# Health and protection benefits: what UK employers provide in 2026

> UK health and protection benchmarks 2026: private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and critical illness cover, with every base.

Source: https://lumihr.co.uk/resources/health-protection
Author: David Whitfield (https://lumihr.co.uk/about/david-whitfield)
Data: lumi reward benchmark · national · collection window 2026 H1

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*lumi benchmarks · Health & protection · Collection window 2026 H1 · By David Whitfield*

> **Key findings**
> - 69.5% of organisations offer private medical insurance (PMI) (n = 269). ([What percentage of UK employers offer private medical insurance?](/research/pmi-health-benefits-2026))
> - 2× salary is the common level of life assurance for the main population, at 50.2% (n = 239). 3× is an alternative, at 23.0%. ([What group risk benefits do UK employers provide?](/research/group-risk-benefits-2026))

This area covers the insured benefits: private medical insurance and who is eligible for it, life assurance and the multiple of salary it pays, group income protection and critical illness cover, dental and health cash plans, and occupational health.

Every figure on this page comes from the lumi reward benchmark, with the number of organisations answering shown beside it. The papers below give the full distributions, and the public figures link to one page per metric. The register lists 36 metrics in this area, among them private medical insurance (PMI) eligibility rules, life assurance cover (main population) and income protection offering; every one has a public definition in [the metric register](/register).

## Frequently asked questions

**What percentage of UK employers offer private medical insurance?**
In the lumi reward benchmark, 69.5% of organisations offer private medical insurance (PMI) (n = 269).

**What group risk benefits do UK employers provide?**
In the lumi reward benchmark, 2× salary is the common level of life assurance for the main population, at 50.2% (n = 239). 3× is an alternative, at 23.0%.

**How many UK employers offer private healthcare (PMI) as a benefit?**
In the lumi reward benchmark, 69.5% of UK organisations offer private medical insurance, the private healthcare benefit (n = 269). Among those answering the eligibility question, 85.0% restrict it by grade or level (n = 187), and a standalone virtual GP service for all employees is the common answer, at 43.5% (n = 269).

**What is a typical death in service benefit in the UK?**
Death in service cover is group life assurance. In the lumi reward benchmark, 2× salary is the most common level, at 50.2% of UK organisations (n = 239); 3× is an alternative, at 23.0%. 29.0% also offer spouse or partner life cover (20.1% employer-paid + 8.9% voluntary, n = 269).

## Related

- [All resources](/resources) — every paper, guide and template, filterable by topic.
- [How the numbers are made](/methodology) — collection, the floor of three, and how positions are read.
- [Who is in the sample](/sample) — the organisations behind every figure, by sector and by size.

## What the research says

### What group risk benefits do UK employers provide?

- 2× salary is the common level of life assurance for the main population, at 50.2% (n = 239). 3× is an alternative, at 23.0%.
- Not offering spouse/partner life cover is the common answer, at 71.0% (n = 269). 29.0% offer it (20.1% employer-paid + 8.9% voluntary).
- Not offering income protection is the common answer, at 64.3% (n = 269). 35.7% offer it in some form (18.6% long-term only + 10.0% both + 7.1% short-term only).
- Where income protection is offered, the common waiting period is 4–13 weeks (46.2%, n = 91) and the common salary replacement rate is 66–75% (38.5%, n = 91).
- 22.2% actively use the rehabilitation and early-intervention services in their group income protection (n = 72). 31.9% are unaware of them.
- A fixed lump sum is the common form of critical illness cover, at 40.7% (n = 59).
- 23.8% let employees flex up group life or income protection cover at their own cost (13.8% for one cover + 10.0% for both, n = 269).

Read the paper: https://lumihr.co.uk/research/group-risk-benefits-2026

### What percentage of UK employers offer private medical insurance?

- 69.5% of organisations offer private medical insurance (PMI) (n = 269).
- Grade/level restricted eligibility is the common PMI rule among organisations answering the PMI eligibility question, chosen by 85.0% (n = 187). All employees and a service length requirement are rare, at 7.5% each.
- The common share of employees eligible for employer-funded PMI is 10–24%, reported by 71.7% (n = 187, "Not applicable" excluded).
- No excess is the common PMI cost-share answer, at 49.5%; excess per claim is an alternative, at 22.6% (n = 186, "Not applicable" excluded).
- Beyond standard cover, PMI schemes include out-patient cover at 75.4% of organisations and virtual or digital GP access at 67.9% (n = 187).
- A standalone virtual GP service for all employees is the common answer, at 43.5% (n = 269).
- 86.9% provide optical cover or eye-care vouchers beyond DSE statutory requirements (n = 267).

Read the paper: https://lumihr.co.uk/research/pmi-health-benefits-2026

## The public figures

- [Private medical insurance (PMI) eligibility rules](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/private-medical-insurance-pmi-eligibility-rules): 84.9% answered “Grade/level restricted” on private medical insurance (PMI) eligibility rules (n = 185)
- [Life assurance cover (main population)](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/life-assurance-cover-main-population): 100% have life assurance cover (main population) in place (n = 237)
- [Income protection offering](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/income-protection-offering): 35.6% have income protection offering in place (n = 267)
- [Income protection waiting period](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/income-protection-waiting-period): 100% have income protection waiting period in place (n = 90)
- [Income protection salary replacement rate](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/income-protection-salary-replacement-rate): 100% have income protection salary replacement rate in place (n = 90)
- [PMI employee excess or cost-share](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/pmi-employee-excess-or-cost-share): 49.7% answered “No excess” on PMI employee excess or cost-share (n = 185)
- [Critical illness cover level (lump sum)](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/critical-illness-cover-level-lump-sum): 40.7% answered “Fixed lump sum” on critical illness cover level (lump sum) (n = 59)
- [Dental cover funding basis](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/dental-cover-funding-basis): 59.3% answered “Employer-paid” on dental cover funding basis (n = 59)
- [Standalone virtual GP service](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/standalone-virtual-gp-service): 43.1% answered “Yes all employees” on standalone virtual GP service (n = 267)
- [Health cash plan provision](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/health-cash-plan-provision): 71.5% answered “No” on health cash plan provision (n = 267)
- [Optical cover beyond DSE requirements](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/optical-cover-beyond-dse-requirements): 87.5% answered “Yes” on optical cover beyond DSE requirements (n = 265)
- [Private cancer diagnostics and fast-track pathways](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/private-cancer-diagnostics-and-fast-track-pathways): 77.4% answered “No” on private cancer diagnostics and fast-track pathways (n = 265)
- [Women's health support beyond menopause leave](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/women-s-health-support-beyond-menopause-leave): 77.3% answered “No” on women's health support beyond menopause leave (n = 264)
- [Men's health support provided](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/men-s-health-support-provided): 76.6% answered “No” on men's health support provided (n = 265)
- [Gender-affirming healthcare support](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/gender-affirming-healthcare-support): 70.5% answered “No” on gender-affirming healthcare support (n = 264)
- [Flex-up of life or income protection cover](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/flex-up-of-life-or-income-protection-cover): 76% answered “No” on flex-up of life or income protection cover (n = 267)
- [Spouse/partner life cover](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/spouse-partner-life-cover): 71.2% answered “No” on spouse/partner life cover (n = 267)
- [Use of GIP rehabilitation services](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/use-of-gip-rehabilitation-services): 46.5% answered “Rarely used” on use of GIP rehabilitation services (n = 71)
- [Second-medical-opinion service](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/second-medical-opinion-service): 66.3% answered “No” on second-medical-opinion service (n = 264)
- [Bereavement support beyond leave](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/bereavement-support-beyond-leave): 33% have bereavement support beyond leave in place (n = 264)
- [PMI scheme components beyond core cover](https://lumihr.co.uk/metrics/pmi-scheme-components-beyond-core-cover): 75.7% selected “Out-patient cover (consultations, diagnostics, scans)” for PMI scheme components beyond core cover (n = 185)

## Guides and templates

- [How to review your private medical insurance scheme](https://lumihr.co.uk/guides/how-to-review-private-medical-insurance)
- [How to set up group income protection](https://lumihr.co.uk/guides/how-to-set-up-group-income-protection)