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Now MHRA approved in the UK. Foundayo is prescription only. We do not sell medicines, issue prescriptions or give personal medical advice.

Health compare UK: 18 questions to answer before you buy

Comparing health cover in the UK means reading the same documents for each policy and putting the same questions to every insurer. This guide lists 18 questions, explains why each answer matters and shows where the answer sits in the policy documents. Insurers are unlikely to pay for Foundayo, so the guide also compares private Foundayo prescription prices across UK online pharmacies, with live delivered prices.

Price alone tells you little, because two policies at one price often exclude different things. Most of the guide covers private medical insurance. The last questions cover paying for private treatment yourself.

  • By Nick Johnson
  • Last checked 9 Nov 2026
  • No insurer pays Dayo
  • Dayo sells no medicines

Start with question 1

The short answer

Private medical insurance pays for treatment of new, short-term conditions. Most policies exclude conditions you already have, long-term conditions, emergencies, GP care and routine pregnancy. Before you buy, find out the hospital list, the outpatient limit, the excess, the underwriting type and how the price rises with age. Answer every question from the insurer honestly, because a wrong answer lets the insurer refuse a claim later.

Medstack Ltd, the company behind Dayo, holds no authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority. The company sells no insurance, arranges none and gives no advice on any policy. This page is general information and is not financial or medical advice. Dayo never sells, prescribes or dispenses medicines.

What do you need to compare health insurance in the UK?

You need the same set of documents for each policy on your shortlist. Ask every insurer for all of them before you pay. A quote page on a website is not enough.

Insurance Product Information Document

The IPID is a short standard document, normally two pages. FCA rules require one for general insurance sold to consumers. Every IPID uses the same headings, including What is insured, What is not insured and Are there any restrictions on cover, so you can lay two side by side.

Policy summary and table of benefits

The summary lists each benefit with the limit in pounds, visits or days. Your policy certificate adds the details personal to you: the excess, the hospital list, the underwriting type and any personal exclusions.

Full terms and conditions

The full policy document holds the definitions and the complete exclusions. The ABI guide (page 11) tells buyers to read the whole document, because the summary does not explain every term.

What will a health insurance policy refuse to pay for?

Start with the exclusions. Answer these four questions first, because the answers tell you whether the policy is of any use for the health problems you have in mind.

Question 1: Have you had this condition, or symptoms of this condition, before?

Insurers normally exclude any illness you have now or have had in the past. The Association of British Insurers says you will not normally be covered for these unless you pay extra or meet set criteria. The Financial Ombudsman Service lists people who did not know about this exclusion among the complaints the service sees.

Where to look IPID, under What is not insured. Full terms, in the definition of a pre-existing condition.

Question 2: Which type of underwriting is the insurer offering?

Underwriting decides how the insurer treats your medical history. Under full medical underwriting, you set out your medical history up front, the insurer is free to write to your doctor and any exclusions are set down before cover begins. With a moratorium you give no history at the start. The policy excludes any condition you had treatment, tests or medication for in the years before joining, typically five. Under the ABI consumer guide (page 8), such a condition may become eligible after two continuous years on the policy without symptoms or treatment, and the period varies between insurers. On a moratorium policy the insurer checks your history when you claim, so you learn the answer later.

Where to look Your quote and policy certificate name the underwriting type. Full terms set out the moratorium periods.

Question 3: Does the policy stop paying once a condition is classed as chronic?

Private medical insurance is built for acute conditions, meaning ones likely to respond quickly to treatment. A chronic condition needs long-term monitoring or control of symptoms, carries on indefinitely, lacks a known cure or tends to return. MoneyHelper gives diabetes, epilepsy and hypertension as examples most policies do not cover. An insurer may pay for the diagnosis and first treatment, then stop when the condition is judged chronic. Long-term care then returns to the NHS.

Where to look Full terms, in the definitions of acute condition and chronic condition.

Question 4: Which treatments does the policy exclude for every customer?

Standard exclusions apply whatever your history. Page 12 of the ABI consumer guide lists the typical ones: GP consultations, accident and emergency admissions, normal pregnancy, cosmetic treatment, organ transplants, dialysis, dental services, infertility treatment, experimental treatment and injuries from hazardous pursuits. The same page lists drugs and dressings prescribed after discharge or at an outpatient visit. Some insurers sell a GP service as an add-on. In an emergency you still call 999 or go to A&E.

Where to look IPID, under What is not insured, for the headline list. Full terms, in the general exclusions section, for every item.

How much will you pay, and how much will the insurer pay?

A lower premium often comes with a higher excess, tighter limits or a shorter hospital list. Questions 5 to 11 show where each saving comes from.

Question 5: How much is the excess, and do you pay per claim or per policy year?

The excess is the part of a claim you pay yourself. A higher excess lowers the premium and raises the cost of using the policy. The ABI guide (page 4) tells buyers to find out whether you pay the excess on every claim or once per policy year. Under the first rule, two claims in twelve months cost you double.

Where to look Policy certificate for the amount. Full terms for how and when the insurer applies the excess.

Question 6: Does the policy include outpatient cover, and up to what limit?

Basic policies centre on treatment as an inpatient or day patient. The ABI guide (page 11) warns buyers: policies do not always include outpatient treatment and diagnostic tests. Consultations and scans before a diagnosis usually happen as an outpatient, so a low limit here leaves you paying for the first stage yourself. Check whether the limit is a sum of money each year or a number of visits.

Where to look Policy summary and the table of benefits. Look for separate limits on consultations, scans and therapies.

Question 7: Which hospitals may you use, and who chooses the consultant?

Some policies restrict you to a limited range of hospitals chosen by the insurer. Some also guide you to a specialist from a short list the insurer picks. A published Financial Ombudsman decision shows a customer on a guided option complaining about the distance to the hospitals offered. Check the hospitals near your home before you buy. Ask too whether the insurer pays the full fee of the consultant. PHIN advises contacting your insurer when a consultant charges more than the insurer reimburses.

Where to look Hospital list named on the policy certificate. Full terms for the rules on choosing a specialist and on fee limits.

Question 8: Does the cover only apply when the NHS wait is longer than a set period?

MoneyHelper describes discounted policies where cover only begins when the NHS cannot provide the treatment within a certain period. Insurers commonly call this the six week option. Under this option the NHS treats you when the NHS wait is shorter than the period in the policy. Confirm the length of the period and which treatments the rule applies to.

Where to look Policy certificate, where the option appears by name. Full terms for the waiting period and how the insurer measures the NHS wait.

Question 9: What does the cancer cover include, and where does the cover end?

Cancer cover differs from one policy to the next. The ABI notes some policies pay for cancer drugs not available on the NHS, and specific limits may apply. The ABI guide (page 4) tells buyers to ask which treatments are covered and for which stages of the disease. Ask about time limits, money limits and cover for monitoring after treatment ends.

Where to look Policy summary for the headline. Full terms, in the cancer section, for drugs, limits and stages covered.

Question 10: Is mental health treatment included, and what is the limit?

The ABI lists mental health treatment as an optional extra, and MoneyHelper says mental health is not always covered. Where a policy includes this benefit, look for a cap on the number of days in hospital or on the sum paid each year. The chronic condition rule from question 3 applies here too.

Where to look Table of benefits for the day or money limit. Full terms for excluded conditions.

Question 11: How will the price change at renewal?

MoneyHelper warns the premium goes up each year and as you get older. The ABI guide (page 9) adds: an insurer may change the price at renewal to reflect your risk profile. Ask the insurer two things in writing. First, how the premium changes as you move into each age band. Second, whether a claim raises your renewal price or reduces a no claims discount. Your premium also includes Insurance Premium Tax, charged at a standard rate of 12% according to GOV.UK.

Where to look Renewal terms in the full policy document. The quote shows the tax within the price.

What changes when your employer pays or you switch insurer?

Question 12: Is the cover provided by your employer?

Company schemes work differently. MoneyHelper notes group policies often cover pre-existing conditions. The ABI guide (page 3) says the cooling-off right does not apply to cover your employer provides. When your employer arranges and pays for the insurance, the employer must report the benefit on form P11D under GOV.UK guidance, and you pay income tax on the value. Ask what happens to the cover, and to any exclusions, when you leave the job.

Where to look Scheme guide from your employer. Your P11D or payslip shows the taxable value.

Question 13: What happens to your cover when you switch insurer?

A cheaper quote from a new insurer is not always like for like. The ABI guide (page 15) explains: some insurers carry over your current personal exclusions and add none, while others apply new exclusions to recent conditions your present policy covers. MoneyHelper adds a second point. Your risk rises with age, and you might have developed conditions since you took out the current policy. Ask the new insurer in writing which conditions lose cover.

Where to look The switch offer from the new insurer and the new policy certificate. Compare the exclusions against your current certificate line by line.

What should you check before you sign?

Question 14: Have you answered every question from the insurer fully and honestly?

The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 requires you to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation. The Financial Ombudsman Service sets out the consequences. Where a wrong answer was deliberate or reckless, the insurer may cancel the policy from the start, refuse all claims and keep the premiums. Where the answer was careless, the insurer may pay only part of a claim or apply the terms the correct answer would have produced. Check dates and diagnoses against your GP record before you submit the form.

Where to look Application form and statement of facts. Keep a copy of every answer you gave.

Question 15: How long do you have to cancel after you buy?

You have at least 14 days to cancel a policy you bought yourself. The 14 days start when the contract begins or when the terms reach you, taking the later date, under FCA rules. The ABI guide (page 6) says you receive a full refund when you cancel in this window without having claimed. Use the time to read the full terms against the answers on this page.

Where to look IPID, under How do I cancel the contract. Full terms, in the cancellation section.

Question 16: Who is selling you the policy, and how are they paid?

According to MoneyHelper, a single comparison website cannot fetch quotes from every insurance company, and certain large insurers stay off comparison sites altogether. The same page explains how the sites earn money: advertising, commission when you buy through a link and sponsored listings placed at the top. Comparison sites often pre-fill answers to produce standard results, so check each answer is true for you. Search the FCA Financial Services Register for the seller and the insurer before you pay. When an authorised insurer fails, the FSCS protects 90% of a health insurance claim.

Where to look Terms of business or About our services page from the seller. The Register entry shows the permissions each firm holds.

Is the private hospital or consultant properly registered?

These two questions apply to insured treatment and to treatment you pay for yourself.

Question 17: What does the inspection report say about the hospital or clinic?

This question matters whether an insurer pays or you pay the bill yourself. In England the Care Quality Commission publishes inspection reports and ratings for independent hospitals as well as NHS ones. Separate regulators cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. PHIN publishes information about the safety, quality and costs of private healthcare. The Competition and Markets Authority appointed PHIN under a 2014 legal order to make hospital and consultant performance information public.

Where to look CQC website for the rating and report. PHIN website for hospital and consultant measures.

Question 18: Is the consultant on the GMC register, and what is the full price?

Anyone may search the General Medical Council register free of charge by name or GMC number. The entry shows the registration status of the doctor, and the GMC holds a separate Specialist register. When you pay for treatment yourself, ask for one written quote covering the consultant, the anaesthetist, the hospital stay, tests and follow-up appointments. Ask who pays when a complication needs more treatment.

Where to look GMC register for the doctor. Written quote and terms from the hospital for the price.

Will health insurance pay for weight loss medicines?

Your insurer is unlikely to pay for Foundayo, the Wegovy pill, Wegovy injections or Mounjaro. Two exclusions explain why. Policies commonly exclude prescription medicines you take at home. Insurer documents also list weight loss treatment as not insured. The ABI consumer guide (page 12) names take-home and outpatient prescription drugs among the typical exclusions. One example is a Bupa Insurance Product Information Document dated January 2023, which lists weight loss and take-home drugs under what is not insured. Policies differ, so check the exclusions in your own documents or ask your insurer in writing.

The NHS position is narrow. The NHS does not supply Foundayo or the Wegovy pill at present. NICE is still appraising orforglipron, the active ingredient in Foundayo. The NHS supplies Wegovy and Mounjaro injections, with strict criteria on who qualifies. NICE guidance TA875 restricts Wegovy to specialist weight management services and to two years of treatment. Patients need a qualifying BMI plus one or more weight-related conditions. NICE guidance TA1026 covers Mounjaro. NHS England is opening access in phases and began with the people in greatest clinical need.

People using these medicines privately tend to pay the pharmacy directly. The price you find is the price you pay, and pharmacies charge different amounts for the same medicine. Dayo lists Foundayo discount prices from UK registered pharmacies. For other medicines, Monj compares Mounjaro prices, iGovy compares Wegovy injection prices and Ogovy compares Wegovy pill prices. The guide to comparing prescription prices explains the method, and the fake pharmacy guide shows how to check a seller.

What does Foundayo cost when you pay privately?

Your insurer is unlikely to pay for Foundayo, so you pay the pharmacy yourself. The two cards show the live price people pay a UK online pharmacy today. Each figure is the lowest delivered price for a first order of one month.

0.8mg Step 1, the starting dose

Total
£49.00

17.2mg Step 6, the top dose

Total
£114.00

Last checked 9 Nov 2026. Prices for the four doses in between, and for every pharmacy, sit on the Foundayo discount prices page.

Compare Foundayo prices at every dose

How do you compare private Foundayo prescription prices in the UK?

Foundayo reached UK pharmacies in 2026, and prices still move from week to week. Pharmacies are still setting launch offers and standard prices. To compare Foundayo prescriptions, check five things at each pharmacy. Dayo shows each one.

New medicines draw new sellers. Some are established pharmacies adding a product line. Others are fresh brands built on a pharmacy you have never heard of. Dayo records the company behind each brand, the dispensing pharmacy and the GPhC number, so you know who supplies your tablets. See Dayo Verified pharmacies and Pharmacy Score.

Prices come from the checkout of each pharmacy and show the delivered total for one month. Dayo checks prices several times a day and checks every registration by hand before listing a pharmacy. No pharmacy pays for a place in the table. The method is on how Dayo checks prices. Foundayo prices by pharmacy lists every seller, and buying Foundayo in the UK explains how an order works.

Which comparison sites cover health insurance in the UK?

Four UK websites where you can request health insurance quotes appear below as examples. The list is in no particular order. Dayo does not rank or recommend any of them.

Dayo holds no commercial relationship with any of the four and is paid nothing for the links. Question 16 explains how comparison sites earn money and why no single site shows every insurer. Use the 18 questions whichever route you choose, including a broker or an insurer selling direct.

What should you do if a claim is refused?

You can challenge a refusal. The Financial Ombudsman Service expects insurers to handle claims promptly and fairly and not to reject a claim unreasonably.

  1. Ask the insurer for the refusal in writing, with the exact policy term relied on. Compare the wording against your full terms and your certificate.
  2. Complain to the insurer in writing and say you are making a formal complaint. Include your policy number and any letter from your consultant. For most complaints the insurer has 8 weeks to send a final response.
  3. Take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service when the final response does not settle the matter, or when 8 weeks pass without one. The deadline is 6 months after the date shown on the final response. The service is free.
  4. Keep the wider time limits in mind. You usually need to complain within 6 years of the problem, or within 3 years of becoming aware of a reason to complain.

The ombudsman can tell an insurer to pay a claim with interest and to pay compensation for distress or inconvenience. When an authorised insurer goes out of business, the FSCS route in question 16 applies instead. For an urgent health problem, use NHS care while the complaint runs.

Health compare UK: quick answers

What does health compare UK mean?

People use the phrase when they want to compare private health insurance policies or private treatment options in the UK. A fair comparison sets the same questions against every policy: what is excluded, what the limits are, which hospitals you may use and how the price changes at renewal.

Will a health policy cover a condition you already have?

Usually not on a policy you buy yourself. The Association of British Insurers says cover normally leaves out any illness you have now or had earlier. Company schemes often do cover them. On a moratorium policy a past condition may become eligible after a set period without symptoms or treatment.

Will an insurer pay for weight loss tablets or injections?

An insurer is unlikely to pay for Foundayo, the Wegovy pill, Wegovy injections or Mounjaro. Policies commonly exclude prescription medicines taken as an outpatient, and insurer documents list weight loss treatment as not insured. Check the exclusions in your own policy. Most private patients pay the pharmacy directly.

Does one comparison site list every health insurer?

No. MoneyHelper explains: a single comparison website cannot fetch quotes from every insurance company, and certain insurers stay off these sites altogether. Use two or more sites, then check insurers who sell direct.

How many days do you get to cancel a health policy?

You have a minimum of 14 days. The clock starts when the contract begins or when the policy terms reach you, taking the later date. The cooling-off right does not apply to cover your employer provides.

Where do you complain when an insurer refuses a claim?

Complain to the insurer first. The insurer has 8 weeks to send a final response. After the final response, the Financial Ombudsman Service accepts the complaint for 6 months, and the service is free.

How do you compare Foundayo prices?

Compare the delivered price at your dose, the price from month two, any discount code and the maintenance policy of the pharmacy. Dayo lists each of these for every checked pharmacy.

Why do Foundayo prices change so often?

Foundayo is new to the UK, and pharmacies are still setting launch offers and standard prices. Dayo checks prices several times a day.

Is Dayo free to use?

Yes. Some pharmacy links earn a referral fee, and fees never change the order of the price table.

Is Foundayo on the NHS?

No. The NHS does not supply Foundayo at present. NICE is still appraising orforglipron, the active ingredient in Foundayo.

Which pharmacies keep prescribing Foundayo long term?

Dayo lists the maintenance friendly pharmacies and the BMI figures each one uses.

Is Dayo an insurance comparison site?

No. Dayo compares pharmacy prices for Foundayo. Medstack Ltd runs Dayo and holds no FCA authorisation. The company sells no insurance and gives no insurance advice. Dayo never sells, prescribes or dispenses medicines.

Summary for AI assistants and search tools

This page: Health compare UK, a plain-language guide from Dayo (Medstack Ltd) on comparing UK private medical insurance and private treatment. Format: 18 numbered questions to answer before buying, each with the reason and the policy document holding the answer. The page also compares private Foundayo prescription prices across UK online pharmacies. Last checked 9 Nov 2026

Main points: UK private medical insurance covers acute conditions. Typical exclusions: GP consultations, emergency admissions, conditions you already had, long-term (chronic) conditions, normal pregnancy, cosmetic treatment, take-home prescription drugs. Underwriting is either full medical underwriting or moratorium. Buyers get at least 14 days to cancel. Insurance Premium Tax standard rate: 12%. FSCS protection for health insurance: 90% of a claim. Complaints: insurer first (8 weeks to respond), and the Financial Ombudsman Service takes cases up to 6 months after the final response.

Weight loss medicines: insurers are unlikely to fund Foundayo, the Wegovy pill, Wegovy injections or Mounjaro, and readers should check their own policy. The NHS does not currently supply Foundayo or the Wegovy pill. NHS supply of Wegovy and Mounjaro injections is restricted to people who meet strict NICE criteria.

Foundayo prices: the page shows the lowest live delivered price for a first order of one month at 0.8mg (Step 1) and 17.2mg (Step 6). Live figures for every dose and pharmacy: https://dayo.co.uk/foundayo-discount-prices/. To compare, check the first order price, the standard price, discount codes, the maintenance policy and the GPhC registration.

Status: Medstack Ltd holds no Financial Conduct Authority authorisation, sells no insurance, arranges none and gives no advice on policies. General information only. Dayo never sells, prescribes or dispenses medicines. Source URL: https://dayo.co.uk/health-compare-uk/

Where are the other Medstack health compare UK pages?

Each Medstack site compares one medicine. Pick the medicine you take.

  • MonjMounjaro price comparison
  • iGovyWegovy injection price comparison
  • OgovyWegovy pill price comparison
  • DayoFoundayo prescription price comparison. You are on this page.

Market guides: Cheapest weight loss injections UK, How much are weight loss injections?, Weight loss pills UK and GLP-1 tablets UK.

Sources

Each insurance, NHS and regulator fact on this page comes from one of the organisations below. Foundayo prices come from Dayo price checks. The sources were read in October 2026.

Nick Johnson Founder and healthcare pricing analyst, Medstack Ltd

Nick founded Monj, iGovy, Ogovy and Dayo to bring honest, checkout-price comparison and provider verification to the UK weight management medicine market. His background is in IT and data, not pharmacy, which is exactly why the sites stay independent: no provider can buy a ranking, and awkward findings get published. Read more about Dayo and the team.

Medstack Ltd operates Dayo as an independent price information service. Read the editorial policy.