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Health insurance from The Exeter provides strong standard protection that includes unlimited inpatient and day-patient treatment, comprehensive cancer care, and a range of additional benefits to support you.
Highlights of The Exeter’s health insurance cover include:
Unlimited inpatient and day-patient treatment.
Comprehensive cancer cover with access to modern drugs and treatments.
A choice of two ways to access treatment. Either choose from a hospital list, or from a shortlist of recommendations.
Private ambulance transport when medically necessary.
Home nursing following hospital treatment if required.
NHS cash benefit if you choose NHS treatment instead of private care.
Optional extras for outpatient treatment, therapies and mental health cover.
In this guide to The Exeter’s health insurance, we explain how their policy works, what’s included as standard, the optional upgrades available, and how you can tailor cover to suit your needs.
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 The Exeter’s core cover and optional extras, and check for any current offers. They’ll also compare The Exeter’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.
One of the things that makes The Exeter’s Health+ health insurance slightly different from some insurers is that you can choose how you access specialists when you take out your policy. Both options include the same core cover, but the route you take to treatment works a little differently.
With the ‘traditional’ option, you choose from one of three hospital lists when you take out your policy. If you ever need treatment, your GP can refer you to a specific consultant who works at a hospital on that list. Alternatively, you can make your own choice from the list.
Three hospital lists are available – Essential, Standard and Extended. The lists vary in size, with broader hospital access typically costing more. The Extended list includes some of the most prestigious or specialist UK facilities. Examples include The Harley Street Clinic, The Portland Hospital and Cromwell Hospital in London, and the Christie Clinic in Manchester.
If access to these well-known private hospitals matters to you, you’ll need to choose the Extended hospital list when taking out your policy. This option tends to suit people who want maximum control over which consultants and hospitals they use, especially if you live in or around the London area.
The ‘guided’ option works slightly differently, as you don’t choose a hospital list at the start. If you claim on your policy, your GP makes what’s known as an open referral to a type of specialist. From there, Exeter reviews your case and recommends a shortlist of specialists who are best suited to your diagnosis and treatment needs. You can then choose your consultant from that shortlist.
Because Exeter works closely with a selected pool of consultants and agrees treatment fees in advance, they’re able to keep costs more predictable. This helps make guided cover more affordable than traditional, while still providing the same level of core medical protection.
This option can suit people who are happy to have support in finding the right specialist and would prefer lower premiums without sacrificing core cover.
Like most private medical insurers, The Exeter’s focus on acute conditions – illnesses or injuries that are expected to respond to treatment and help you return to your usual health.
The core cover includes unlimited hospital treatment and several additional benefits designed to support you before, during and after treatment.
Benefit | What’s included |
|---|---|
Inpatient and day-patient treatment | Unlimited hospital treatment, covering accommodation, nursing care and specialist fees where treatment is eligible. |
Cancer cover | Comprehensive cancer treatment at every stage, including surgery and access to modern drugs and therapies. |
Outpatient surgery | Surgical procedures carried out by a specialist, without the need for an overnight hospital stay. |
Remote GP appointments | Unlimited video or phone consultations with experienced UK-based GPs. |
Home nursing | Nursing care at home following eligible inpatient or day-patient treatment if needed during recovery. |
Private ambulance | Road ambulance transport where medical care is required while travelling to, between or from hospitals. |
Post-operative physiotherapy | Up to three physiotherapy sessions following eligible surgery to support recovery. |
Physiotherapy consultations | Up to six remote sessions each year for musculoskeletal assessment and support. |
Parent accommodation | If a child requires hospital treatment, one parent can stay with them in hospital for the duration of their stay. |
NHS cash benefit | A payment of £250 per night for inpatient treatment or £150 per day for day-patient treatment if you choose NHS care instead of claiming privately (up to policy limits). |
No claims discount | Discounts build up on your premiums if you don’t claim, and each person on the policy earns their own discount. |
If you’d like broader protection, you can upgrade your policy with additional benefits. These options are available whether you choose traditional or guided cover.
Adding any optional benefit will increase your monthly premium, but they can provide broader support depending on your healthcare needs.
Optional extra | What’s included |
|---|---|
Enhanced outpatient cover | Covers specialist consultation fees and additional diagnostic tests such as X-rays and ECGs. |
Unlimited outpatient diagnostics | You can add coverage for unlimited diagnostic tests. |
Mental health cover | Covers inpatient or day-patient treatment for acute mental health conditions for up to 28 days, plus outpatient consultations with psychologists and CBT therapists. |
Therapies cover | Access to treatments such as physiotherapy, chiropractic care, osteopathy, acupuncture, podiatry, speech therapy and dietician consultations following referral. |
Every Health+ policy also includes access to HealthWise, The Exeter’s wellbeing platform that provides additional health services through a mobile app.
These services are designed to make it easier to access everyday healthcare advice and professional support, without always needing to make a formal insurance claim.
HealthWise services include these, with up to six consultations a year unless stated otherwise:
Mental health support: Access by video call to trained therapists who can help with issues such as anxiety, depression and emotional wellbeing.
Dietitian consultations: Consultations with registered dietitians, including to support dietary needs linked to health conditions.
Nutrition consultations: Support with healthy eating habits and weight management.
Lifestyle consultations: Personal guidance on areas such as sleep, stress management and exercise habits.
Annual health MOT: An annual home blood test checking 20 health markers, with results delivered through the app.
Second medical opinion: Up to two consultations each year to review a diagnosis or treatment plan.
Repeat prescriptions: Order NHS or private repeat prescriptions through the platform (available in England only).
These services are included with your membership and provide an extra layer of health support alongside your insurance cover.
As with most private medical insurance policies, Health+ focuses on treating new conditions rather than ongoing or long-term illnesses.
Typical exclusions include:
Pre-existing conditions (depending on underwriting).
Pregnancy and fertility treatment.
Cosmetic procedures.
Alcohol or substance misuse treatment.
Experimental treatments.
Major organ transplants.
Kidney dialysis.
Preventative screening tests.
Sight, hearing or dental conditions.
Treatment provided by your GP, dentist or optician.
Treatment or monitoring of chronic conditions.
It’s worth noting that most of these exclusions are standard across most private medical insurance policies.
Health+ offers strong hospital treatment cover, but it may not suit everyone. Key issues that you might want to consider include:
Outpatient consultations and most diagnostic tests are not included as standard and require an upgrade. Mental health treatment is also an optional extra rather than part of the core policy.
Dental and optical care aren’t available as part of the policy at all – unlike some other providers that include them either as standard or as optional extras.
Standard physiotherapy is only included post-surgery. There’s no ongoing cover for general musculoskeletal issues unless you add the therapies extra.
These points don’t affect the quality of the core cover, but they’re worth keeping in mind if you’re looking for broader access to care without having to add on extras.
The Exeter’s Health+ plan is solid cover, but you’ll want to weigh the mix of standard cover and optional extras to see if it fits your needs.
Bear in mind that it scores well on cancer care, with full cover included as standard, giving real peace of mind. But most outpatient tests, diagnostics and specialist appointments outside hospital treatment need an optional extra. Standard physiotherapy is limited to post-surgery sessions unless you add the therapies extra on.
Hospital choice is another factor. The Exeter’s ‘traditional’ option lets you pick a list of hospitals and specialists, while the ‘guided’ option means the company gives you a shortlist. Consider which approach fits your preference for control and cost.
Our health insurance advisers can help. They will review your circumstances, talk you through The Exeter’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.
The Exeter is a long‑established UK insurer, offering private health insurance through its Health+ policy. Founded in 1927, it operates as a mutual friendly society, meaning it is owned by its members rather than shareholders, and profits are reinvested for the benefit of members.
Exeter has earned strong industry recognition for its protection and health products. In 2025, it was named Best Private Health Insurance UK by My Tribe and also picked up Best Private Health Insurance from The Right Mortgage and Protection Network. It was awarded Protection Provider of the Year at the Dynamo and Next Intelligence Awards, alongside multiple five‑star ratings from independent benchmark schemes.
Customers rate Exeter positively too: the insurer holds a Trustpilot score around 4.1 out of 5, reflecting solid satisfaction with its cover and service.
