National Friendly has launched Friendly Health, a new entry-level healthcare product designed to make private health insurance more accessible to UK consumers while creating fresh opportunities for protection advisers.

The new plan, which offers three levels of cover – bronze, silver and gold – can be set up in around five minutes with no medical questions or underwriting. Premiums start at £4.15 a week, with all options including unlimited 24/7 access to virtual GPs, online dentist and dietitian consultations, and a “diagnosis pot” to contribute towards scans, consultations and tests.

Customers are also assigned a single claims handler throughout the process for consistency and support.

According to National Friendly’s own research, more than one in three people (39%) regard full private medical insurance as a luxury they cannot afford, while only 14% of UK adults currently have private health cover. Nearly one in three (29%) said dental care would be a key factor in choosing a health policy.

The insurer says Friendly Health was developed in direct response to these findings. By offering simple, affordable tiers with transparent pricing, the product is intended to help advisers expand their client offering beyond traditional financial protection and promote a more holistic approach to wellbeing.

Applications use a non-underwritten, age-banded pricing model, meaning premiums remain fixed and do not increase as clients grow older. National Friendly said the simplicity of the structure makes the plan easy for advisers to recommend and straightforward for customers to understand.

Ian Sawyer, commercial director at Howden Life & Health, said: “The launch of National Friendly’s Friendly Health is timely. Our own research shows that health anxiety is real with one in five people losing sleep over fears of not being able to access the healthcare they need.

“What’s more, over a quarter of people have already self-funded treatment in the past five years with diagnostic tests and scans, injuries, and mental health services the most common reasons for doing so.

“Friendly Health has been designed following consumer research; its features and pricing can help to fill the healthcare gap.

“With a flexible use diagnostic pot for tests, scans and consultations; mental health counselling, physio, dentist and GP access as standard plus health home test kits and personal nurses with its silver and gold levels it provides an affordable, yet benefit rich, alternative.

“We support the fact it encourages proactive health management for today and reassurance for tomorrow if a client’s health changes.”