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AXA health insurance lets you choose across four core options: outpatient diagnosis and care, inpatient and day care, cancer care, and mental health care. This means you have an especially high level of flexibility to tailor the policy as you wish. You also get vital support such as a 24/7 virtual GP service as standard.
Highlights of AXA’s health insurance coverage:
Great flexibility, as you can build your plan from core coverage options.
Fast access to private healthcare.
24/7 phone and online GP appointments
Cancer care option.
Mental health care option.
Discounts on health assessments and gym memberships.
In this guide to AXA health insurance, we look in more detail at what is and isn't covered, and how to shape your policy to match your budget with what's most important to you.
We’ve done our best to ensure the information on this page is accurate and up to date at the time of writing. However, insurers can change their terms, pricing and cover at any time. This page is for general information only and is not a substitute for full policy documentation, which you should always review to help you confirm that the cover meets your individual needs.
Our specialist advisers can walk you through AXA’s core cover and optional extras, and check for any current offers. They’ll also compare AXA’s cover and premiums with other leading UK providers so you can see if there’s a better fit for your needs and budget. Call 0800 144 4777 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or start your quotation online now.
When you choose the AXA Health Plan, you have the flexibility to build your own preferred mix of care options to suit your needs. Unlike some insurers, you can even choose different care options for different people on your plan.
There are options for outpatient diagnosis and care, inpatient and day patient care, cancer care, and mental health care. There are some rules for which combinations you can choose, but even so, AXA’s health insurance is one of the more flexible options around.
Policies also include a range of vital services as standard. These include 24/7 access to GPs, additional helplines for general health support and mental health support, and online physio support. If you’re looking for a level of dental and optical cover, this can be added to some of their plans.
If you need to, you can lower your premiums by adjusting how your cover looks. Options include reducing the benefit level, increasing your excess or choosing the six-week NHS option.
This summary of AXA’s coverage starts with your four main options for putting together your bespoke Health Plan, followed by a range of other services included as standard on every policy.
Benefit | What’s included |
|---|---|
Outpatient diagnosis and care option | This is all about seeing a specialist quickly and getting as many tests, scans and x-rays as you need. There’s also a second opinion service. Plus, online support for muscles, bones and joints (for over 18s). |
Inpatient and day patient care option | Access to AXA’s approved private hospitals for day patient tests and treatment, and surgery or other inpatient care. It also includes follow-up outpatient tests and treatment requested by your specialist, even if you don’t have the outpatient diagnosis and care option. Use the NHS instead and you get a cash payment. |
Cancer care option | Private surgery and drug treatment for cancer, potentially including new cancer drugs and treatments that aren’t routinely available on the NHS (outpatient drugs are not covered by this plan). Phone support from cancer nurses and a dedicated case manager for support throughout your treatment. Option of chemotherapy if your doctor recommends it. |
Mental health care option | Access to private healthcare for mental illness, including talking therapies with a GP referral, hospital appointments and inpatient care if needed. There are no yearly limits on fees for psychiatric treatment. |
GP access online and by phone | Appointments by video or phone with a GP or advanced clinical practitioners. GPs are available 24 hours a day, practitioners from 8.00am-10.00pm, subject to availability. |
Health support line | Round-the-clock support from an experienced health professional. |
Mental health support line | Talk to a mental health professional anytime, day or night. |
Diabetes and cholesterol blood assessment | A home assessment that looks at your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. |
Online physio support | A video or phone appointment with a physiotherapist or specialist, without a GP referral (over 18s only). |
Discount on health assessments | Save 25% on health assessments from Nuffield Health and Circle Health Group for a better understanding of your health. |
Discount on gym membership | Save 40% on membership at a Nuffield Health fitness and wellbeing centre, or a Hussle multi-gym Monthly+ pass that brings access to local gyms, spas and pools. |
If you want to keep your monthly cost down, there are ways to adjust your policy without losing core protection.
Option | How it works |
|---|---|
Benefit limit | You choose your level of cover, up to a maximum called a benefit limit. If the cost of your treatment is more than the benefit limit, you will need to pay the difference. |
Excess | This is the amount you pay towards treatment if you make a claim. You can choose your excess: the higher the excess, the lower your premium, but you’d have to pay more if you made a claim. |
Less choice of specialists | With the ‘Guided Option’, AXA offer you an appointment with a choice of up to three hospitals/specialists, rather than giving you the freedom to choose from all of their directory. |
Six-week NHS option | You’re still covered for private treatment, but only if NHS treatment isn’t available within six weeks. |
As with health insurance generally, Aviva’s coverage focuses on acute conditions rather than ongoing or chronic issues. Standard exclusions include:
Pre-existing conditions.
Chronic long-term conditions.
Routine pregnancy and childbirth.
Dental or optical treatment.
Fees for outpatient drugs, dressings and private prescriptions.
Services that a GP practice would usually carry out.
Preventative treatment or tests when there are no apparent symptoms.
Therapeutic vaccines, even when recommended as part of your treatment.
Treatment not shown to be safe and effective by NICE, or by clinical trials that AXA recognise.
Any Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products (medicines based on genes, tissues or cells) not listed by AXA.
Anyone aged over 74 years of age.
Some cosmetic treatments.
Most of these exclusions are fairly standard across most leading health insurers; if policies covered all of these conditions, premiums would be unrealistically high.
AXA works well for many people, but like any insurer, it might not suit everyone. Here’s a look at where this insurer’s offering may be less ideal for you:
Upper age limit for new plans: AXA may not be suitable if you're aged 75 or over and looking to take out a new health insurance policy, as new cover is only available to people aged 74 or under.
No child-only plans: If you're looking for health insurance just for your child, children can only be covered as part of an adult relative's policy on an AXA plan.
Overall, however, AXA’s Health Plan is one of the more flexible health insurance options around. The chance to mix and match the four core options separately for each person on the policy could be just what you are looking for. But do always compare your quote with other insurers to see which works best for you.
AXA health insurance scores highly on flexibility, with the ability to mix-and-match its core options of outpatient diagnosis, inpatient care, cancer care and mental health care.
Family plans can be tailored so that each person has their own preferred blend of these options. You can also include an especially wide range of family members on your plan ‒ a partner, dependants, parents, grandparents or grandchildren ‒ even if they live at a different address.
You also get a number of useful services as standard, including phone or online access to GPs and clinical practitioners, as well as general and mental health professionals. There’s also help from physiotherapists, and discounts on health assessments and gym membership.
However, it may not be the best fit for everyone. For example, dental and optical cover aren’t included as standard, although they can be added with some plans. But do bear in mind that even when other health insurers include dental cover, the benefit can be quite limited, such as providing access to just one appointment a year.
As with most private medical insurance, pre-existing conditions are typically excluded, so it’s important to check the terms and underwriting options carefully before deciding.
Our health insurance advisers can help. They will review your circumstances, talk you through AXA’s coverage, and help you compare it against the other leading UK health insurers. Call us on 0800 144 4777 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or request a call back at a time that suits you.
AXA was founded in 1940 by doctors and hospitals working together, which makes it even older than the NHS. It is now part of one of the world’s largest insurance groups, with over 100 million customers and almost 250,000 employees worldwide.
