The Exeter Health Insurance Review: What Health+ Actually Delivers

Every Health+ policy — whether traditional or guided — starts with the same benefits:

• Unlimited inpatient and day-patient treatment — hospital fees, consultant fees and nursing costs with no annual limit
• Complete cancer cover — all stages of cancer from diagnosis through to palliative and terminal care, including the latest drugs and treatments. No time or financial limits
• Out-patient surgery carried out by a specialist
• Complex diagnostic tests as an inpatient or day-patient — MRI, CT and PET scans
• Post-operative physiotherapy — up to three sessions following surgery
• NHS cash benefit — £250 per night for in-patient stays (up to 30 nights) and £150 per day for day-patient treatment, with a single annual cap of up to £10,000 across both. Increased from £150 to £250 per night in January 2026, with excess deductions removed
• Unlimited home nursing following inpatient or day-patient treatment
• Private ambulance when medically needed
• Parental accommodation if a child under 18 on the policy needs hospital treatment

The cancer cover deserves attention. It covers all stages of cancer with no financial cap. Reconstructive surgery after cancer or covered injury is included as standard. The Exeter’s policy wording on restorative surgery after illness more broadly is worth checking against your specific medical situation — we’ve found it tends to be more generous than several competitors, but exact scope varies by claim type.

Three sessions of post-operative physiotherapy is low. Most clients who need physio after surgery need more than three. If that matters to you, add the therapies option — which gives you £500, £1,000 or unlimited sessions with a physio, chiropractor, osteopath or acupuncturist.

The big gap: there are no outpatient consultations, no specialist fees and no routine tests like blood work, ECGs or X-rays. Those all need the outpatient cover add-on. Without it, you’ll rely on the NHS for diagnosis and only go private for the treatment itself. For some clients that’s fine. For others, it defeats the purpose of having a health insurance policy.

This is where The Exeter stands out. The NCD runs on a 15-level scale with a maximum discount of 75%. Members move up one level for each claim-free year. Here’s how claims affect it:

• Claims under £300 in a policy year — no effect at all
• Claims between £300 and £2,000 — a smaller drop of one or two levels depending on the amount
• Claims over £2,000 — the maximum drop of three levels

Compare that to Aviva, where any claim above the £250 threshold can move your discount down. Or Vitality, which doesn’t use an NCD at all — your renewal is driven by ABC pricing and claims thresholds shared across the whole policy.

Each member on your health insurance policy has their own no claims discount. One person claiming doesn’t drag the others down. For clients who expect to use their cover — even occasionally — this structure means your renewal stays fairer over time. It’s one of the main reasons we recommend The Exeter to clients who want reassurance that using their cover won’t punish them at renewal.

Your premium depends on your age, where you live, which extras you pick and whether you choose traditional or guided. To give a rough idea based on a £250 excess, £500 outpatient cover, unlimited outpatient diagnostics, £500 therapies and no mental health cover:

• Age 30, Guided — around £38 per month
• Age 30, Traditional (Standard list) — around £44 per month
• Age 40, Guided — around £48 per month
• Age 40, Traditional (Standard list) — around £55 per month
• Age 50, Guided — around £65 per month
• Age 50, Traditional (Standard list) — around £75 per month
• Age 60, Guided — around £100 per month
• Age 60, Traditional (Standard list) — around £115 per month

In independent research, The Exeter consistently comes in below the market average across all age groups. The Guided option is the easiest way to keep costs down without losing the core benefits.

Excess options range from £0 to £5,000. A higher excess lowers your premium but means more out of pocket at claim time. For most clients, £250 is the right balance. See our guide to the average cost of health insurance for wider context. Your actual quote will vary.

Every Health+ member gets access to the Healthwise app. It includes:

Unlimited remote GP was added to Healthwise in November 2023. The most recent update, in January 2026, added a redesigned interface, a new ‘My Family’ feature so family members aged 16+ can have their own accounts, and split nutrition and lifestyle into two separate services (six appointments per service, doubled from a previous combined allowance). The annual health check covers 20 biomarkers including cholesterol, blood glucose, liver function and diabetes risk, with a personalised report.

These are genuine additional benefits that add value from day one. The GP appointments alone save you the cost of a private consultation elsewhere. Crucially, using Healthwise services does not affect your no claims discount — the app sits outside the main claims process.

One caveat: these benefits sit outside your Health+ policy terms. They can change at renewal. They’re useful while they last, but don’t choose a plan based on them alone. Also worth noting: the Healthwise physio and counselling sessions are app-based allowances — not a self-referral pathway to unlimited treatment under your main policy cover, the way Bupa Direct Access or Vitality Priority Physio work.

The standard exclusions are similar to most UK insurers:

• Chronic conditions — anything long-term like diabetes or arthritis
• Pre-existing conditions — unless your underwriting allows it
• Pregnancy and fertility
• Cosmetic surgery — unless restorative after illness, injury or cancer treatment
• Mental health — unless you add the mental health cover option (six Healthwise counselling sessions are still in core)
• Dental, optical and hearing — not available as extras. You’d need a separate policy
• Weight loss surgery
• Organ transplants
• Learning and developmental disorders

The lack of a dental or optical option is a gap. Most other providers let you add a cash benefit for routine dental and eye tests. It’s not offered with Health+. If that matters, you’ll need standalone cover elsewhere.

You can’t apply after your 80th birthday. There’s no upper age limit for existing policyholders, but new joiners are cut off at 80. If you’re close to that age, apply sooner rather than later.

All personal exclusions will be listed in your policy documents. Always read them before you buy.

We provide unbiased, independent comparisons of UK health insurance providers. For personalised advice, get in touch — our advice is free and we’re FCA-authorised.