More of us than ever before have access to private medical insurance. New data shared with Money Box Live shows that more than 8 million people were covered last year - that's about 5 million adults, plus their families. It's a rise of 4% on the previous year and comes after a series of sharp increases since the pandemic.We find out what's driving the growth, who's buying the policies and hear from those who have used private health services.We're joined by Tim Read, director of research at the health sector data firm LaingBuisson which is behind the numbers and has just published its annual study into the private medical cover market, and Tina Jennings, general secretary of the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries, a trade body representing insurance companies and brokers working in this field.Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: James Graham
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on Wednesday the 1st of October 2025).
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28:06
Teachers' Pensions and Car Insurance Compensation
The National Association of Head Teachers has written to the Department for Education demanding it take action to address what it describes as the failing Teachers' Pensions Scheme. The union has told Money Box it's shocked at the number of members contacting it for help describing a litany of delays, miscommunication and the failure to carry out even basic services leaving many in financial disarray. The government says it understands these problems have caused frustration and it's continuing to work closely with Teachers’ Pensions to resolve these issue as soon as possible.This year's Winter Fuel Payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is going to all pensioners but instead of everyone keeping it, those who have an income of more than £35,000 will have it taken back by HMRC. How will that work in practice?Fake news stories about the state pension have been worrying many listeners. We'll have some advice on what to look out for.And tens of thousands of motorists could be eligible for a share of £200m in compensation after insurers paid them too little on their claims. Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Catherine Lund
Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 27th September 2025)
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Money Box Live: Understanding Crypto
Cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, are a type of digital money that has proliferated in recent years. They are mostly unconnected to governments or central banks. Some people treat them as an investment, some people as a bit of a flutter, and many more people don't yet know anything about them at all. We look at how they work and how the regulatory landscape is changing with the UK's financial regulator the Financial Conduct Authority currently consulting on a range of proposals. It could mean crypto-related firms will be covered by the same requirements as traditional financial firms, boosting consumer protections.It comes as Action Fraud, which is the UK's national reporting centre for cybercrime, says crypto-related scams jumped by 16% last year. In fact, it accounted for two thirds of all investment fraud reports.Felicity Hannah is joined by Kate Baucherel, a digital strategy consultant specialising in emerging technologies like crypto, and Louise Abbott, a partner at Keystone Law with a focus on fraud, crypto and asset recovery.Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: James Graham
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on Wednesday the 24th of September 2025).
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27:38
Warning over Trusts and Landlord Mortgages
Top lawyers have told Money Box that people across the UK are being misled into paying thousands of pounds for products which they are told will protect the value of their home from inheritance tax or being taken to pay for care home fees. In reality, they say, these schemes do not work and may trigger legal complications and huge financial costs in the future. Usually the products involve setting up some sort of 'trust' but they are often sold by people who are not lawyers and are not regulated. The Association of Lifetime Lawyers, asked over a hundred its own members and found 95% of those lawyers surveyed said they had seen such products being missold and more than 4 in 5 said they had clients who had been misled. Buy-to-let mortgage rates have dipped to their lowest level in almost three years and there is more choice of mortgage products for buy to let landlords than ever before. The data, which comes from Money Facts, might be good news for any landlords coming to the end of a 2 year fix when rates were higher, but not for those who fixed 5 years ago when rates were much lower. What does it mean for the market?The state pension looks set to increase by more than inflation in April - that would mean an extra £500 a year for many.
And why are house prices rising faster in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK?Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin
Researcher: Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 20th September 2025)
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Money Box Live: Navigating a Terminal Illness
This week on Money Box Live we're looking at a topic that's very difficult but very important. What happens to your finances when the worst happens? How do you plan for your financial future when you've been diagnosed with a life-limiting or terminal illness? It's a question a group of MPs have been asking too. The All Party Parliamentary Group for Hospice and End of Life Care has found that people can face real hardship because they often have extra costs combined with a loss of earnings.Felicity Hannah is joined by Jamie Thunder, senior policy manager for financial security at the end of life charity Marie Curie and Nina Sperring, partner at Price, Slater, Gawne solicitors. She's also a member of STEP, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners which specialises in estates and wills. We also hear from Nathaniel Dye, a music teacher who was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer at 36.Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: James Graham and Helen Ledwick
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast at 3pm Wednesday 17th September 2025)
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