Health Insurance Guide

Hassle-free health insurance for the self-employed

21 December 2023 | By The Kindred Team

If you’ve gone freelance, you’ll know it gives you freedom, flexibility, and an avalanche of admin. And if you’ve ever had health insurance - and dared to make a claim - you’ll know that it can create even more admin for you. Well not on our watch. We understand the specific stresses you face as a self-employed person, and we’re here to look after you so you can look after your business.

Do I need health insurance if I’m self-employed?

Being your own boss can be really rewarding but there’s always that niggling worry at the back of your head: “What if I get ill or injured?”. If you run your own business, you can’t afford to be out of action while you wait to see a doctor. The main benefit of self-employed health insurance is that you can avoid the ever-growing NHS waiting lists and get speedy access to the care you need to get back to your best. See our What we cover page for the full list of benefits.

Self-employed stresses (and how we can help)

Any of these sound familiar…?

I don’t have time to go to my GP!

Oh, so you don’t have a spare half hour to sit in a waiting room at 10am on a Tuesday? That’s ok, you can book a virtual appointment with an experienced GP at a time that actually suits you.

My back’s killing me, but I’ll just sit at my desk for another solid 8 hours

Don’t just grin and bear it, go see a physio. If you get a referral using our virtual GP service (see above), it’ll come straight through to us and we’ll process it within just 3 days.

I’m feeling overwhelmed

That’s understandable. One of the hardest things about being self-employed is not having a support network around you. It’s easy to get trapped in our own heads and stuck in a certain way of thinking. CBT can help with that; our policies include up to 10 sessions per year.

Making a claim - and trying to get it approved - is too much of a faff

If you’ve had health insurance through another provider, you’ve probably been put off making a claim. We promise you that with us, it’s simple. We won’t pack you off to an online portal or abandon you to an app: we’ve got a care team of lovely humans sitting by the phones waiting to help. 

I need to find a consultant and book an appointment but that’s way down my to-do list

No matter, it’s top of ours! When we approve a referral for you to see a specialist, we’ll do all the work for you. We’ll find consultants who are local to you and who have availability at the times that you can do. We’ll book you in and send the consultant everything they need to know ahead of your appointment. All you need to do is turn up.

What’s not included in self-employed health insurance?

If you get ill or injured, health insurance can massively reduce the amount of time you have to wait to get treatment but it doesn’t replace your income if you need to take time off work. It’s best to have both health insurance and income protection insurance so you can get seen quickly and receive a regular income in the meantime. 

How much does health insurance cost if you’re self-employed?

Your employment status doesn’t affect the price of your health insurance policy. Your premium is determined by three things:

1. Your personal circumstances

That means your age and where you live.

2. Who’s included in your policy

You can take out a policy just for you, or you can add your partner and/or your kids. If you take out a Kindred policy, kids under 26 go free.

3. The choices you make about your cover

When you apply for our health insurance, you’ll have the chance to choose which hospitals you can access, and to set your level of excess. You can have a play around with it to see which choices are right for you and your budget.

Get a quick quote today >

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