Our analysis reveals widespread confusion about whether or not widespread weight-loss drugs represent pre-existing medical situations for insurance coverage functions. The analysis coincides with the corporate’s launch of enhanced pre-existing situations evaluation inside its Journey Insurance coverage Value Benchmarking Softwarenow essentially the most complete journey insurance coverage protection software within the UK market.
The analysis, performed amongst circa 1,000 UK adults in August 2025, discovered that 26% of respondents had been not sure easy methods to classify weight administration injections corresponding to Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic, drugs which have seen explosive progress, with 6% of the inhabitants having used them. This adoption charge is especially placing given NHS England knowledge exhibiting these drugs solely grew to become broadly accessible by way of the well being service in late 2023.
Key Findings Spotlight Classification Disaster
The survey reveals a fragmented understanding of those remedies, with respondents classifying weight administration injections as:
- Final-resort medical interventions (28%)
- Medical remedies for well being situations (24%)
- Beauty remedies for look (11%)
- Life-style help instruments (10%)
- Uncertain (26%)
“This confusion is not tutorial; it has actual penalties for thousands and thousands of Britons buying journey and medical insurance,” mentioned Ian Hughes, CEO of Shopper Intelligence.
“When 1 / 4 of the inhabitants would not know whether or not their medicine counts as a pre-existing situation, we’re seeing an ideal storm for declare disputes and protection gaps. The Monetary Ombudsman Service reported a 23% enhance in journey insurance coverage complaints in 2024, with medical disclosure disputes being a number one trigger.”
The Stakes: A Rising Market at Danger
With 45% of respondents classifying themselves as obese or overweight, considerably beneath the NHS Well being Survey for England’s discovering that 64% of adults are obese or overweight, the survey reveals potential underreporting that additional complicates insurance coverage declarations. With solely 6% at present utilizing weight administration injections, Shopper Intelligence tasks potential market progress of 500-1,000% over the following 5 years as NHS entry expands and personal prescriptions grow to be extra reasonably priced, aligning with NICE’s expanded approval standards for Wegovy and Mounjaro in 2024.
The analysis recognized clear standards shoppers use to find out whether or not remedies are ‘medical’:
- Prescribed by a health care provider (71%)
- Treats a identified situation (72%)
- Obtainable by way of the NHS (40%)
- Prevents future well being issues (33%)
Nevertheless, these standards create paradoxes. Botox, as an illustration, can deal with medical situations like persistent migraines and muscle spasticity, but 86% of respondents categorised it as beauty, with solely 9% recognising its medical purposes.
Insurance coverage Trade Response Important
“The insurance coverage business faces a defining second,” defined
The analysis suggests three potential business approaches:
- Conservative stance: Treating all GLP-1 utilization as pre-existing situations, doubtlessly pricing out thousands and thousands of shoppers
- Danger-based differentiation: Distinguishing between diabetic remedy and weight administration use
- Innovation alternative: Creating new product classes for preventive well being remedies
Shopper Intelligence’s expanded benchmarking capabilities now allow insurers to trace competitor pricing methods throughout the total spectrum of pre-existing situations, together with these rising medicine classes, important intelligence because the market navigates this transformation.
Shopper Affect and Suggestions
The analysis reveals a important discrepancy in how shoppers perceive their medical standing: while 60% of respondents are at present taking prescription drugs, solely 53% acknowledge having medical situations they’re taking medicine for. This 7-percentage-point hole highlights how in another way shoppers reply primarily based on how questions are framed, a vital consideration for insurance coverage purposes.
“This discrepancy is not simply semantics; it demonstrates how the wording of insurance coverage questions can inadvertently result in non-disclosure,” famous Hughes.
“When shoppers do not join their prescriptions to ‘medical situations,’ the chance of unintentional misrepresentation will increase considerably.”
Shopper Intelligence recommends that insurance coverage patrons:
- At all times declare any prescribed drugs, no matter function
- Request written clarification from insurers about particular drugs
- Maintain detailed data of medical consultations and prescriptions
- Evaluation coverage phrases fastidiously, notably exclusion clauses
For insurers, the agency advocates:
- Quick clarification of underwriting tips
- Funding in buyer schooling initiatives
- Improvement of nuanced threat evaluation frameworks
- Proactive engagement with healthcare suppliers and regulators
- Utilisation of complete benchmarking instruments to trace market pricing evolution
“With pre-existing situations now built-in into our Journey Insurance coverage Value Benchmarking Software, insurers can observe real-time market responses to those rising challenges,” added (Identify). “This transparency is important because the business navigates uncharted territory with drugs that do not match conventional classes.”
Shopper Intelligence surveyed 999 UK adults between 15-20 August 2025, utilizing a nationally consultant pattern balanced for age, gender, and area. The survey explored attitudes in direction of varied medical and aesthetic remedies, their classification, and understanding of insurance coverage implications.
