How do people pay for private healthcare?

Overall, almost 6 in 10 people who have used private healthcare have done so using private medical insurance – either a private policy or one accessed via their employer. This is a rise from two years ago when just under half (49%) of people paid for treatment using insurance.

This rise in the use of insurance can be seen across all age groups and is particularly stark in the 18-24 year cohort where the proportion using insurance to pay for private treatment increased from 31% in 2023 to 55% in 2025, and in the 55-64 age group where use of insurance has risen from 54% to 74% in the same period.

Nearly half of those who’ve used private healthcare (45%) said they have accessed a consultation with a specialist doctor. 34% said they’d had a consultation with another professional, and 35% had received a diagnostic test (up slightly on 2024).

Around a quarter of people have used private healthcare for an operation – either a day case or an overnight inpatient admission.

Over 65s were much more likely than other groups to have had an operation carried out privately. Just under half (44%) of the over 65s who have used private healthcare said their most recent experience using private healthcare was for an operation.