Privacy policy

Last updated: 5 October 2026

healthcosts.net has no accounts, no sign-up and no newsletter, and nothing on the site asks for your name or email. This page explains what is still collected when you visit, who receives it, and how to say no.

Who we are

This site is run by the operator of healthcosts.net ("we", "us"), who is the data controller for the personal data described here. For anything on this page, email data@healthcosts.net.

What we collect

• Server logs. Every request to our server records your IP address, your browser's user agent, the address of the page you asked for (which includes anything you typed into the search box) and the time.
• Page counts with Umami, on every visit. We run Umami ourselves at stats.healthcosts.net. It records the page, the site you came from, your browser, operating system, device type, screen size, language and country. It sets no cookies and does not store your IP address.
• Google Analytics, loaded through Google Tag Manager, only if you accept cookies. Google Analytics 4 records the pages you visit, the site you came from, your approximate location (city and country), your device, browser and operating system, and interactions such as clicks and scrolls. It uses cookies to tell one visitor from another. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses.
• Google AdSense, on every visit, whether or not you accept cookies. See Advertising below.
• Google Fonts. Our typefaces are loaded from Google's servers, so Google receives your IP address and browser details when a page loads. Google states that it does not use this to identify or profile you.
• Two first-party cookies: a session cookie that protects the site against forged requests, and a cookie that remembers your cookie choice. See the table below.
• Emails you send us. If you write to us, we have your email address and whatever you include.

Why, and on what legal basis

• Consent for Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. They load only after you press Accept, and you can withdraw at any time.
• Legitimate interests for server logs (keeping the site secure, stopping abuse and fixing faults), Umami (counting which pages are read, without identifying anyone), Google Fonts (displaying the site) and showing ads (paying for the site).
• Strictly necessary for the session cookie and the cookie that records your choice. The site cannot work safely, or remember your answer, without them.
• Legitimate interests for replying to emails you send us.

We never sell your data.

Who receives it

• Hetzner Online GmbH (Germany) hosts our server, so it holds our server logs and the Umami statistics on our behalf.
• Google (Google Ireland Limited and Google LLC) receives Google Analytics and Tag Manager data if you accept, and AdSense and Google Fonts requests from every visitor. Google explains its own use in its privacy policy and in how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

We may also disclose data where the law requires it.

International transfers

Google may process data outside the UK and EEA, including in the United States. Those transfers rely on the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and on Standard Contractual Clauses with the UK Addendum.

How long we keep it

• Server logs: only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting, then deleted as the logs rotate.
• Umami statistics: for as long as the site runs. They contain nothing that identifies you.
• Google Analytics: event data is kept for the retention period set in our Google Analytics account, at most 14 months.
• Emails: for as long as the conversation needs, then deleted.
• Cookies: as listed in the table below.

Cookies and storage

Google lists its advertising cookies in how Google uses cookies in advertising. We use no localStorage or other browser storage.

Changing your cookie choice

Use Cookie settings in the footer of any page, or this button, to reopen the banner and change your answer. If you withdraw consent, we delete the Google Analytics cookies and reload the page without them.

You can also block cookies in your browser, or install the Google Analytics opt-out add-on.

Advertising

Ads keep this site free. They are served by Google AdSense, which loads for every visitor and is not controlled by our cookie banner: pressing Reject turns off Google Analytics, not ads. Google and its partners may use cookies and similar technology to show ads, measure them and personalise them based on your visits to this and other websites.

You can turn off personalised ads in Google Ads Settings, and read how Google uses information from sites that use its services. Advertisers have no say in which hospitals or prices we show.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you, and ask us to correct it, delete it, restrict its use or send it to you in a portable form. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests, and withdraw consent at any time. Email data@healthcosts.net and we will reply within one month. We hold very little that identifies anyone, so we may need details such as the date and time of your visit to find it.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

When what we collect changes, we update this page and the date below.

Last updated: 5 October 2026