The number of people buying private health insurance for the first time has doubled since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, sales figures suggest.
UK protection comparison site ActiveQuote said that sales of private medical insurance (PMI) to first-time customers were up on average by 100% across November, December and January this year, compared to the amount coming through at the beginning of the pandemic across March, April, and May 2020.
This newfound consumer interest in PMI shows no signs of slowing in 2021 either, with private healthcare sales to first-time buyers up 32% between December and January alone.
Rod Jones, head of partnerships at ActiveQuote, said: “We know the tide has been turning for a while when it comes to private healthcare and, with figures like these, it certainly feels like the public has woken up to the benefits of PMI.
“There can be no denying that attitudes towards private healthcare have changed significantly since Covid-19 arrived in the UK, and the statistics continue to show us that consumers are more committed than ever to making sure their needs are taken care of come what may.”
Jones said it is also “encouraging” to note that the significant rises in the number of first-time buyers investing in private healthcare means more are realising “not only the true value of having these policies in place, but just how affordable and accessible a lot of them are too.”
He said: “This is a positive development not only when it comes to future markets, therefore, but for customers too, who can expect PMI to be an increasingly affordable option available to ever greater numbers as a direct consequence of this continuing increase in take up.”