Consumer trust in private medical insurance (PMI) has remained broadly stable, wile claims satisfaction has continued its sustained upward trajectory, according to Fairer Finance’s latest Trust in PMI Index.
The Spring 2026 Index, based on Fairer Finance’s polling of more than 10,000 PMI customers, shows trust fell 0.11 percentage points since Autumn 2025, settling at around 58.5% – broadly in line with levels seen since the Index high of 58.57% in Autumn 2024 and showing little movement over the past 18 months.
Claims satisfaction up
However, claims satisfaction continued to rise – increasing by 1.23 percentage points in the latest wave to reach 66.08%, and by more than 10 percentage points over the past three years.
Looking at claim satisfaction by age, Fairer Finance found that policyholders aged 46-64 years have the lowest claims satisfaction scores, suggesting there may be some level of shock when they begin to use the policy more.
Customers who have made a claim in the last three years recorded trust scores almost 12 percentage points higher than those who have not.
Highest trust scores
Aviva recorded the highest trust score among customers who have made a recent claim (69.34%). Axa Health showed the largest gap between claimants and non-claimants, with trust scores for those who have claimed running more than 15 percentage points higher. Saga was the only provider in the market where this gap moved in the opposite direction.
Value for money
On perceived value for money, scores rose from 44.22% in Autumn 2023 to 47.2% in Spring 2026, but the latest wave is the first to record a dip.
But the data shows value for money scores decline steadily with age. The gap between the youngest and oldest consumer groups is almost 19 percentage points – from 56.5% among 18–30s to just 37.6% among the over-65s.
Value for money and trust show a correlation of around 58%.
Highest trust scores
Freedom Health Insurance and WPA continue to lead the market on trust. Freedom held the highest trust score in the Spring 2026 wave despite a fall of 4.36 percentage points from Autumn 2025. Vitality recorded the largest increase in trust of any provider, with scores rising 2.3 percentage points.
Work to do
James Daley, managing director of consumer group Fairer Finance (pictured), 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.”
