The latest figures from the Association of British Insurers show that private medical insurance claims in 2024 jumped 13%, while Healthcode shows that this continued into 2025.
Health insurers processed a record £4 billion in individual and workplace private medical insurance claims in 2024 – up 13% compared to 2023 (£3.57 billion).
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) also said that the total number of people covered by health insurance increased 4% from 2023 to reach 6.5 million in 2024. Figures show 4.8 million of these people were covered by workplace policies – a second consecutive record in more than 30 years of data collection.
The total number of people who claimed on either individual or workplace health insurance policies reached 1.8 million in 2024, up 10% from 2023. Claimants on workplace schemes continued to be the primary driver of this increase, further emphasising the value of employer-provided health insurance.
“Another record-breaking year for coverage, claims and payouts underscores the vital role of insurers in maintaining a healthy UK population,” said Rebecca Ward, head of health and protection policy at the ABI.
“As a complement to the life-saving work of the NHS, health insurance continues to help individuals and their loved ones access timely medical testing, treatment and care when it matters most,” she continued.
A fourth-quarter peak
The record figures from the ABI have extended into 2025’s figures, too.
Fourth quarter data from Healthcode shows that insured healthcare activity reached a peak in the final three months of 2025.
The UK’s official clearing organisation for medical invoices processed three million invoices for private healthcare providers in the final three months of the year, up 5% both on the previous quarter and up 5% on the same period in 2024.
This took the annual invoice total for 2025 to 11.8 million, up by just under 4% compared with 2024 (11.4 million), generating £7.5billion revenue for the sector.
The increase in the fourth quarter was most marked in October, which proved to be the busiest month of the year with 1,081,582 invoices. It was the fourth month to exceed the million milestone in 2025, compared with three in 2024 and none at all in 2023.
“2025 was the fifth successive year that private hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals raised their level of activity,” said Healthcode’s managing director, Peter Connor.
“As more patients experience high-quality diagnostic investigations and treatment for themselves, it’s not surprising that researchers are finding a positive view of the sector across a broad spectrum of the population, while providers have more opportunities to invest in their facilities, digital services and AI-powered healthcare,” he continued adding that despite a “natural moderation” in the rate of growth, he was still confident that the sector remains strong this year.
