advanced policies offering a much higher level of cover.

Basic level policies will cover any operations, hospital stays or in-patient treatment your family needs. Most family health insurance policies include these.

Medium level policies will add cover for a limited number of tests or scans your family may need to diagnose an illness.

Advanced or comprehensive policies will cover all testing. Plus additional therapies like physiotherapy, mental health support and more.

Dental care will also usually be covered, either fully or in part.

For more detail on what’s covered, see our health insurance page.

What extras can I add to my family policy?

Some family health insurance providers will offer additional benefits on top of your basic coverage. These could be included free of charge with some of the more comprehensive policies. But for basic ones, you may have to add them yourself at extra cost.

Additional benefits can include:

  • Mental health support
  • Complementary therapies like physiotherapy
  • 24/7 virtual GP appointments

For a full list of the additional benefits, see our health insurance page.

Compare health insurance quotes

How much is family health insurance?

The average cost of comprehensive (Treatment and Full Diagnosis) family health insurance for a family of four in the UK is £210.31 per month**.

One of the biggest factors that influences your family health insurance costs is the age of the two adults. The older the adults, the higher the risk for the insurer. Therefore, the higher the price.

Apart from the age of family members, here are some more key factors affecting family health insurance premiums:

  • Where you live in the UK
  • Medical history
  • If anyone smokes
  • The excess on the policy
  • Level of cover selected
  • If you choose optional extras

**Based on Confused.com data January - June 2023. Based on a family of four, two parents aged 40, one child aged 10, second child age 6. £100 excess. Portsmouth postcode. Standard hospital. Excluding smokers. Comprehensive average (Treatment and Full Diagnosis) £210.31.

What is the best private health insurance for families?

Exactly what you get with family health insurance can vary from provider to provider.

However, the best private health insurance policies should include:

  • Hospital stays for scheduled operations/procedures
  • Treatment as a day patient
  • Outpatient consultations and treatment
  • A choice of optional extras

With Confused.com you can compare quotes for family health insurance from UK’s leading providers.

What our health insurance expert says

Family health insurance is a great way to cover everyone at once. You’ll only have one premium to pay, and an easier-to-manage policy, so you’ll know exactly who’s covered for what. If one of you falls sick, you can then concentrate on what really matters – them.

What are the different types of health insurance?

We compare many health insurance companies to save you money

WPA logo
The Exeter logo
Vitality logo
Bupa logo

Need more help?

What do I need to get a quote?

You’ll just need to know:

  • What you want to be covered for / the level of cover you want
  • How many people you’re covering
  • How much excess you’re willing to pay
  • Whether any of your family members are smokers

We’ll do the rest and find you the best policy at the best price.

What doesn't family private health insurance cover?

While there’s a lot family health insurance will cover, a few things tend to be excluded. Most policies won't cover:

  • Experimental treatments that haven’t been proven to work
  • Health issues due to drug abuse
  • Routine pregnancy care
  • Deliberately self-inflicted injuries
  • Cosmetics treatments
  • Accident & Emergency (A&E) services

Once you’ve got your quote, you can check the family health insurance policy details to see exactly what isn’t covered. Just in case there's anything excluded that you want to be covered for.

Will family health insurance cover pre-existing conditions?

No, most health insurance policies won’t cover pre-existing conditions. These are typically classed as health issues you’ve received treatment for in the past five years. Some insurers will put the time limit a little lower though.

Ongoing conditions like asthma and diabetes are common pre-existing conditions. If you’ve recently received treatment for them, any further treatment usually won’t be covered by your family health insurance policy.

Check with your insurer to see what is and isn’t included.

Can my family still use the NHS?

Yes, if you take out family private health insurance, you and your family can still use the NHS. For example, you or a family member may need to use the NHS for emergency treatment.

The Confused.com medical insurance service is provided by Assured Futures Ltd of Hadley House, Endsleigh Park, Cheltenham, GL51 4AE Assured Futures Ltd registered in England & Wales company number 3040737. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Firm reference number 176392 as detailed on the Financial Services Register. Our service is free and compares a wide range of trusted household names. Confused.com is an intermediary and receives commission from Assured Futures Ltd which is based on a percentage of the total annual premium if you decide to buy through our website. We pride ourselves on impartiality on independence - therefore we don't promote any one insurance provider over another.