Private medical insurance coverage rises despite recession

Latest ABI figures show that the number of people covered by Private Medical Insurance (PMI) continued to rise in 2008 despite the UK economy going into recession.

In 2008, a total of 6,224,000 people were covered by either personal or corporate PMI, with a further 1,111,000 covered through Healthcare Trust arrangements. A total of 7,335,000 people now have some form of private health cover in the UK, an increase of 2.7% on 2007.

Nick Starling, the ABI's Director of General Insurance and Health, said: "The continued rise in the number of people covered by PMI is good news. PMI gives people the peace of mind that they are able to get access to the treatment they need, at the time they need it, where they need it.

"PMI is good for companies and the economy because it enables employees to get back to work after illness or injury as quickly as possible. This is why there has been a continued rise in the number of people covered by corporate policies."