If you and your partner are looking at ways to get fast access to private healthcare, purchasing a joint health insurance policy can be a great option.
AXA Health don't offer a specific couples policy but with our AXA Health Plan you can choose to add your partner to your plan. You can pick and choose cover options to best meet both of your individual needs and budget, and you even have the flexibility to choose different cover levels, and different excesses.
At the heart of private health insurance is a commitment to your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your loved ones. Simply put, it provides fast access to private healthcare when you need it. Our AXA Health Plan, like most health insurance, only covers new conditions that develop after you join and not pre-existing conditions.
Build your own plan - choose from four options to create the plan that’s right for you.
Our AXA Health Plan gives you the flexibility to combine care options to best suit your needs. You can even choose to have different care options for different people on your plan, giving you more control over your cover levels and the cost of your plan.
Standalone options include Outpatient diagnosis and care, Inpatient and day patient care and Cancer care.
Mental health care must be selected with one of the other care options. Inpatient and day patient care must be included when buying Cancer care and Outpatient diagnosis and care together.
As with most insurance, there are some things we don’t cover under any care option (you can find more information on exclusions below).
Cancer care
Our Cancer care option gives you wide-ranging treatment and support for a new cancer diagnosis that you receive after you join.
Get private surgery and drug treatment for cancer.
Access the latest licensed approved cancer drugs and treatments including some that aren’t routinely available on the NHS - when your specialist refers you and the drug is being prescribed within the terms of its licence. Outpatient drugs are not covered by this plan.
Get phone support from our experienced cancer nurses and a dedicated case manager who’ll be a consistent point of contact to support you (and your family) throughout your treatment.
Receive chemotherapy at home if you wish, if your doctor thinks it’s appropriate.
Inpatient and day patient care
If you need to stay in hospital, even if it’s just for the day, this care option gives you access to our approved hospitals.
Have surgery or other inpatient care fast, in the comfort of a private hospital.
Have day patient tests or treatment.
Get the follow-up outpatient tests and treatment that your specialist says you need after hospital, including physiotherapy, even if you don’t have the Outpatient diagnosis and care.
Get a cash payment if you decide to use the NHS for treatment your plan would have covered.
Outpatient diagnosis and care
Designed to get you in front of a specialist fast, so you can start your healthcare journey quickly.
See a specialist fast – we can even book the appointment for you.
Get as many tests, scans and x-rays as you need.
Get reassurance with our second opinion service.
Get online support for muscles, bones and joints without a GP referral if you’re over 18.
Mental health care
Our Mental health care option gives you access to private healthcare for mental illness that begins after you join.
Access to talking therapies with a GP referral.
See a specialist at hospital, or get inpatient care if you need psychiatric treatment.
No yearly limit on fees for psychiatric treatment.
Get more from your AXA Health Plan with Everyday healthcare
With an AXA Health Plan, if you are aged 18 or over, you get access to Everyday healthcare. Everyday healthcare provides a range of services and tools, as well as access to offers, to help you stay happy and healthy.
Everyday healthcare Includes...
With our 24/7 online GP service, you can select from a choice of appointments by video or phone with a GP or with an Advanced Clinical Practitioner. GPs are available 24 hours a day and Advanced Clinical Practitioners are available from 8am-10pm (subject to appointment availability).
Get clear, up-to-date information and support, day and night. Speak to one of our team of experienced health professionals. Our team will support you and your family members. No worry is too small – if it matters to you, it matters to us.
Chat a worry through with a mental health professional, 24/7 anytime.
Take this assessment at home for important information on your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Help keep yourself healthy with access to discounted gym memberships and wellbeing services. Offers are not part of your insured plan and are subject to change.
Private health insurance, also referred to as private medical insurance, is an insurance policy which complements the NHS.
Anyone with health insurance can still use all the services offered by the NHS but you will also have access to private healthcare, which can often provide you with quick diagnosis and treatment (depending on your cover).
Private medical insurance may also provide access to specialist treatments, or cancer drugs that may not be available on the NHS (depending on the cover you choose).
You will usually pay a monthly subscription and you can claim for the costs of private healthcare you receive which is covered by your policy.
Most health insurance plans are designed to cover you for new and unforeseen medical issues and don’t cover treatment for conditions and symptoms you’re already suffering from when you join. These medical conditions are known as pre-existing conditions.
A health insurance policy may not cover incurable or long-term conditions, such as arthritis or diabetes. These conditions are called chronic conditions.
A chronic condition is a disease, illness or injury that has one or more of the following characteristics:
It needs ongoing or long-term monitoring through consultations, examinations, check-ups and/or tests.
It needs ongoing or long-term control or relief of symptoms.
It requires rehabilitation, or for you to be specially trained to cope with it.
It continues indefinitely.
It has no known cure.
It comes back or is likely to come back.
The cost of health insurance can vary depending on factors such as your age, your location, your excess and the level of cover you choose. You can find out more on our cost of private health insurance page.
Your excess is the amount you pay towards treatment if you make a claim. You can choose which level of excess you prefer, and it impacts the overall cost of your cover. If you choose a higher excess, your premiums would be less, but you’d have to pay more if you made a claim. If you have a lower excess, your monthly premiums would be higher, but you would pay less if you made a claim.
Your premium, sometimes called a subscription, is what you pay for your health insurance cover. This is usually paid monthly or annually.
No, a medical is not usually required to purchase health insurance. You simply provide your personal details and typically answer some health questions. If you have any pre-existing or chronic conditions, you should talk to your insurer before purchasing to be clear on what is and isn’t covered. You can find an explanation of pre-existing and chronic conditions in this FAQ.
The AXA Health Plan takes some of the worry out of accessing healthcare. It covers private treatment for new conditions, and includes access to our online private GP service.
You can see everything about what we do and don’t cover in the information we’ll give you before you buy.
You pay a monthly or yearly cost, and then if you become ill or develop a health issue, you can choose to use private healthcare, so long as it’s covered by your membership.
You usually start off by seeing a GP – that can be an NHS GP or a private one. Then if you need to see a specialist, you can get in touch with us and we’ll walk you through what you’re covered for.
If you choose an option that covers seeing a specialist we can source or even book the appointment for you. If you have an option for hospital treatment this will usually be in a private hospital.
Our AXA Health Plan covers private treatment for new medical conditions – it’s not designed to cover conditions you already have symptoms of when you join. The treatment that’s covered will depend on the cover you choose – we offer a range of options so you can select what matters to you. For example, you could choose to have cover for:
seeing a specialist for a diagnosis
inpatient or day patient treatment, including operations, in a private hospital
cancer treatment if you ever get a cancer diagnosis
help with mental health conditions
As with most insurance, there are some things we don’t cover under any of the care options with our AXA Health Plan:
Chronic conditions
We don't cover treatment or monitoring of ongoing, recurring and long-term conditions (chronic conditions).
Pregnancy and childbirth
We don't cover pregnancy or childbirth.
Dental or optical treatment
We don't cover services that a dentist or optician would usually carry out.
We don't cover dental procedures.
Treatments, drugs and dressings
We don't cover fees for outpatient drugs, dressings and private prescriptions.
We don't cover services that a GP practice would usually carry out.
We don't cover preventative treatment or tests when there are no apparent symptoms.
We don’t cover therapeutic vaccines, even if it's recommended as part of your treatment.
We only cover treatment shown to be safe and effective by NICE, or by clinical trials that we recognise.
We only cover the approved Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products (medicines based on genes or tissues) listed on our website.
Private health insurance covers private treatment for new medical conditions. It’s not designed to cover conditions you already have when you join. That includes conditions that start before you join, but which haven’t yet been diagnosed.
This means your cover for any conditions you already have when you join is limited, and we may not cover the condition at all. If you have symptoms now that you’re worried about, we probably won’t cover that condition if you join, even if you haven’t seen a doctor about it.
We’ll explain this cover before you buy, and you’ll see it on your membership certificate and handbook if you do buy.
Most health insurance, from any insurer, is designed to cover new medical conditions, not those you have already. So your cover for conditions that started before you joined will be limited.
For the AXA Health plan, a moratorium means that for most people joining the AXA Health Plan, we won’t cover any condition you had symptoms of in the three years before you joined. This includes if you had symptoms of a condition that hadn’t been diagnosed. This will last until you’ve had at least two years trouble-free from the condition after joining. Trouble-free means you haven’t gone to a medical practitioner, had any treatment or advice, followed a special diet, or taken medication, including over-the-counter medication.
As well as this rule, we also have specific rules for some conditions too - including:
chronic conditions – we'll only cover acute episodes, not long-term treatment.
cancer - if you choose our cancer option, we'll only cover new cancer, not cancer that you had at any point before you joined. This includes if the previous cancer comes back or spreads.
diabetes - we won’t cover diabetes or some other specified conditions.
raised PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) - if you've had a raised PSA that has led to investigation, monitoring or treatment, we won't cover any prostate conditions.
You don't need to have an excess when you take out a plan, but you can choose to have one to help lower your premium.
If you call us to make a claim, we’ll tell you what the excess is on your plan. When we receive an invoice for your treatment we’ll reduce the amount we’ll pay by your excess.
With our AXA Health Plan, you’ll need to pay your total excess for each 12-month period in which you make at least one claim. The 12-month period starts on the date you first have treatment.
We pay claims in the order they are sent to us, which means the first claim we pay might not be for the first treatment you had. We will confirm your excess start date on your membership documents.
You’ll need to pay your excess again if you make a claim 12 months after your first treatment date, even if it’s for treatment of the same medical condition
Yes. You can add a partner, dependants, parents, grandparents, or even grandchildren to your policy, so you are able to provide peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones. Your family can be included on your plan even if they live at a different address and each family member can have the cover options to best suit their needs.
We are unable to provide cover for people over 74 years of age. Additionally, we do not offer child only health insurance plans, although children can be covered on an adult relative's plan.
If you are thinking of joining AXA Health, simply start a quote – it doesn’t take long, and we won’t ask tricky medical questions. You can also give us a call on 0800 169 7593*.
If you’re already with AXA Health, it’s easiest to contact us through your online account.
*Lines are open 09:00 - 19:00 Mon - Fri. Closed Sat - Sun. We may record and/or monitor calls for quality assurance, training and as a record of our conversation.