Looking for a plan that lets you choose almost every part of your policy yourself? The Exeter health insurance is built by a mutual friendly society that’s been around for close to a century, and its Health+ policy stands out for how much of it you get to configure. There’s no one-size-fits-all setup here, you pick the treatment pathway, the underwriting basis, the excess and the add-ons, and the plan is built around those choices.
Who is The Exeter?
Company background & ownership
The Exeter has its roots in Exeter Friendly Society, founded in 1927. It merged with Pioneer Friendly Society in 2008, and the combined organisation rebranded under the name ‘The Exeter’ in 2015. It’s still based in Exeter, Devon, and remains regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority, the same regulators that oversee every other UK health insurer.
What sets The Exeter apart structurally is that it’s a mutual friendly society rather than a shareholder-owned company. That means there are no external shareholders expecting a dividend, the business is owned by its members, and profits are reinvested into the organisation and its products rather than paid out. For some customers, that ownership model is a genuine point of appeal in itself; for others it makes no practical difference to day-to-day cover. Either way, it’s worth knowing how the business is structured before you compare it against other providers.
In terms of market position, The Exeter is a smaller, specialist player compared with the best-known household names in UK health insurance. It focuses solely on one core PMI product, Health+, rather than running a broad suite of plans, and it has built a reputation particularly around the flexibility of that single product.
Who is The Exeter best for?
The Exeter tends to suit people who like being closely involved in the detail of their policy, choosing their own underwriting route, excess and add-ons rather than accepting a fixed bundle. If you’re the sort of person who wants to understand exactly what you’re paying for and why, the modular structure of Health+ gives you that level of control in a way not every insurer offers. It also appeals to people who like the idea of a mutual, member-owned insurer with no shareholders taking a cut of the profits, and to anyone switching from another provider who wants to carry across an existing moratorium period or personal exclusions rather than restarting the clock.
It’s likely to suit you less well if you want mental health support, outpatient consultations or therapies bundled into your core cover from day one, since these come as separate add-ons with The Exeter rather than being included as standard. As with any insurer, the right fit really does come down to your own health history, budget and priorities, which is precisely why Simple Search doesn’t push one provider over another. We compare the whole market, including The Exeter and the other insurers we work with, so you end up with the policy that suits you, not just the one that’s easiest to sell.
The Exeter health insurance plans
Health+ Traditional
With Health+ Traditional, you choose from one of three hospital lists, Essential, Standard or Extended, when you take out the policy. All three lists include London hospitals, with the Extended list offering the broadest access. Once you've picked your list, your GP can refer you to any specialist who practises at a hospital on that list, giving you a clear, known network to work within from day one.
Health+ Guided
Health+ Guided drops the pre-selected hospital list in favour of an open referral process. Your GP makes a general referral for the type of specialist you need, rather than naming one directly, and The Exeter then puts together a shortlist of up to three suitable specialists for you to choose from. You give up some of the upfront certainty of a fixed hospital list, but in exchange Guided cover is priced lower than Traditional, while the core benefits underneath are identical.
What's covered
- Unlimited in-patient and day-patient treatment, with no overall time limit
- Complete cancer cover for all stages, including the latest drugs and treatments, with no time or financial cap, plus palliative and terminal care
- Out-patient surgical procedures carried out by a specialist
- CT, MRI and PET scans as part of core cover
- Private road ambulance transport
- Home nursing following treatment
- Parental accommodation for a child under the policy, up to age 18
- A limited number of post-operative outpatient physiotherapy sessions
- An NHS cash benefit if you choose to be treated on the NHS instead of claiming privately for a covered condition
- An individually tracked No Claims Discount, which can reduce your premium over time
Optional extras & add-ons
- Outpatient cover, for specialist consultation fees and diagnostics such as X-rays, ECGs and pathology tests
- An unlimited outpatient diagnostics upgrade
- Mental health cover, including in-patient and day-patient treatment plus unlimited outpatient psychology and CBT sessions
- Therapies cover, for physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, acupuncturists, podiatrists, speech therapists, pain clinics or dietitians, following referral
- A choice of excess from £0 up to £5,000, with lower excesses increasing your monthly premium
Standout benefits
Where this provider stands out
A fully modular policy
Few PMI providers let you build a policy quite as precisely as The Exeter does. Your treatment pathway, underwriting basis, excess level and any add-ons are all chosen independently of one another, so you can shape the policy around your budget and priorities rather than picking from a small number of fixed packages.
Mutual ownership
As a friendly society, The Exeter has no shareholders to answer to. Profits are reinvested into the business and its members rather than distributed as dividends. It's not a factor that changes what a claim pays out, but for some customers the ownership model itself is part of the appeal.
Switching-friendly underwriting options
If you're moving from another insurer, The Exeter's Continued Moratorium and Continued Personal Medical Exclusions options let you carry over your existing underwriting position, either the remaining moratorium clock or your existing personal exclusions, rather than starting from scratch. That can make switching insurers less daunting if you have a moratorium period already partway through.
Network & cost
Hospital network & where you'll be treated
Where you're treated with The Exeter depends on which Health+ pathway you choose. Under Health+ Traditional, you select one of three hospital lists, Essential, Standard or Extended, at the outset, and every list includes London hospitals alongside other private hospitals across the pathway you've chosen; the Extended list gives you the widest reach. Your GP then refers you directly to a specialist practising at one of the hospitals on your chosen list. Under Health+ Guided, there's no fixed list to pick from in advance. Instead, your GP makes an open referral describing the type of specialist you need, and The Exeter puts forward a shortlist of up to three specialists for you to choose between. It's a trade-off between certainty and cost: Traditional gives you more say from the outset, while Guided asks you to trust The Exeter's shortlist in exchange for a lower premium.
How much does The Exeter cost?
There's no single price for The Exeter's Health+ policy, what you pay depends on a combination of factors, including your age, where you live, whether you choose Traditional or Guided cover, which hospital list you pick under Traditional, your excess level, your underwriting basis, and any add-ons you select. Choosing Full Medical Underwriting, for example, can sometimes work out more cost-effective than a moratorium option, because your exclusions are agreed upfront rather than being worked out as claims arise. Building up a No Claims Discount over time can also bring your premium down. Because there are so many moving parts, the only reliable way to know what The Exeter would cost you is to get a personalised quote, which is exactly where comparing your options with an adviser can help you see how it stacks up against other insurers for your specific circumstances.
Making a claim
01
Visit your GP about the condition you need treatment for.
02
If a referral is needed, ask your GP for an 'open referral', naming the type of specialist required rather than a specific individual.
03
Call The Exeter's claims line and give them the details of your open referral letter.
04
The Exeter offers you a choice of up to three suitable specialists.
05
Once you've had your consultation, The Exeter contacts the specialist to confirm the treatment needed.
06
The Exeter confirms your cover and helps arrange a convenient hospital for treatment.
07
The Exeter settles the invoice directly with the hospital or specialist, net of any excess or policy limits.
Customer reviews & ratings
The Exeter's Health+ policy holds a 5-star Defaqto rating, a mark that's been reported consistently by independent reviewers over time. It's also picked up recognition from other independent industry raters, including mentions from Moneyfacts, Fairer Finance and Health & Protection UK Service Ratings, generally citing strong performance for Health+. On Trustpilot, The Exeter sits in the 'very good' to 'excellent' range, with a rating around the 4-out-of-5 mark across several thousand reviews. It's worth noting that The Exeter's review volume is smaller than that of the biggest UK health insurers, which reflects its size as a specialist mutual rather than being any reflection on service quality.
Good to know
The Exeter: frequently asked questions
Is The Exeter a good health insurance company?
The Exeter's Health+ policy holds a 5-star Defaqto rating and strong independent recognition from raters including Moneyfacts and Fairer Finance. Whether it's 'good' for you specifically depends on your circumstances and priorities, its modular, configurable approach suits some people better than others, which is why comparing it against other insurers is worth doing.
What is Health+ Guided cover from The Exeter?
Health+ Guided is a lower-cost version of The Exeter's core policy where you don't pick a hospital list in advance. Instead, your GP makes an open referral, and The Exeter offers a shortlist of up to three suitable specialists. Core benefits are identical to Health+ Traditional; only the choice of hospital and specialist differs.
Does The Exeter cover pre-existing conditions?
It depends on the underwriting option chosen. Full Medical Underwriting excludes declared pre-existing conditions unless specifically accepted, while moratorium underwriting excludes conditions from the previous five years until you've gone two continuous years without symptoms or treatment. Switchers can sometimes carry over an existing moratorium or exclusions from a previous insurer.
Is The Exeter a mutual insurer?
Yes. The Exeter is a mutual friendly society, meaning it has no external shareholders. Profits are reinvested into the business and its members rather than paid out as dividends. It began as Exeter Friendly Society in 1927 and adopted 'The Exeter' as its trading name in 2015.
Does The Exeter's health insurance include mental health cover?
Not as standard. Mental health treatment isn't part of Health+'s core cover, it's available as a separate add-on, covering in-patient and day-patient treatment plus unlimited outpatient psychology and CBT sessions. If bundled mental health cover matters to you, it's worth checking this against other insurers too.
Get a The Exeter quote
Premiums are personal, so the only way to know what it'd really cost is a quote based on your circumstances. We'll compare it against the rest of the market too, so you can see how it stacks up, no pressure, no obligation.