Our analysis reveals widespread confusion about whether or not fashionable weight-loss medicines 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 Worth Benchmarking Instrument, now 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 have been not sure the right way to classify weight administration injections comparable to Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic,  medicines which have seen explosive progress, with 6% of the inhabitants having used them. This adoption price is especially placing given NHS England information exhibiting these medicines solely turned extensively 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 assist instruments (10%)
- Not sure (26%)
“This confusion is not educational;  it has actual penalties for thousands and thousands of Britons buying journey and medical health insurance,” stated Ian Hughes, CEO of Shopper Intelligence.
“When 1 / 4 of the inhabitants does 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% improve in journey insurance coverage complaints in 2024, with medical disclosure disputes being a number one trigger.”
The Stakes: A Rising Market at Threat
With 45% of respondents classifying themselves as chubby or overweight,  considerably beneath the NHS Well being Survey for England’s discovering that 64% of adults are chubby or overweight,  the survey reveals potential underreporting that additional complicates insurance coverage declarations. With solely 6% presently utilizing weight administration injections, Shopper Intelligence tasks potential market progress of 500-1,000% over the subsequent 5 years as NHS entry expands and personal prescriptions develop into extra inexpensive, aligning with NICE’s expanded approval standards for Wegovy and Mounjaro in 2024.
The analysis recognized clear standards customers use to find out whether or not remedies are ‘medical’:
- Prescribed by a physician (71%)
- Treats a recognized situation (72%)
- Obtainable by way of the NHS (40%)
- Prevents future well being issues (33%)
Nonetheless, these standards create paradoxes. Botox, as an example, can deal with medical situations like persistent migraines and muscle spasticity, but 86% of respondents labeled it as beauty, with solely 9% recognising its medical purposes.
Insurance coverage Trade Response Important
“The insurance coverage trade faces a defining second,” defined
The analysis suggests three potential trade approaches:
- Conservative stance: Treating all GLP-1 utilization as pre-existing situations, doubtlessly pricing out thousands and thousands of consumers
- Threat-based differentiation: Distinguishing between diabetic therapy 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,  essential intelligence because the market navigates this transformation.
Shopper Impression and Suggestions
The analysis reveals a essential discrepancy in how customers perceive their medical standing: while 60% of respondents are presently taking prescription medicines, solely 53% acknowledge having medical situations they’re taking medicine for. This 7-percentage-point hole highlights how in a different way customers reply based mostly on how questions are framed, an important 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 customers do not join their prescriptions to ‘medical situations,’ the danger of unintentional misrepresentation will increase considerably.”
Shopper Intelligence recommends that insurance coverage patrons:
- All the time declare any prescribed medicines, no matter goal
- Request written clarification from insurers about particular medicines
- Maintain detailed information of medical consultations and prescriptions
- Assessment coverage phrases rigorously, notably exclusion clauses
For insurers, the agency advocates:
- Instant clarification of underwriting pointers
- Funding in buyer schooling initiatives
- Growth 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 Worth Benchmarking Instrument, insurers can observe real-time market responses to those rising challenges,” added [Name]. “This transparency is crucial because the trade navigates uncharted territory with medicines 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 numerous medical and aesthetic remedies, their classification, and understanding of insurance coverage implications.
