The Insurance Surgery

What The Insurance Surgery does

The Insurance Surgery is a UK-based specialist life and protection insurance broker founded in 1999 and headquartered in Macclesfield. It focuses on non-standard and high-risk cases — including applicants with pre-existing medical conditions, hazardous occupations, and dangerous hobbies — that are typically declined or heavily loaded by mainstream insurers. The firm is FCA regulated (reference 401425), privately held, and operates with 11–50 employees. Its reported performance metrics include a 70% acceptance rate for previously declined customers and a 96.9% claims-paid ratio for placed business in 2024.

The company operates as a broker, earning commissions from insurers on policies placed rather than underwriting risk itself. Its product surface spans life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, and specialist travel insurance, supported by a Price Promise guarantee. Distribution is direct-to-consumer and through an IFA Partner Portal, with ecosystem positioning maintained via BIBA and the Protection Distributors Group. The firm does not operate proprietary underwriting technology or a third-party AI layer; it relies on established insurer panels and partner portals to source quotes and place cases.

The addressable market is structural: roughly 7.5 million UK families lack life insurance or critical illness cover, and 28% of UK adults view life cover as too expensive. The Insurance Surgery competes on specialist case acceptance, price matching, and case-managed service rather than on technology differentiation, making brand reputation, panel access, and adviser relationships the primary competitive levers.

Name

The Insurance Surgery

Legal name

The Insurance Surgery Ltd.

Website

https://the-insurance-surgery.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Insurance Surgery is a UK specialist life and protection insurance broker, founded in 1999, serving individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, high-risk occupations, and hazardous hobbies through a commission-based broker model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Life Insurance (6311), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disease-Specific & Condition-Specific Critical Illness (e.g., Cancer, Heart/Stroke) (FSAIAKAH), Individual Supplemental Health (Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, Accident) (FSAIAEAD), Travel & Accident (Non-Life) Insurance (FSAJAMAN)

Keywords

• Specialist life insurance
• Protection insurance broker
• Critical illness cover
• Income protection insurance
• Impaired risk underwriting

Headquarters

HQ city

Macclesfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commission: The Insurance Surgery operates as an insurance broker earning commission from insurers when policies are placed. The company provides intermediary services including advice, quotation, and arrangement of protection insurance products. Commission is disclosed to clients upon request.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Insurance Surgery is a specialist UK protection insurance broker that arranges life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, business protection, travel insurance, and private medical insurance on behalf of customers. It focuses particularly on placing cover for individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, high-risk occupations, or hazardous hobbies, working with both mainstream and specialist insurers to find suitable policies. Income is earned via commission from insurers on successfully placed policies.

Product overview

The Insurance Surgery is an award-winning specialist life and protection insurance broker offering a comprehensive portfolio of financial protection products. The core offering centers on life insurance with specialized variants (term life, whole of life, level term, decreasing term) and extends to critical illness cover, income protection, business insurance, travel insurance, and private medical insurance. The company differentiates through its specialization in serving individuals with medical conditions, high-risk occupations, and those who participate in extreme sports. Products include: Life Insurance (core), Critical Illness Cover (core), Income Protection (core), Business Insurance (including key person, shareholder protection, relevant life, business loan protection, group life), Travel Insurance (via StaySure partnership), and Private Medical Insurance. Additional specialized products include Over 50s Life Insurance, Family Income Benefit, and Self-Employed Income Protection. The broker provides personalized advice through dedicated advisers with 25 years of experience and access to mainstream and specialist insurers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life Insurance Specialist life insurance brokerage covering term life (level term, decreasing term, increasing term), whole of life, over 50s, joint life, single life, and family income benefit. Includes variants for medical conditions, high-risk occupations, and extreme sports, accessing both mainstream and specialist insurers.
• Critical Illness Cover Critical illness insurance paying a lump sum on diagnosis of specified serious illnesses such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke, arranged through mainstream and specialist insurers for individuals with non-standard profiles.
• Income Protection Income protection insurance that replaces a portion of earnings when the policyholder cannot work due to illness or injury, with self-employed, guaranteed, short-term, long-term, accident-only, high-limit, any-occupation, and renewable variants arranged through specialist insurer panels.
• Business Insurance Business protection brokerage arranging key person insurance, shareholder protection, relevant life (tax-efficient death-in-service), group life, business loan protection, business income protection, and personal accident cover for UK small businesses, partnerships, and limited companies.
• Travel Insurance Specialist travel insurance arranged through a partnership with StaySure / Staysure, comparing specialist insurers to find cover for customers with pre-existing medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and epilepsy who may have been declined elsewhere.
• Private Medical Insurance Private medical insurance providing faster access to private medical investigations, specialist consultations, and treatments, arranged through mainstream and specialist health insurer panels.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96.9% of protection case claims were paid in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StaysurecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Insurance Surgery has partnered with Staysure to offer specialist travel insurance for customers with medical conditions including diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer. Staysure compares specialist insurers and matches customers with suitable policies.
• StaySurecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with StaySure for specialist travel insurance, offering coverage for customers with pre-existing medical conditions who may have been declined elsewhere.
• PDG (Protection Distributors Group)minorOthersThe PDG aims to help people find the protection they need by encouraging insurers and intermediaries to deliver better consumer outcomes.
• BIBA (British Insurance Brokers Association)minorOthersBritish Insurance Brokers Association represents and protects the best interests of insurance broker and intermediary members and their customers.
• IFA PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner Portal for IFAs (Independent Financial Advisers) to manage referrals, submit applications, and track status for protection insurance products.
• Lifestyle VouchersminorOthersGift card provider for Price Promise rewards. The £50 gift card is issued via Lifestyle and can be used at more than 250 UK brands.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LifeSearch: UK specialist life and protection insurance broker focused on advised sales across life, critical illness and income protection; directly comparable to The Insurance Surgery's specialist, telephone-led distribution model.
• Bought By Many (Many): UK specialist insurance provider focusing on harder-to-insure consumer niches (medical conditions, pets); overlaps with The Insurance Surgery's impaired-risk customer focus and product breadth.
• LifeInsuranceCover: UK intermediary that arranges life and critical illness cover across mainstream and specialist insurers; comparable brokerage model and product focus.
• Drewberry Insurance: UK employee-benefits and personal protection broker offering life, critical illness and income protection; comparable specialist adviser model and product set.
• Cavendish Online: UK broker arranging life, critical illness and income protection through a panel of insurers; comparable intermediary role and target consumer base.
• Reassured: UK protection broker specializing in life insurance and related covers via an advised sales motion; comparable product line and customer acquisition channels.

Emerging players

• British Friendly: UK mutual providing income protection, life and related protection products with an advised distribution approach; partial overlap in the specialist protection product suite.

Broad incumbents

• Vitality: UK life and health insurer with a broader product portfolio including private medical and income protection; comparable in cover type but operates as a carrier rather than a pure broker.
• Aviva UK: Large UK insurer offering life, critical illness, income protection and business protection through advised and direct channels; comparable products but vastly larger scale and integrated distribution.

Others

• Staysure: Specialist UK travel insurer focused on medical-condition travelers; already an active channel partner of The Insurance Surgery and adjacent in niche specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheInsSurgery
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAvbCcttKRfUqooDH3ANknA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheInsuranceSurgery1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-insurance-surgery
• TikToktiktok.com/@theinsurancesurgery

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Insurance Surgery