The Exeter in progress

*The Exeter Health Insurance*

Health+ is The Exeter’s Private Medical Insurance product. In this article, we will look at what makes it different from the other, more well known insurer policies provided by the likes of Bupa and Aviva provide.

The Exeter, despite not being as prominent as other Insurers, is still one of the biggest health insurance providers in the United Kingdom. Offering competitive levels of cover coupled with sensible prices makes it a health insurance provider worth keeping your eye on.

Who are The Exeter?

Exeter Friendly Society, or The Exeter as its now known was founded back in 1927, in, yes, you guessed it, Exeter in Devon. The Exeter, as well as being a friendly society is a composite insurer, meaning it provides insurance options for life and income protection as well as health.

The Exeter is a friendly society, (sometimes referred to as a mutual insurance company). This means it is owned by its hundred-thousand plus members (policyholders) rather than shareholders. This mutual structure means that any profits generated by the company are reinvested for the benefit of its members, rather than being distributed to shareholders.

Offering Health Insurance since the 1990s they have become one of the cornerstones of the private medical insurance market. This is displayed by numerous awards, for example in 2024 they won Best Private Medical Insurance provider, at the Investment Life & Pensions Awards hosted by Moneyfacts. Their product is also rated five stars by Financial Product Rating Experts, Defaqto.

The Key Features of The Exeter, Health+

Core Cover

This is the standard offering from The Exeter

  • Unlimited in-patient & day-patient treatment
  • Complete cancer cover
  • Home nursing
  • Private ambulance
  • Out-patient surgery
  • Post operative physiotherapy
  • NHS cash benefit (£150 per night up to 30 nights)
  • Access remote GP appointments via its HealthWise app
  • Out-Patient Cover Covers consultations with a specialist and diagnostic tests such as blood tests and x-rays. Options £500, £1000 art full cover)
  • Unlimited Outpatient Diagnostics If you choose a limit on out-patient cover of either £500 or £1,000 per year, you can upgrade this with unlimited out-patient diagnostics.
  • Therapies Cover With the additional therapies cover, following a GP or specialist referral, you can get access to a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, acupuncturist, podiatrist, speech therapist, pain clinic or two consultations with a dietician.
  • Mental Health Cover By adding mental health cover you are covered for specialist treatments as an in-patient or day-patient including accommodation and nursing for up to 28 days.
  • No Claims Discount: Earn premium discounts for staying healthy and not making claims. Each policyholder has an individual No Claims Discount, so one member’s claim doesn’t affect others.
  • Excess Options are £0, £100, £250, £500, £1000, £3000, £5000
  • *Guided Spec

Options to enhance cover

Out-Patient Cover
You can choose to enhance out-patient cover to include specialist fees and diagnostic tests such as X-rays, ECGs and pathology tests. CT, MRI and PET scans, as well as all treatment and consultations related to diagnosed cancer, are included under core cover.

Unlimited Out-Patient Diagnostics
If you choose a limit on out-patient cover of either £500 or £1,000 per year, you can upgrade this with unlimited out-patient diagnostics.

Mental Health Cover
By adding mental health cover you are covered for specialist treatments as an in-patient or day-patient including accommodation and nursing for up to 28 days.

Therapies Cover
With the additional therapies cover, following a GP or specialist referral, you can get access to a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, acupuncturist, podiatrist, speech therapist, pain clinic or two consultations with a dietician.

The Exeter in progress

Hospital Choices

Traditional
With the traditional option, you choose one of three hospital list, when you take out the policy, and if you claim your GP can refer you to any named specialist. You can then choose to be treated at any hospital on your chosen list. This results in:

  • Choose from three hospital lists Choose from three hospital lists, (Essential, Standard and Extended) with The Extended List, which covers Central London, being the most expensive.
  • Your choice of specialist. Accept the recommendation of your GP or conduct your own research to identify a specialist.

Guided
With the guided option, you don’t choose a hospital list when you take out the policy. However, if you claim your GP makes an open referral to a type of specialist and Exeter will recommend a shortlist of specialists for you to choose from.

  • Lower premiums; Exeter pre-negotiate fees with our pool of consultants so they can keep premiums lower.
  • Shortlist of specialists; Exeter always recommend specialists based on your diagnostic and treatment needs.
The Exeter in progress

What is The Exeter's HealthWise?

Healthwise is The Exeter's digital health companion available to members with a qualifying Exeter policy. For users with a Health+ health insurance policy it offers:

  • Remote GP appointments (unlimited consultations each year)
  • Second medical opinion (two consultations each year)
  • Physiotherapy (six consultations each year)
  • Mental health support (six consultations each year)
  • Registered dietitian consultations (six consultations each year)
  • Health MOTs (one finger-prick blood test kit each year)
  • Repeat prescriptions
  • Lifestyle and nutrition consultations (six consultations each year)

You are able to use HealthWise from anywhere in the world and it does not affect your no claims bonus, therefore using it won’t ever affect your premiums.

More on Health+

  • Owned by Policy Holders, a mutual insurance company.
  • Gives access to HealthWise
  • Wide range of possible additions to the core cover which you can pick to suit your needs.
  • Streamlined claims process accessible either online or over the phone.
  • The standard moratorium is more lenient than other providers.
  • Limited access to fitness benefits (in particular gym memberships)
  • Limited International Coverage.
  • Unlike some providers The Exeter has an upper age limit of 80.
  • Fewer policy upgrades for example dental cover.

The Exeter's Standard Moratorium

Typically all insurers offer the option of a moratorium when joining which does not cover any pre-existing conditions and associated conditions you have had in the five years before taking out the policy, for a minimum of two years. With The Exeter's Standard Moratorium option, however, it does not exclude associated conditions.

While this may seem like a minor difference, in practice it makes a huge difference.

For example, if you have high blood pressure as a pre-exisiting condition and want to have tests or treatment regarding something circulatory or heart related, that may not be covered with other insurers.

With The Exeter's Standard Moratorium, even though high blood pressure itself wouldn't be covered, any associated issues, such as heart disease or strokes, will be.

What do we think?

Despite perhaps not being as well known as some of the insurers, Exeter’s Health+ plan certainly packs a punch. Offering a strong level of core benefits that align with market norms, as well as some great optional additions, in particular the extensive mental health cover.

The most common question we get asked is, What are they (the insurer) like when it comes to claims?
The Exeters status as a friendly society means they can put their people before profit and they take pride in their excellent record when it comes to paying out for claims.

We also like their flexibility when it comes to underwriting with the Standard Moratorium offering them a unique selling point vs the rest of the market, and this makes The Exeter extremely attract to those who are considering cover for the first time and who have pre existing medical conditions.

Ways to contact The Exeter

0300 123 3201

enquiries@the-exeter.com

The Exeter, Lakeside House
Emperor Way, Exeter, EX1 3FD

Get your free quote here

Get A Free Quote