Fairer Finance’s Trust in Private Medical Insurance (PMI) Index has fallen for the first time since the consumer group began polling 10,000 policyholders in Spring 2023.
While trust rose among the youngest (18–30) and oldest (65+) customers in spring 2025, it fell among those aged 31–64. In contrast, in Autumn 2024, trust declined with age. The sharpest drop was among 46–64 year olds, whose average trust score fell by almost two percentage points since autumn 2024.
The fall in trust comes despite a record year for private hospital admissions. According to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), there were 939,000 private admissions in 2024 – up 3% on the previous year. Of these, 664,000 were funded by PMI, a 6% year-on-year increase.
People in their 50s remain the biggest users of private healthcare, which may help explain the decline in trust among this group. As more people turn to private cover to escape long NHS waits, some are discovering that existing conditions are excluded or attract much higher premiums. These experiences may be eroding trust in the sector among the group most likely to use it.
Most trusted PMI brands
WPA and Freedom Health Insurance sit at the top of the trust scores in the PMI sector. WPA had the highest trust score in Spring 2025 after an improvement of 3.6p.p from Autumn 2024. They were helped to the top spot by Freedom Health falling 2.5p.p. At the other end of the sector, SAGA’s trust score fell by almost 7p.p to 46.9%.
Claim satisfaction scores continue to rise
Although trust scores fell slightly in Spring 2025, claim satisfaction scores continued to rise. Average scores were up by approximately 1p.p from the previous quarter, to reach 61.9%. This suggests that providers are continuing to improve the quality of their claims process and service. WPA had the highest claim satisfaction score at 73% in Sprint 2025, while Freedom Health Insurance, Bupa and AXA Health also scored above average.
James Daley, Managing Director at Fairer Finance, the consumer group and ratings provider, commented: “As more people turn to private healthcare, with many buying PMI for the first time, the sector is at a critical moment. The current boom in demand reflects growing concern over the NHS – but it’s also putting more pressure on insurers to deliver clear, fair, and transparent products.
Too many consumers still find themselves confused about what their policy covers or frustrated when they realise the care they expected is out of reach due to exclusions or geography. Trust is built not just on paying claims but on matching expectations. The sector needs to do more to support people at the point of sale and beyond.”
Trust by time
Fairer Finance has also found that trust is generally higher for customers who have held their policy longer, although this isn’t a linear relationship. The lowest trust scores are with those who have held the policy for less than a year, but those who have held it for 2-5 years or 5-10 years tend to trust their providers more than those who have had a policy for over 10 years.
Fairer Finance launched its new PMI product ratings in 2023, which are designed to help consumers choose a good quality product. Fairer Finance awards a 5-star rating to the products with a set of features that most customers will need and expect. It sets a high bar, so the ratings have real value – no more than 15% are awarded 5-star ratings at the start of each year, and often far fewer. The policies that have been awarded a 5-star rating are AXA Personal Health, Bupa By You Comprehensive, The Exeter Health+, Aviva Healthier Solutions, WPA Complete Health and Vitality Personal Healthcare.
For more information about Fairer Finance and to read more about its Customer Experience and Product Ratings, visit https://www.fairerfinance.com/.
