Private medical insurers handled an unprecedented £4 billion in claims across individual and workplace policies in 2024, marking a 13% jump from the £3.57 billion paid out the previous year, according to analysis by the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
This amounted to roughly £11 million in claims being settled each day.
Health insurance take up also continued to rise. Overall coverage increased by 4% compared with 2023, reaching 6.5 million people. Workplace policies accounted for 4.8 million of these, the second consecutive year this total has reached a record high in more than 30 years of data.
A total of 1.8 million people made a claim on personal or employer-backed policies in 2024, a rise of 10% on the previous year. Most of the growth came from employees using workplace benefits, underlining the expanding role of employer‑funded health support.
Workplace schemes alone generated £2.6 billion in claims, up 16% on 2023. According to the ABI, this funding was central to helping workers and their families access preventative care, secure prompt diagnoses and receive treatment for acute conditions. The figures also reflect the increasing contribution employers made to staff health.
The association also confirmed it remained actively involved in the Keep Britain Working review, following the release of its final report in November 2025.
During the review’s initial implementation phase, the ABI said it would work with government to encourage healthier working lives, develop a new workplace health provision service and introduce accredited standards aimed at improving employee wellbeing.
Rebecca Ward, head of health and protection policy at the ABI, said the data highlighted the “vital role of insurers in maintaining a healthy UK population”.
“As a complement to the life-saving work of the NHS, health insurance continues to help individuals and their loved ones access timely medical testing, treatment and care when it matters most,” she said. ”Our figures specifically highlight the value of workplace health insurance schemes in supporting employees to stay well and in work, a key aim of Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review. Since the launch of the review, we’ve been engaging with members, government and Sir Charlie’s team to outline the role of employers and insurers in reducing health-based economic inactivity and driving a healthy, thriving workforce.”
This article is based on a piece written for Personnel Today
