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Freedom Health Insurance offer flexible health insurance for customers in the UK and overseas. They have two main policy options with different cover and premium profiles.
Highlights of Freedom Health Insurance coverage include:
Choose from comprehensive or essentials insurance to suit your budget.
Cancer cover as standard.
Pricing isn’t based on location, so no extra cost if you live in or near a major city.
Families with three or fewer children only pay for their first child.
Cover for MRI, CT and PET scans.
Cover for some dental costs.
Option of worldwide insurance when living or working abroad.
In this guide to Freedom Health Insurance, we look in more detail at what they do and don’t cover. You’ll also see how you can shape your policy to adjust your budget while still covering what's most important to you.
We’ve done our best to ensure the information on this page is accurate and up to date at the time of writing. However, insurers can change their terms, pricing and cover at any time. This page is for general information only and is not a substitute for full policy documentation, which you should always review to help you confirm that the cover meets your individual needs.
Our specialist advisers can walk you through Freedom’s core cover and optional extras, and check for any current offers. They’ll also compare Freedom’s cover and premiums with other leading UK providers so you can see if there’s a better fit for your needs and budget. Call 0800 144 4777 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or start your quotation online now.
Freedom Health Insurance provide lots of ways that you can tailor your cover to suit your needs and budget. This starts with the choice of Elite or Essentials cover:
Freedom Elite pays for treatment directly to the hospital, within the level of cover you choose. This covers you in the UK only.
This pays you a fixed cash benefit towards the cost of eligible treatment when you arrange and pay for treatment directly with the hospital of your choice. This covers you in the UK or abroad.
With both policies, standard cover includes inpatient and day-patient treatment and cancer cover. There’s also cover for some dental check-ups or treatment, pregnancy complications, and MRI CT and PET scans. You can add cover for extras such as GP-requested diagnostic tests and physiotherapy treatment.
You can reduce the cost of your cover by choosing a higher excess or paying premiums annually instead of monthly. With Freedom Elite you can also choose to stick with the standard hospital list or pay more to add a wider choice of hospitals.
These are the benefits you get as standard with a Freedom Elite policy. You’re covered for inpatient treatment and cancer care, with access to a wide choice of hospitals. These are private hospitals throughout the UK in hospital groups including Circle Health Group, Nuffield Health and Ramsay Health Care.
Benefit | What's included |
|---|---|
Outpatient and inpatient care | Fees in full (after paying the excess) for covered procedures at hospitals on Freedom’s list. You can choose a hospital not on the approved list, but you’d be covered for 50% of the costs. |
Cancer care | Fees approved by Freedom for providing active cancer treatment, including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. |
MRI, CT and PET scans | Fees charged for diagnostic imaging services approved by Freedom when referred by a specialist. |
Dental surgery | Covers fees (up to stated limits) for a list of procedures when your dentist refers you to a specialist. |
Home nursing | Cost of skilled nursing in the home immediately following covered inpatient or day-patient treatment, for up to 13 weeks. |
Pregnancy complications | Cover for complications listed in the policy document, for inpatient, day-patient and outpatient care. |
Maternity cash benefit | Cash payment of £150 per child born, if the cover has been in place for at least ten months. |
Private ambulance | The cost of a private road ambulance if you need medical supervision during a journey to private inpatient or day-patient treatment. |
NHS hospital cash payment | A cash payment of £100 per day if you have day-patient treatment and £200 per night for inpatient treatment through the NHS instead of using your health cover. |
Freedom’s optional add-ons let you enhance your cover when you are happy to pay extra for more complete peace of mind.
Option | What's included |
|---|---|
Access to more hospitals | Access to central London private hospitals and HCA Healthcare UK facilities throughout the UK, in addition to the standard hospital list. |
Outpatient cover | Diagnostic tests requested by a GP (up to £750), specialist fees and physiotherapy treatment. |
Alternative therapies | Includes osteopathy, chiropractor, acupuncture, homeopathy and podiatry when referred by your GP or a specialist, up to a chosen level of cover. |
Mental health cover | Includes up to 45 days of inpatient and day-patient treatment for acute mental health conditions, and outpatient treatment up to £2,000. |
Dental, optical and GP benefit | Covers fees charged by a dentist for routine dental services (up to £300) or treating an accidental dental injury (up to £600). Fees charged by an optician for eye tests, glasses and contact lenses (up to £200). Fees charged by a private GP for medical services provided in their own surgery (up to £300). |
Freedom describe their Essentials cover as ‘cost-conscious’ and ‘affordable’ health insurance. This policy provides you with a cash payment, up to a maximum level, for eligible inpatient and day-patient treatment in the UK or abroad.
If you choose treatment that costs more than the maximum, you are responsible for any shortfall. But if there’s any surplus cash after paying for the treatment, that’s yours to keep.
There is no hospital list with Essentials cover: choose the consultant and the hospital you want for treatment anywhere in the UK or abroad.
Benefit | What's included |
|---|---|
Inpatient and day-patient treatment (where a procedure is required) | A fixed cash payment towards costs for treatment you arrange with a specialist in a hospital on a self-pay basis. |
NHS care cash payment | You get 50% of the fixed cash benefit if you receive treatment as an NHS patient at an NHS hospital. |
Inpatient and day-patient treatment (where a medical procedure is not required) | A £200 cash payment for each day/night you spend in hospital for treatment you arrange with a specialist on a self-pay basis. |
Cancer cash benefit | You receive 50% of the fixed cash benefit when you receive inpatient or day-patient treatment as part of a course of active cancer treatment. A cash benefit of £150 for each hospital visit to receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy. |
MRI, CT and PET scans | Full payment of fees charged for UK diagnostic imaging services approved by Freedom when referred by a specialist. |
Pregnancy complications | Cover for complications listed in the policy document, for inpatient, day-patient and outpatient care. |
Dental benefit | A fixed cash benefit towards dental surgery. |
Freedom’s optional add-ons let you enhance your cover when you are happy to pay extra for more complete peace of mind.
Option | What's included |
|---|---|
Diagnostic tests | Covers the cost of diagnostic tests requested by a GP, up to £500. This doesn’t cover MRI, CT and PET scans requested by a GP. |
Specialist fees and physiotherapy | Covers the costs of consultations with a specialist, diagnostic tests, and fees charged by a physiotherapist up to your choice of £500 or £1,500. Other limits may apply. |
Outpatient procedures | A fixed cash payment towards the cost of minor outpatient procedures to treat an acute condition. |
Routine dental costs | Cover for up to £150 for routine dental services to maintain oral hygiene. |
Optical costs | Cover of up to £150 for eye tests, and prescription glasses and contact lenses (if you need a first prescription or your existing prescription has changed). |
Maternity cash benefit | A cash benefit of £150 for each child born after policy starts, once you have had the policy for at least ten months before the child is born. |
If you want to keep your premiums down, there are ways to adjust your policy without losing core protection.
Option | What this means for you |
|---|---|
Level of cover | Agree to a limit on outpatient cover with Freedom Elite. |
Policy excess | Agree to pay more towards a claim. |
Pay yearly | Choose to pay an annual premium instead of monthly and save 6%. |
Hospital lists | With Freedom Elite, choose to stick with the standard hospital list instead of upgrading to the more extensive one. |
As with health insurance generally, Freedom Elite and Essentials Health Insurance doesn’t cover you for a number of conditions and treatments. Their exclusions include:
Accident and emergency (A&E) treatment.
Treatment for pre-existing conditions or symptoms you had before taking out your policy.
Ongoing, recurrent or long-term conditions such as asthma or diabetes (chronic conditions).
Cosmetic treatment.
Pregnancy and childbirth, apart from pregnancy complications.
Treatment of alcohol, solvent or drug abuse, or addictions of any kind.
Treatment for or arising from AIDS and HIV.
Certain other exclusions covered in Freedom’s terms and conditions.
These exclusions are fairly standard across most leading health insurers; if policies covered all of these conditions, premiums would be unrealistically high.
Freedom Health Insurance works well for many people, but like any insurer, it might not suit everyone. Here’s a look at where this insurer’s offering may be less than ideal for you:
The Freedom Elite extended hospital list costs extra. However, the standard list includes an extensive choice of hospitals.
You don’t get GP access as standard, whereas some insurers include perks like GP appointments in person, by phone or online.
Some other insurers offer mental health cover as standard. But with Freedom Elite it’s an optional add-on, and it’s not covered with Freedom Essentials.
A quite small level of dental cover is included as standard: you need to pay more for extra coverage. However, this is quite common among health insurers, and you may prefer to take out a separate dental plan.
Despite these potential limitations, Freedom Health Insurance scores highly on the way that you can tailor your policy to suit your needs and budget. You can then compare your quote with other insurers to see which option works best for you.
Freedom Health Insurance offer a third policy option, in addition to their Elite and Essentials plans. With Freedom Worldwide, you are covered if you live or work outside of the UK.
Available for individuals and families, Worldwide brings you a choice of five levels of international health insurance cover. For every level, here’s a summary of what’s included as standard:
Inpatient or day-patient medical treatment for acute conditions when you have to be admitted to a hospital.
Cancer treatment.
Emergency hospital dental treatment up to benefit limits.
MRI, CT and PET scans.
Surgery as an outpatient (not admitted to hospital) up to benefit limits.
Medical evacuation and repatriation, with specifics depending on the policy option you choose.
Compassionate emergency visit should a member of your family fall critically ill in another country.
As well as choosing from the five levels of cover, you also get to choose between three areas: Europe, worldwide, or worldwide excluding the USA. This helps to make sure you only pay for the cover you need, in the countries where you’ll actually be living or working.
Freedom Health Insurance has something for everyone, with flexibility from Elite and Essentials policies, both with the choice of optional add-ons. Cancer cover is included as standard, which isn’t the case with every health insurer.
However, it may not be the best fit for everyone. For example, full dental and optical cover isn’t included as standard and cover must be added as optional extras. Access to the full hospital list will also cost more, particularly if you want treatment in central London hospitals, although the standard hospital list is quite comprehensive.
As with most private medical insurance, pre-existing conditions are typically excluded. It’s always important to check the terms and underwriting options carefully before deciding.
We also notice with Freedom that the 24/7 services common among many other health insurers aren’t available. There’s no round-the clock access to GPs or mental health professionals, for example. But of course, you may feel that these aren’t necessary as the NHS is there for urgent needs.
Finally, it’s worth giving a special mention to the Freedom Worldwide policy. This goes beyond typical travel insurance policies, with a more specialist focus on your health and wellbeing. But remember that you would still need travel insurance for non-health risks like theft and cancelled flights.
Our health insurance advisers can help. They will review your circumstances, talk you through Freedom’s coverage, and help you compare it against the other leading UK health insurers. Call us on 0800 144 4777 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or request a call back at a time that suits you.
Freedom Health Insurance was founded in 2003 and remains a family-run company. They pride themselves on offering ‘exceptional customer service and simple yet flexible products at competitive premiums’ for UK residents and those overseas.
