Leading the herd

Confidence is high in the individual private medical insurance (PMI) market. After years of lacklustre performance, there are signs of a renewed interest in the product. Figures from the Association of British Insurers support this. It found that the number of individual PMI subscribers increased from 1.01 million in 2005 to 1.03 million in 2006. Additionally, gross-earned premium edged up from £1,449m to £1,509m. Robert Dixon, head of product development at Bupa, is not surprised by these findings and expects 2007 to show similar signs of recovery. "We've certainly seen a return to stabi...