4.38 million people in Britain are self-employed as of October 2024, yet the majority are thought not to have health insurance.

This means that getting ill or injured as a self-employed worker in the UK can be a worrying time. 

We're exploring the benefits of health insurance when you're self-employed and why it's an important consideration.

Typically, self-employed workers do not receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and with long NHS waiting queues, it could be a long road to recovery.

Health insurance for self-employed workers solely covers you for healthcare bills and treatment in a private healthcare facility. Income protection insurance on the other hand, would provide financial cover if you were unable to work due to injury or illness. 

Whilst some workers in the UK may be on a business health insurance plan, for many, including self-employed, this isn't the case.

LV reported that 60% of self-employed workers would use their savings to pay bills if they were unable to work for two months, but having health insurance cover could keep you away from the savings pot.

Health insurance for self-employed workers

Having health insurance as a self-employed worker, allows you to be covered for any unexpected illnesses or injuries that may occur. This can be particularly beneficial for freelancers, business owners or sole traders.

Not being able to work as a self-employed person can be a big problem, when there is no sick pay guaranteed from work or SSP. Being unable to work could have knock on effects, such as affecting mental health or causing financial worry.

Whilst treatments and healthcare is available on the NHS, it could mean waiting a long time before getting treatment. 

Elective treatments with the NHS (non-emergency treatments) has an average 18 week wait from referral to treatment. However, some patients do wait even longer than that. So that would be at least five months of struggling to work or being unable to work at all.

Health insurance includes a core cover of:

• In-patient cover - Covers hospital accommodation charges, specialist fees such as consultants, surgeons and anaesthetists and diagnostic tests and scans - CT, PET and MRI scans, X-rays or physiological tests.
  
  
• Day-patient cover - Covers you when you’re admitted to hospital and discharged the same day and includes the same benefits as in-patient cover.
  
  
• Out-patient cover - Most private medical insurance policies will offer some out-patient cover within their core cover.
  
  
• Cancer cover - Most private medical insurance policies will offer cancer cover within their core cover.
  
  
• Digital GPs - Most policies offer Digital GPs and telephone support within their core cover offering, to allow you access to prompt and convenient health advice.
  

There are a lot of elements of health insurance which can be complex to understand at first. This can be one of the invaluable benefits of speaking with an expert adviser, who can fully explain health insurance and what's included. 

Let's take a look into the benefits of private health insurance as a self-employed worker...

Quicker access to treatments

Being self-employed and investing in health insurance offers several key benefits. Firstly, it provides faster access to specialist care and treatments, allowing you to bypass NHS waiting lists.

With health insurance, you also get the option to choose your preferred hospital or consultant, ensuring you receive care from trusted professionals.

You can also access advanced medical technologies and innovative treatments that may not be readily available through the NHS.

In particular when it comes to cancer cover, health insurance gives you access to the latest cancer treatments and is intended to make treatment as comfortable as possible.

With private healthcare offering quicker access to treatments, you can return to work much quicker.

Flexibility with digital GPs

Most health insurance plans come with digital GPs. Digital GPs give you access to online doctors 24/7 via a phone or online consultation. This is a great health insurance benefit that allows real flexibility that you wouldn't get from an NHS GP surgery.

Appointments can be scheduled at a time that suits you and from anywhere. This means you don't necessarily need to take time off work, or travel for your appointment as it can all be done at ease virtually. 

Digital GPs also means no queuing to book an appointment. The days of losing time whilst waiting on hold to get an appointment or visiting a surgery first thing in the morning are long gone.

Appointments are also available much quicker, with some insurers such as Aviva, offering appointments in as little as 30 minutes. You also have unlimited consultations to use as often as you need and it won't make any affect on your claim status by using the service.

Peace of Mind

Health insurance for self-employed workers can provide excellent peace of mind.

Whilst falling ill or suffering an injury can still be a nightmare for the self-employed, having health insurance can help provide peace of mind and reassurance thanks to much quicker access to private healthcare services.

Having a plan also prepares you for any unexpected illnesses or injuries. For example, if you needed to get treatment quickly, you may choose to self-pay for private healthcare. Having a plan would cover these bills and make payments much more manageable.

To get peace of mind that you're covered for the unexpected, simply fill in the form below to speak to one of our advisers.

Affordability

More people are realising that private health insurance is worth it. Finding the right cover at the right price will of course come at a cost, but many people find it's much more affordable than they thought and the benefits are unmatched.

Using a health insurance comparison service also allows a lot more accessibility when finding a policy.

Many more people are finding that getting advice and recommendations from a health insurance expert allows them to find a policy that is completely suitable for their needs and at the best price.

You can work with an expert adviser to compare health insurance options available to you.

What is the best way for self-employed people to get health insurance?

There are a wealth of options available, which can make it difficult to know where to start when it comes to health insurance.

Many comparison sites can give you a benchmark cost of what could be available to you through a quick online quote. This can be a good way to get an idea of what to expect.

However, it can be really valuable to talk to a health insurance intermediary like Usay Compare. There are so many elements to a policy, and your requirements need to be understood to ensure you're covered for everything you need.

There are so many different things to take into consideration, that may not be considered through an online quote. Whilst it may be quicker, it may also mean your cover isn't completely bespoke to you. 

With a free and no-obligation consultation with an expert, you have the time to make the right decision for you based on the information you've received. You also benefit from being able to ask the adviser any questions you have and peace of mind you know exactly what you're covered for if you ever needed to claim.

Not to mention, you have the best price guaranteed and all the hard work done for you.

When self-employed, obtaining health coverage is a straightforward process, especially when using a trusted comparison service.

Having advice can help you to fully understand the policies available to you and an expert adviser will be able to provide recommendations based on their understanding of your needs.

At Usay Compare, we understand that this process can often be overwhelming, but working with a reputable insurance comparison service like us can simplify the process.

What to expect with Usay Compare?

Our expert advisers are on hand to provide guidance every step of the way. Here is what you can expect from a typical call with our advisers.

1. Our advisers will get to understand your needs and requirements, medical history and learn what you want included in your policy.

2. Once our advisers have all the information they need, they'll use our comparison technology to compare quotes from leading UK providers, finding the best price guaranteed.

3. They'll make recommendations, of which they think will be best suited to you and offer any advice. You can ask as many questions as you need to fully understand your cover. They'll explain the ins and outs of the policy.

4. You have the time to make an informed decision. If you want to go away and think about it you can, and you can get back in touch with your adviser to go over any more questions you have.

You'll have peace of mind that you have continuous support throughout your policy and at renewal stage.

Our expert advisers can support you through the entire process of finding a policy that's right for you. Fill in the form below to book your free consultation.

What's the cost of self-employed health insurance?

The price of private health insurance really varies from person to person, which is why we recommend using an intermediary service to find a bespoke, personalised policy that is the right fit.

Speaking with an expert adviser allows them to fully understand your needs and discuss the options available to you at the best price. 

Some policies can start from £25 a month, which would include mid-level cover. This varies from insurer to insurer but you could expect this type of policy to include cover for surgeries, cancer and diagnostics.

Policy prices are based on a range of different factors but what will influence them most is the age of a policyholder and location. 

You may find as you get older, policies are more expensive, based on the risk increase. But it's always worth seeing what options are available to you and working with an expert to find the best price and cover.

Will medical insurance cover my income?

Whilst medical insurance can help you get treatment quicker and possibly offer less time off work for you, you wouldn't be covered for your income. Medical insurance only covers you for the cost of medical bills (along with other great benefits).

There are options however, to protect your income, which would be our income protection product. If you are unable to work because of illness, the policy would pay out a portion of your monthly earnings, allowing you to continue to cover your essential outgoings.

It is definitely worth considering if you couldn't work and don't have sick cover.

If you want to find out more about what policies are available to you, get in touch with our expert advisers for a free, no obligation quote. Simply fill out the quote form below or give us a call on: 01285 864670