The Exeter
The Exeter is a British friendly society, established in 1927 and to this day is based in the city of Exeter, Devon.
Having a mutual status with no shareholders means profits are used to improve the quality of health insurance policies, keep premiums affordable, pay claims quickly and ensure good customer service is achieved. In addition to private medical insurance, they offer income protection insurance, life insurance and cash plans. They are one of the largest friendly societies in the UK. Originally trading under the name Exeter Family Friendly Society, a rebranding led to the society becoming known simply as The Exeter in 2015. When you take out a policy with The Exeter you automatically become a member. There is a commitment from the board of directors that every decision made is in the best interest of the members.
Get a quote The Exeter health insurance review
The Exeter has one health insurance product called Health+. Under the plan there is full cover for in-patient and day-patient treatment with cover for cancer at all stages, including access to the latest drugs and treatment.
The policy offers a base core cover with the option to enhance cover to include out-patient treatment and diagnostics as well as mental health and therapies.
The Exeter - key benefits
HealthWise Digital GP – access to convenient digital GP consultations, a prescription delivery service and second medical opinions, all via a user-friendly smartphone or tablet application.
Choice of hospitals – a choice of three hospital lists, all of which include London hospitals.
Cancer cover for all stages – cover is provided for all stages of cancer, from diagnosis to palliative care as standard under the core plan.
2021
Excellent rating trust score 4.5
Customer service 'Above and Beyond' winner 2019
Best private medical insurance 2019
The Exeter - core cover
Here is a summary of what is included in every The Exeter Health+ plan:
| Benefit | Details |
| In-patient and day-patient treatment | Specialist fees, diagnostic tests as an in-patient or day-patient, pre-admission tests and hospital charges are covered in full.
MRI, PET and CT scans are covered in full. |
| Out-patient treatment | Surgical procedures when treated by a specialist as an out-patient are covered in full. |
| Cancer cover | Cover is provided for all stages of cancer including access to the latest drugs and treatments. Treatments that have not been approved by NICE for clinical effectiveness are not covered under the policy. |
| Post-operative physiotherapy | Up to 3 sessions of post-operative physiotherapy as an out-patient following in-patient, day-patient or out-patient surgery. |
| Additional benefits | Additional benefits under the core cover include:
- NHS hospital cash benefit, including cancer treatment, is paid at £150 per night for up to 30 nights.
- Parent accommodation for you to stay in hospital with your child (up to the age of 18 and having treatment under the policy) is covered in full.
- Home nursing is covered following authorised in-patient or day-patient treatment.
- A hospice donation of £250 if you are admitted to a hospice for care.
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| Digital GP | Using the HealthWise app you will have access to convenient digital GP consultations, a prescription delivery service and second medical opinions. It also provides access to physiotherapy and mental health support. More on digital GPs. |
The Exeter - benefit options
In addition to The Exeter Health+ core plan there are further benefit options to choose from:
Excess options
An excess is the amount you will pay towards a claim, the higher the excess you choose the lower the premium will be. The Exeter offers the following excess options:
£0, £100, £250, £500, £1000, £3000, and £5000.
The excess is only paid once per year if you claim and not per claim, so multiple claims can be made without paying the excess again. Excesses can only be changed at renewal and subject to ongoing claims status at that time.
Underwriting options
As with most health insurers The Exeter has three options you can choose from for how your policy is underwritten:
Moratorium underwriting
You do not need to disclose your medical history; a moratorium period of two years is in place for any condition for which you have experienced symptoms or received treatment for in the last five years.
Continued medical exclusions
You will need to answer a few questions regarding your medical history in the last five years and some questions on specific health conditions. The underwriting will transfer from your previous insurer rather than being re-underwritten. This option is only available to those with an existing health insurance policy with another insurer.
Full medical underwriting
You will disclose your full medical history which is submitted to The Exeter who will then apply underwriting terms accordingly.
You can read more in our guides section on underwriting. Our expert advisors can use their knowledge to assist you in choosing the right underwriting, considering your medical history and future medical needs.
Underwriting explained What is not covered
As with most leading health insurers, The Exeter policies are for cover for acute conditions and flare ups of chronic conditions. Chronic conditions, in terms of ongoing monitoring and maintenance are not covered by health insurance policies. Read more on chronic conditions here.
Private medical insurance does not cover accident and emergency situations or rehabilitation and convalescence. Most leading health insurers do not cover treatment overseas. Self-inflicted injury and professional sports related injuries are also not covered on a health insurance policy.
With regards to treatment of medical conditions you have had, or had symptoms of, before you join The Exeter, these will be excluded unless you have switched from another plan and have underwriting for continued medical exclusions.
In many cases pre-existing conditions can be covered, dependent on the status of the condition at the time of joining, and the time that has passed since you last received treatment or experienced symptoms. This is something our expert advisors can assist you with when selecting the best policy and underwriting for you.
The Exeter do apply some general exclusions and limitations as below:
- Chronic conditions
- Cosmetic treatment
- Alcohol, drug, or substance abuse
- Pregnancy and fertility
- Major organ transplants
- Learning and developmental disorders
- Experimental treatment
- Gender re-assignment
- Preventative screening, treatment, and tests
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Get a quote Summary of The Exeter Health+
The Exeter Health+ policy is a straightforward health insurance policy, with three options for adding out-patient cover and three hospital lists to choose from. There is also the option to include full diagnostics regardless of the out-patient limit you choose. Most insurers include diagnostics in a combined limit with out-patient consultations, you can still do this with The Exeter, or you can have the full diagnostics upgrade.
The policy also includes out-patient mental health support as standard via the HealthWise app along with access to a second medical opinion if required.
The Exeter’s cancer cover is comprehensive and covers access to the latest drugs and treatment but does not cover treatment with drugs outside of NICE.
Although The Exeter are not one of the biggest health insurance providers in the market, they do offer a commitment to fair pricing. Being a mutual society, they can focus on re-investing profits rather than paying shareholders. Their no claims discount (NCD) is unique in that renewal increases are based on the value of claim rather than just the fact a claim has been made.
The Exeter - hospital list
The Exeter has one hospital list with the following options you can choose from: Essential, Standard and Extended.
Click on the link below to see The Exeter hospital list in detail.
The Exeter hospital list Compare AVIVA Health with other leading providers
Click on the logo’s below to read about the other health insurers benefits and our independent review of their health insurance cover.
Health insurance guides
Below are our helpful guides that provide further information about how medical insurance works and the various options available. Should you prefer to speak to one of our expert advisors we are always available on the telephone to help.