Consumer trust in private medical insurance has remained broadly stable, despite claims satisfaction reaching a new high, according to Fairer Finance.
The consumer group’s Spring 2026 Trust in PMI Index, based on polling of more than 10,000 private medical insurance customers, found that trust slipped by 0.11 percentage points since Autumn 2025 to around 58.5%.
Fairer Finance said the figure was broadly in line with levels seen since the index high of 58.57% in Autumn 2024, suggesting the sector has reached a trust plateau after little movement over the past 18 months.
Claims satisfaction continued to improve, rising by 1.23 percentage points in the latest wave to 66.08%. It has increased by more than 10 percentage points over the past three years.
However, Fairer Finance said policyholders aged 46 to 64 recorded the lowest claims satisfaction scores, suggesting some customers may experience disappointment when they begin to use their policies more often.
Customers who had made a claim in the past three years recorded trust scores almost 12 percentage points higher than those who had not.
Aviva recorded the highest trust score among customers who had made a recent claim, at 69.34%. AXA Health had the largest gap between claimants and non-claimants, with trust scores among those who had claimed more than 15 percentage points higher. Saga was the only provider where the gap moved in the opposite direction.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Fairer Finance also tracks satisfaction with perceived value for money. Scores have increased from 44.22% in Autumn 2023 to 47.2% in Spring 2026, although the latest wave recorded the first dip.
Value for money scores decline steadily with age. The gap between the youngest and oldest groups was almost 19 percentage points, from 56.5% among 18 to 30-year-olds to 37.6% among over-65s.
Fairer Finance said this was likely to reflect the effect of rising premiums on older policyholders.
Freedom Health Insurance and WPA continued to lead the market on trust. Freedom recorded the highest trust score in the Spring 2026 wave, despite falling by 4.36 percentage points since Autumn 2025. Vitality recorded the largest increase, with trust rising by 2.3 percentage points.
James Daley, managing director of consumer group Fairer Finance, said: “The sustained rise in claims satisfaction is genuinely encouraging – particularly at a time when the sector has been growing.
“However, a deeper look at the data shows that claims satisfaction falls markedly among customers in the 46-64 age bracket – with many not testing the limitations of their policies until they get more complex medical problems in mid-life.
“Private medical insurers still have work to do to ensure that customers understand exactly what is and isn’t covered – and also have a clearer idea of how premiums will rise as they reach the time in their life where they’re most likely to need to claim.”
Fairer Finance launched its PMI product ratings in 2023 to help consumers choose good quality products. Its 5-star rating is awarded to products with a set of features it says most customers will need and expect.
