What are chronic 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.

What does private health insurance cost in the UK?

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.

Do I need to have a medical before I take out health insurance?

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.

How does our AXA Health Plan work?

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.

What does an AXA Health Plan cover?

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.

What does AXA health insurance not cover?

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.

What about conditions I already have when I join AXA Health?

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.

Will I need an excess on my AXA Health Plan?

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.

Can I add people to my AXA Health Plan?

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.

What types of health insurance does AXA Health provide?

We offer different types of health insurance to suit your needs: Individual health insurance – for individuals, couples and families; Small business health insurance – for self-employed/small businesses; Corporate health insurance – for larger businesses (250+ employees).

Are there restrictions on who can be covered by an AXA Health Plan?

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.

How can I contact AXA Health?

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.

What is a moratorium?

Find out more about medical underwriting for health insurance or get an AXA Health Plan quote

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What is medical underwriting for health insurance?

Medical underwriting helps determine what health insurance cover may be available to you, particularly concerning conditions or symptoms you already have, or which already exist. The main underwriting methods are moratorium underwriting, full medical underwriting (FMU), medical history disregarded (MHD) and continued medical exclusions (CME) from your previous cover. In this guide, we primarily look at moratorium underwriting and compare it with other methods to help you make informed decisions about private medical insurance.

What is moratorium underwriting?

With moratorium underwriting, pre-existing conditions are not covered if the medical condition has occurred before your policy begins, or within a set period of time before your policy starts (which would be defined by your policy). A pre-existing condition refers to any illness, injury, or disease that:

• You have received medication, advice or treatment for before the start of your cover, or potentially within a fixed period before the start of cover (which would be defined by your policy).

• You have experienced symptoms of before the start of your cover: whether or not the condition was diagnosed, or potentially within a fixed period before the start of cover (which would be defined by your policy).

Although cover is not immediately available with moratorium underwriting, it will become available once:

• You’ve been a member for a specific length of time (often two years in a row),

• And some moratoriums will also require you’ve had a period trouble-free from that condition since you started your policy (usually 12 or 24 consecutive months)
‘Trouble free’ means that for your medical condition, you haven’t:

• Had an opinion from a medical practitioner, including a GP or specialist

• Taken medication (including over the counter drugs)

• Followed a special diet

• Had medical treatment, or

• Visited a clinical practitioner, therapist, homeopath, acupuncturist, optician or dentist

Key features of moratorium underwriting

• No initial medical disclosure: Comprehensive medical histories aren’t required when you take out a plan.

• Exclusion period: Cover for conditions (including undiagnosed symptoms) you've had for which you've sought treatment or advice within a specified period (usually five years) before the policy start date are excluded for a period determined by the policy (usually the first two years).

• Cover available after a period of time (usually two years): If you haven’t sought treatment, medication, or advice for a pre-existing condition for a defined continuous period after the policy starts, that condition may become eligible for coverage.

Full Medical Underwriting (FMU)

With Full Medical Underwriting, your medical history is considered to decide what cover you can be offered. Normally you wouldn’t be covered for any medical conditions that you had before your policy started. Any medical conditions that begin after your plan starts will likely be covered in line with the terms of your plan.

Key Features of Full Medical Underwriting:

• Full medical history required: You’ll complete a detailed health questionnaire when you take out a plan.

• Known Exclusions: Any exclusions are specified when you take out a plan, providing clarity on what's covered.

Comparing Moratorium and Full Medical Underwriting

Aspect	Moratorium Underwriting	Full Medical Underwriting
Application Process	No detailed medical history required.	Comprehensive, requries detailed medical history.
Pre-existing Conditions	Excluded initially; may be covered after a symptom-free period.	Assessed individually; exclusions specified upfront
Exclusions	Exclusions determined at the time of claim.	Exclusions are stated from the start of cover.

Continued Medical Exclusions (CME)

Continued Medical Exclusions (CME) underwriting is applicable if you’re joining an insurer from another insurer. It allows the transfer of existing terms, including any exclusions. Any exclusions, special terms or moratoriums would be on your membership certificate. Cover would be subject to the terms of your plan.

Key Features of CME:

• Transfer of Existing Terms: Maintains the same exclusions or underwriting terms from a previous policy.

• No New Underwriting Required: Simplifies the process of switching insurers with minimal or no reassessment.

Medical History Disregarded (MHD)

Medical History Disregarded (MHD) underwriting provides cover for all pre-existing conditions without exclusions. Your cover will be in line with the terms of your plan.

Key Features of MHD:

• Comprehensive Coverage: Includes all pre-existing conditions subject to the terms of your plan.

Summary

Understanding the differences between moratorium underwriting, full medical underwriting, continued medical exclusions, and medical history disregarded is important when taking out healthcare cover. When taking out a policy, you should consider your own personal circumstances when choosing your underwriting option, and what level of cover you would like to receive for any pre existing medical conditions.

What underwriting methods are available with an AXA Health Plan?

Our AXA Health Plan offers fast access to private healthcare when you need it. At the heart of private health insurance is a commitment to your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your loved ones. With our AXA Health Plan, we offer private health insurance with moratorium underwriting which means, like most health insurance, you are only covered for new eligible conditions that develop after you join, and not pre-existing conditions.

Why choose our AXA Health Plan?

With an AXA Health Plan you’ll get fast access to private healthcare.

You'll have the flexibility to choose cover options to best meet your individual needs and budget, as well as the option to add family members, each with their own excess and cover options.

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.

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Frequently asked questions

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.
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.
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.
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 within 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 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 include 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.

See…
We offer different types of health insurance to suit your needs:
- Individual health insurance – for individuals, couples and families.
- Small business health insurance – for self-employed/small businesses
- Corporate health insurance – for larger businesses (250+ employees)