In its second employee benefits landscape report, Broadstone finds that the percentage of organisations with plans to introduce PMI rose from 9% in 2023 to 11% last year.
Almost a third of employers who don’t already offer private medical insurance (PMI) to employees are considering doing so within the next three years.
The findings from Broadstone’s second Employee Benefits Landscape Report found that the percentage of organisations without PMI but with definite plans to introduce it rose from 9% in 2023 to 11% last year, with those considering it increasing from 15% to 20%. Those with no PMI plans on the horizon fell from 74% to 68%.
The growth in healthcare benefits is seen across other areas. The proportion of employers offering clinic-based screenings rose from 20% in 2023 to 25% with the proportion of businesses providing onsite day screenings increased from 7% to 10%. Likewise, the health cash plan market expanded in 2024, which is reflected in the proportion of businesses offering this service to employees, moving from 24% in 2023 to 26% last year.
More than a quarter (26%) of employers are considering introducing a health cash plan in the next three years.
“Healthcare benefits, such as private medical insurance (PMI) and health cash plans, are becoming an essential part of benefits packages, especially in competitive industry sectors,” said Broadstone’s head of health and protection Brett Hill.
“What’s particularly striking is the growing pipeline of employers actively planning to introduce or expand healthcare benefits over the next few years. Organisations are also taking a more preventative approach, with greater uptake of screenings and health cash plans, reflecting a broader shift towards early intervention and long-term workforce resilience,” he continued.
Growing corporate enthusiasm
The growing corporate enthusiasm for PMI in the Broadstone report is echoed in the latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which show that private medical insurance claims in 2024 jumped 13%, while Healthcode shows that this continued into 2025.
As Healthcare Today reported at the end of January, health insurers processed a record £4 billion in individual and workplace private medical insurance claims in 2024 – up 13% compared to 2023 (£3.57 billion).
The ABI also said that the total number of people covered by health insurance increased 4% from 2023 to reach 6.5 million in 2024. Figures show 4.8 million of these people were covered by workplace policies – a second consecutive record in more than 30 years of data collection.
Fourth quarter data from Healthcode also showed that insured healthcare activity reached a peak in the final three months of 2025. The UK’s official clearing organisation for medical invoices processed three million invoices for private healthcare providers in the final three months of the year, up 5% both on the previous quarter and up 5% on the same period in 2024.
“The NHS remains under significant pressure, which means that businesses increasingly view access to timely diagnosis and treatment as a critical factor in supporting employee wellbeing, productivity and retention,” said Hill.
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