Group health insurance premiums are rising: what can employers add alongside it?

Written by The Wellness Team

Reviewed by The Wellness Clinical Team. Last reviewed 23 October 2026.

What can employers offer besides group health insurance?

Beyond group private medical insurance (PMI), an employer can add primary-care access for the people who matter most to the business: a named doctor, same-day appointments, and a way to get seen without waiting. This sits next to group PMI, not instead of it, because only insurance pays for hospital treatment. (As of October 2026.)

How common is employer health cover, and what is happening to its price?

ABI figures (21 January 2026): insurers processed a record £4bn in individual and workplace PMI claims in 2024, up 13% on 2023; 6.5 million people were covered, of whom a record 4.8 million were covered by workplace policies; and workplace schemes alone saw a record £2.6bn of claims, up 16% on 2023. Health & Protection (16 June 2025) reports the general consensus among advisers that group PMI premiums rose about 20% on the previous year, with some employers seeing rises above that and, in some reports, above 100%; one adviser quoted puts claims inflation at 12%. The same article reports employers looking for more value rather than cancelling schemes outright.

What does group PMI not do?

PHIN's guide says PMI does not normally cover primary care such as GP appointments, nor chronic or pre-existing conditions (group schemes can differ on pre-existing conditions, and MoneyHelper notes that pre-existing conditions are usually covered only on group or company policies, so check the scheme). The practical gap for an employer: an executive with a worrying symptom, or a team lead who is simply unwell and needs an answer today, still has to find a GP appointment.

What does a membership give a leadership team?

From the live membership page (reviewed 15 October 2026), for the primary-care memberships (Signature and Platinum): same-day GP appointments in London, a doctor by phone or video usually within the hour (remote care across borders is subject to local rules, covered in the expat post), house calls, and a team that arranges tests, scans and specialists, with records that stay with the member. The membership page also lists Global Team and Global Leaders options, and a Family Office retainer. Those are enquiry-led, and their terms are set out with the team, not in this post.

What Signature and Platinum are not: group insurance. They do not pay hospital bills. Hospital treatment, specialist fees and scans are arranged at member prices with the price confirmed first. For Global Team and Leaders, ask the team for the terms.

How employers use it in practice

  • Leaders: a named doctor for directors and travelling executives, reachable by phone or video while travelling, subject to the rules of the country they are in.
  • Teams: a shared route to a doctor for people who would otherwise wait for a GP slot.
  • Alongside PMI: PMI for the hospital event, membership for everything that happens before a claim and between claims.

Related reading: corporate healthcare for employers.

Tell us about your team and we will set up a call.

Enquire about team membership

Frequently asked questions

Is a membership a cheaper group insurance?

No. Signature and Platinum do a different job and do not pay hospital bills. Global Team and Leaders have their own terms.

Can it sit alongside our existing scheme?

Yes.

Can a member use it abroad?

The doctor is available by phone or video, including from abroad, but not for everything in every country. What can be prescribed or treated remotely depends on the law where the member is, and in-person care abroad is arranged with a local doctor or clinic (membership page; GMC guidance).

Sources

This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.

The Wellness Team
Previous

Private GP membership or private medical insurance: which is worth it in 2026?
Next

Living abroad and want a UK doctor you can call? What a London GP membership does and does not cover