AXA Health Insurance

The History of AXA Health

AXA PPP healthcare, or the London Associates as it was originally known, was conceived in 1938 as a health insurance scheme for middle income earners in London. In 1961, the name was changed to Private Patients Plan and by 1970 the member-base had grown to 367,000.

In the 1970s and 1980s the Company launched a number of ground-breaking initiatives including a Family Masterplan, Private Hospital Plan and Retirement Health Plan. In 1998 the Company was acquired by GRE, which was then acquired by Sun Life & Provincial Holdings (part of the AXA Group). Whilst on the acquisition trail AXA Group purchased the leading provider of occupational health services, Medical Industrial Services Ltd, which was re-branded AXA PPP Healthcare Occupational Health Services.

2001 saw the Company launch CommonSense, a packaged health and safety and occupational health product. To reflect this new ownership in 2002, it was renamed AXA PPP healthcare. As of October 2020, AXA’s health insurance (AXA PPP healthcare and Health-on-Line) and employee health and well-being support (Health Services/ICAS-UK) have united to form AXA Health.

AXA Health Insurance Policy Review

Personal Health is AXA Health’s private health insurance plan. It covers treatment for a wide range of conditions and surgery as an in-patient, as well as some out-patient treatment. In addition to the core cover there a number of optional added extras to enhance your cover.

AXA Health Core Cover

Included as a base to your cover with AXA Health Personal Health are the following benefits.

Benefit	Details
In-patient and day patient treatment	Full hospital fees including operating-theatre costs, nursing care, drugs and dressings, specialist fees, consultations, diagnostic tests, CT, MRI and PET scans and physiotherapy. Using a hospital from the AXA Health Directory of Hospitals.
Out-patient treatment	CT, MRI and PET scans at a scanning centre or hospital from AXA Health Directory of Hospitals Surgery – no yearly limit
Comprehensive Cancer Cover	Diagnostic surgery, CT, MRI and PET scans. Chemotherapy/radiotherapy. Support from dedicated cancer nurse. £100 a night hospice donation. External prostheses up to £5000 a year, wigs and head coverings up to £400 a year. Comprehensive cancer cover may not be available under certain circumstances such as medical history, and NHS cancer support would apply instead.
NHS Hospital Cash Benefit	A cash payment of £50 a night up to £2,000 a year when you have in-patient treatment free on the NHS
Home Nursing	A nurse to administer antibiotics by intravenous drip at home
Private Ambulance	Ambulance transport to another medical facility if you’re receiving private in-patient or day-patient treatment
Oral Surgery	For a number of procedures, paid in full
Parent Accommodation	Hospital accommodation for one parent staying in hospital with their child covered by the policy.
Laser treatment	Laser treatment to improve the look of a ‘port wine stain’ on the face of a child aged 14 and under
Speech Therapy	Six sessions of speech therapy needed for a child aged 14 and under as a result of a delay in their development
Free New-born Cover	Free cover on your plan for new-borns until your renewal date (cover restrictions may apply)

AXA Optional Extras

Additional optional extras are available to enhance your policy to suit your individual requirements:

Optional Benefit	Details
Full Out-patient cover	The standard out-patient option covers up to three specialist consultations a year. The full out-patient option has no yearly limit. There isn't a limit on diagnostic tests or practitioner charges when your specialist refers you, for either option.
Therapies Cover	Adds cover for out-patient treatment by physiotherapists, acupuncturists, homeopaths, osteopaths and chiropractors with no yearly limit on fees. Up to an overall maximum of 10 sessions in a year when your GP refers you, or when you have therapist treatment through the Working Body team
Mental Health	Extends cover to include mental health treatment as an in-patient or day-patient. Psychiatric treatment, including accommodation, diagnostic tests and drugs, paid in full at a hospital or day-patient unit in one of Axa's Directory of Hospitals. No yearly limit on specialist fees for psychiatric treatment.
Dentist and Optician Cash Back	Dentist’s fees – 80% of costs up to £400 each year Optician’s fees – 80% of the cost of prescribed glasses and contact lenses up to £200 each year £25 a year towards the cost of an eye test
Extended Cover	Includes cover of up to £500 for visits to a private GP for consultations, cover for hospitals outside the Directory of Hospitals, planned treatment overseas (when agreed in advance), and unlimited consultations every year with a Doctor@Hand+ GP.
European or Worldwide Travel Cover	Adds cover for emergency medical expenses abroad. Also includes cover for travel-related hassles like lost baggage, delays and lost passports. Plus personal accident cover and cover for on-piste skiing. And if you have the Worldwide Travel Cover, you’ll also have cover for emergency dental treatment and business travel. With the Adventure Sports upgrade, you can add cover for activities such as bungee-jumping and paragliding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do AXA cover cancer care?

AXA Personal Health cover cancer care as standard at a comprehensive level. They will cover the costs of your diagnosis and treatment, including drugs and procedures that may not be available on the NHS. Should you be medically advised to be treated at home, AXA will cover the costs of at-home chemotherapy.

Will My AXA policy cover my outpatient treatment?

AXA offer two outpatient options: Standard and Full cover. Standard cover provides unlimited diagnostic test and scans and up to three consultations per year. AXA Full cover option gives access to unlimited diagnostic tests, scans and specialist consultations.

Do AXA have any exclusions on their policies?

Like most leading insurers, AXA health insurance is intended to cover acute conditions as opposed to chronic conditions, such as diabetes – acute flare ups may be covered providing it is not excluded in the underwriting.

Do I need health insurance?

We are blessed in the UK to have a National Health Service, so health insurance is not a legal requirement. Health insurance provides the peace of mind however that should you require treatment you can access private health services and avoid NHS waiting times. We believe there is a policy to suit everyone. To read more, see our Guide to Health Insurance.

What are AXA’s excess options?

AXA’s excess options range from £100 to £5,000. The excess is only to be paid once per year, meaning you can have multiple claims but only have to pay your excess once. The excess options you choose will impact the premium you pay – the higher your excess, the lower the premium you pay will be.

Do AXA offer No Claims Discount?

AXA operates on a seventeen level no claims discount system with 80% being the maximum discount available. For each year you don’t make a claim on your policy, your discount increases by one level. Should you make a claim on your policy, your no claim discount will decrease by three levels.

Do AXA offer a Digital GP service?

AXA’s Doctor@Hand is a 24/7 remote digital GP service giving you access to both video and phone appointments with a registered GP. This service enables you to receive advice, referrals and prescription without having to wait for a GP appointment at your local surgery.

Why Compare Health & Life Insurance with us?

Here at Usay Compare, we can help you to compare prices and cover from the market leading UK health and life insurance companies such as Aviva, AXA and Bupa. Our service is completely free of charge and we are totally independent and impartial.

Our team of friendly, expert advisers are on the end of the phone, ready to guide you easily through the whole process. They will get to know your unique individual requirements, do all the hard work comparing prices and policies for you; then advise on the best and most cost-effective quote.

The History of AXA Health

AXA Health Insurance Policy Review

AXA Health Key Benefits

AXA Health Core Cover

AXA Optional Extras

What isn't covered?

Perks

Underwriting Options

Excess Options

How to make a claim