Broker, agent, or straight to the insurer: all three routes to a UK private medical insurance policy end in a quote, so from the outside they look alike. They differ in four ways that matter to a buyer: whose side the firm is on, how many insurers it can put in front of you, who pays it, and who answers if its recommendation proves wrong. This page sets those side by side so you can pick a route.
If comparing several insurers in one go appeals, that is what a broker is for, and having your own circumstances priced by one costs you nothing. Say what you are after in the form on this page: one FCA-authorised firm then takes it from there.
A plain word about where this page stands. The site is not a broker, an agent or an insurer, and holds no FCA authorisation. It introduces readers to a single broker and may be paid when it does. That gives us a reason to favour brokers, so where the comparison goes against them, we have said so.
What "agent" means when you are buying in the UK
Most "broker versus agent" writing online is American, and so are terms such as navigator and assister, which belong to the US government marketplace and have no counterpart here. The UK vocabulary, and why a firm here almost never calls itself an agency, is on our main page on using a broker. In the UK, an agent selling health insurance is usually one of two things:
- A tied agent. A firm or adviser that sells for one insurer, or a fixed handful, under an agreement with each. A bank, a membership club or a protection adviser offering "our health insurance partner" is often working this way.
- An appointed representative. A firm trading under the permissions of an authorised firm, its principal, which takes regulatory responsibility for it. It may be tied to one insurer or may itself quote several; the label tells you who stands behind it, not how wide its choice is.
A broker, by contrast, arranges cover with insurers it does not belong to, from a panel it chooses. Buying direct means dealing with the insurer's own sales staff.
Private medical insurance brokers, tied agents and buying direct, compared
The general shape of each route, not a description of any named firm; firms vary inside each column.
| Broker | Tied agent | Insurer direct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acts for | Generally you, the buyer, when arranging the policy | The insurer it is tied to | The insurer that employs the salesperson |
| Insurers you see | Its panel, which may be narrow or wide; ask which | One, or a small fixed group | One |
| How it is paid | Usually commission from whichever insurer you choose; sometimes a fee from you | By the insurer it is tied to, on terms agreed between them | Employed by the insurer; ask how its sales staff are rewarded |
| Can say another insurer suits you better | Yes, within its panel | Not usefully; it cannot place you there | No |
| Product knowledge | Broad across several insurers | Detailed on one | Detailed on one |
| Who answers if the sale goes wrong | The broker, or its principal | The agent's principal | The insurer |
The fourth row decides most cases. A tied agent or an insurer's salesperson may know one product in more detail than any broker. What neither can do is tell you that a rival's hospital list or out-patient limit fits you better, because neither can sell it. A broker can, but only among the insurers it deals with: its answer is as wide as its panel and no wider.
The pay row is where this site's own interest sits. Commission is a share of the premium, so it grows with a bigger policy, and rates can differ between insurers; what a broker costs you sets out how to test for that pull. It does not follow that an agent's or a salesperson's incentives are cleaner, only that they are different.
Finding out which one you are dealing with
Names do not settle it. A company with "brokers" in its name can be an appointed representative with a short panel, and a self-styled adviser can be tied to one insurer. Our reading of the FCA's conduct rules for firms selling insurance (the Insurance: Conduct of Business sourcebook, ICOBS), which is a reading and not legal advice, is that any firm arranging your policy must tell you before the contract is made:
- whether it is acting for you or for the insurer;
- whether it is giving you a recommendation or only information;
- whether any recommendation rests on a fair analysis of a broad range of the market, or whether it works with a limited number of insurers or only one, and if so which.
The sourcebook is public on the FCA's website. The disclosures usually come in a short terms-of-business or status document at the start, and count for more than any page like this one: they are the firm describing itself in writing it can be held to. The FCA's Financial Services Register then shows whether the firm is authorised in its own name or as an appointed representative, and if so, whose.
That applies to the broker this site introduces as much as to any other. When it rings, its status disclosure is a fair first thing to ask for.
Which route suits which buyer
No route is right for everyone. Ask which of the four differences in the table you would feel most; a broker is not always the answer.
- If it is the range of insurers you need. Insurers handle underwriting, pre-existing conditions and hospital lists differently, and one firm's quote cannot show you how. That costs most on a first policy or with a medical history, and only a broker quotes several insurers at once, as far as its panel reaches.
- If it is depth on one product. You have held an insurer's cover before and want it again. Its own staff, or its tied agent, know that product better than a broker spread across several, and you lose little by going to them. A broker that places the same insurer lets you see the policy quoted both ways.
- If someone is already offering you "their" cover. A bank, club or employer's partner offer is usually a tied arrangement, sometimes with a member discount that only a second quote can test. Its quote says nothing about the rest of the market, so price one alternative first.
- If you hold a policy and want to move it. Keeping the underwriting position you have built up depends on which insurers accept a switch on your terms, which a firm tied to one cannot tell you; our page on changing or switching private health insurance has the detail.
- If you are buying for staff. Company schemes are usually a broker's work rather than an agent's; our page on brokers for small businesses explains why.
- If you want no phone call. Some insurers sell direct online; most brokers want a conversation first. Our page on buying through a broker online looks at how far the call can be avoided.
None of this settles the price. Which route quotes you less depends on the insurer and on you, and one specification priced two ways is the only test.
Five questions that sort a broker from an agent
These tell you, in the first minutes of a call, which kind of firm you are talking to. The general checks for any broker are on the main broker page.
- "Are you acting for me or for the insurer in arranging this?" A broker should say it acts for you; a tied agent should say plainly that it acts for the insurer. Hesitation is the answer to watch for.
- "How many insurers will you quote me, and which can you not?" One name means an agent, whatever the letterhead says. A list with gaps is a panel, which is normal; get the list in writing.
- "Are you authorised in your own right, or an appointed representative, and if so of which firm?" The principal answers for the advice, and its name is what you look up on the register.
- "Is this a recommendation, or information for me to choose from?" Both are legitimate, but a non-advised sale leaves the choice, and responsibility for it, with you.
- "If I went to this insurer directly, would the policy or terms differ?" Put the reverse to an agent or salesperson: could a broker offer the same product?
What "independent" and "whole of market" do and do not promise is taken apart on our page on independent and whole-of-market brokers.
Broker, agent or direct: short answers
Are health insurance brokers legit?
The legitimate ones are regulated: a firm arranging cover here needs FCA authorisation, held either itself or through a principal that answers for it. Type the name into the FCA's register before the first call goes far; the check is the same for a tied agent.
Can I get health insurance without a broker or an agent?
Yes. Most of the large UK insurers sell direct, by phone and often online, and nothing obliges you to use an intermediary. The cost is that you do the comparing yourself, one insurer at a time.
Is buying online better than using an agent or a broker?
An online quote from one insurer is quick and leaves you in control. It also shows you only that insurer's view of your needs, and the underwriting and hospital-list choices are yours alone to get right.
How do I find a reputable private health insurance broker?
Judge a firm by what it discloses rather than where it ranks in a search: authorisation on the register, a clear statement that it acts for you, and a named panel. Reviews help most when they describe a renewal or a claim, which our page on reading broker reviews goes into.
Who is the best health insurance broker in the UK?
We do not rank brokers, and since we introduce readers to one, a ranking from us would be worth little. A better test is which firm answers the five questions above well for your case.
Are there brokers who specialise in cover for the over-65s?
Some say they do, and age moves premiums and underwriting a great deal, so experience with older buyers is worth having. Before taking the claim on trust, ask how many policies it arranges for people of your age.
Should comparing several insurers through one firm still look right, use the form on this page as your next step. Ask the firm that rings which column of the table above it sits in; everything else here follows from the answer.