Key takeaways: Do health insurers cover chronic conditions?

Most health insurance plans cover new and unexpected medical issues that respond quickly to treatment. They’re not designed to cover chronic conditions – conditions that are predictable, last a long time or are likely to come back.

You might be able to get some cover for short term treatment or flare ups of your symptoms, but if your condition is chronic, private health insurance probably won’t continue covering it.

Find out more about our AXA Health Plan

What's in this article?

Jump to sections:

Start an AXA Health Plan quote

8 top tips for comparing health insurance quotes 

If you’re thinking about buying health insurance, it’s a good idea to compare several quotes from insurers. But although cost will be an important factor, it’s not the only thing to consider. What matters most is that you get a plan that meets your needs and your budget, so that you get the cover you want, but aren’t paying for things you don’t need.  

Get information from elsewhere

Use a comparison website – this way you can get quotes quickly and compare them side by side. However, be aware that not all health insurers are on comparison websites.  

Read reviews – review websites, such as Trustpilot [link to https://uk.trustpilot.com] will help you get a feel for what an insurer’s customer service is like, and how easy their claims process is.  

Ask a financial adviser – if you have complex needs, or are finding it tricky to decide, you might find it helpful to talk to an independent financial adviser. So long as they’re not linked to a particular provider, they’ll be able to give you unbiased recommendations from a range of insurers. You can find an independent financial adviser using the Unbiased website – this is a free and impartial website endorsed by the UK government. 

Read the policy documents and ask questions before you buy 

Check the policy documents before buying – you can usually read full policy documents on the insurer’s website before buying. If you want the documents in a different format, ask the insurer to send them to you.  

Check them again after buying – if you decide to buy, check your terms and conditions again. If you decide the plan doesn’t suit you, you should have 14 days from buying your insurance to cancel it and get a full refund, if no claims have been made.

Don’t be afraid to ask all your questions – health insurance can be complicated, and it can be expensive. So it’s important you understand your policy fully before agreeing to your insurance contract. If you’re not sure about something, ask your insurer to clarify.  

Look at ways you can cut the cost

See whether there are options to cut the cost – the way different insurers work out their costs will vary, but the following may affect how much you pay for health insurance:  

  • Cover options 
    With some health insurers you can choose to add or remove cover options, although this may be limited to when you renew your policy. However, when making changes or removing options, there is no guarantee that you'll be able to get that cover back, either for an existing condition, or at all in some cases. See our guide to how health insurance works.
  • Your excess 
    The higher your excess is, the lower your premium will be, but you’ll pay more if you make a claim. 
  • The hospital and specialists you can use 
    If you’re happy for your health insurer to source a specialist for you, or to have a smaller list of hospitals to choose from, this can cut your cost. 
  • Any limits on what you can claim for 
    Health insurers may have a limit on the number of consultations you can have, or the amount they’ll pay for certain types of treatment. Usually, the more limits you have on your cover, the cheaper your health insurance will be. However, having limits means your health insurance will cover you for less.

Compare what the policies cover 

Compare conditions and treatments – different health insurers may cover conditions and treatments in different ways. If you’re especially interested in cover for specific things, such as diagnostic tests, cancer, mental health or physiotherapy, it’s a good idea to check how each policy covers them, and whether there are any limits.  

Some insurers cover these as standard, but with others you may have to pay extra to add them to your plan.  

With AXA Health Plan, you can pick from our ‘menu’ of cover options:  

  • Outpatient diagnosis and care
  • Inpatient and day patient care
  • Cancer care
  • Mental health care
  • Dental and optical cashback (which means you get money back towards treatment you’ve paid for).  

Some combinations may not be available – for example, with AXA Health Plan, you can’t pick the Mental health care option or the Dental and optical cashback option by itself. 

Look at what’s not covered 

Check the policy covers everything you need – it’s important to compare what’s not covered, so you don’t get any unexpected bills if you need to claim.

Private health insurance doesn’t usually cover chronic conditions or any conditions you’ve had treatment for or had symptoms of in the last few years before you join (even if your symptoms haven’t been diagnosed yet, or you haven’t yet seen a doctor about them). However, the way they cover these will vary, so it’s a good idea to check and compare.

There may be other things that health insurers cover differently or don’t cover at all.

Check which specialists and hospitals you can use

Check the insurer’s hospital list – with some health insurers and plans you may be limited to seeing a specialist or using a hospital on their list. Usually, the more specialists and hospitals you can choose from, the more your plan will cost.

Check whether you can choose your own specialist or hospital – some plans may offer cheaper prices if you are happy for the insurer to source your specialist or hospital. If you want to choose a specialist or hospital yourself, check you’re able to do this when comparing plans.

Check which family members you can add to your plan

Check who counts as a family member – you can often add family members to your health insurance, giving you the added peace of mind of knowing they can access care quickly. However, different insurers may have different rules about who counts as a family member – some don’t count grandparents, for example. You may want to compare which family members you can add – especially if you want to add a grandparent or grandchild. With AXA Health, you can add grandparents or grandchildren to your cover.

Check whether they need to live with you – some health insurance only covers family members who live at the same address. With AXA Health, your family members don’t need to live with you. That means that if you have a child who’s moved out, you can add them to your cover to make sure they can get fast access to specialist treatment, or use our online GP service.

Check whether family members can have different cover to you – with some health insurance, you can only add family members if they have the same cover as the policyholder. With AXA Health Plan, you can tailor cover to each member of the family. This can help to keep your costs down.

Check if family members get a discount – some insurers will offer discounts on family members that you add to your plan. 

Check what extra benefits you get on top of your insurance

As well as covering you for treatment, you often get additional services with your health insurance to support your health and wellbeing. Again, these vary between health insurers.

With AXA Health, you’ll get:

  • A 24/7 health support line for any health information you need
  • Access to our online GP service.

Find out more about our AXA Health Plan or start a quote

Find out more Start a quote