AXA PPP health insurance review

• Wide range of health cover options available
• Easy transfer of any existing health insurance plan
• Fitness and lifestyle product discounts
• Our independent review of the AXA PPP Health Plan could help you decide whether it's the right plan.

By Ashley Shepherd

Updated 1st February 2024 - I have reviewed AXA Health Insurance to help you understand more about the company and the services they offer. Here’s what I found:

AXA PPP are part of one of the world’s largest insurance groups. The AXA Group services over 50 million customers throughout the world (individuals and businesses) and they have approximately 110,000 employees and distributors worldwide. They operate in 50 countries.

As part of the AXA group, AXA PPP healthcare have been helping people to access the medical care they need for over 75 years. They paid out £934.6m in healthcare benefits in 2015 alone.

They offer a selection of over 250 hospitals and almost 400 scanning centres – all specially selected due to the quality of care provided and the range of services offered.

For your peace of mind AXA PPP are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

How much does AXA health insurance cost?

AXA PPP health insurance options

AXA PPP offer 4 main types of comprehensive cover under their total private health insurance proposition, each having considerable flexibility and variations as required by your circumstances. They include;

Private health insurance

A form of cover designed to give you very fast access to experts and specialists plus, should it be required, treatment at a private hospital or clinic of your choice (from an approved list). Additional services are also included, variable by the service levels you have selected, including potentially a 24-hour helpline offering contact with a doctor.

These policies are modular in nature, allowing you to add, remove or customise the types of cover as you think fit. The NHS would still provide Accident and Emergency services plus several forms of critical illness treatment.

Family health insurance

AXA PPP’s policy offers family health insurance options and offers similar benefits but extends these to include your wider family members. 

A brief sample of the cover provided includes:

• access to enhanced family and children’s cover making sure that your family get the eligible treatment they need when they need it;
• new-borns covered for free on your plan until the next renewal;
• 24/7 Health@Hand service from nurses and counsellors over the phone;
• access to a Fast Track Appointments service so you and your family can get swift access to eligible treatment;
• dedicated support from cancer nurses, over the phone, through treatment, diagnosis and recovery.

The costs vary considerably depending upon which combinations of options you select and the nature (and number) of any family members you add.

Dental insurance

Tooth pain is best avoided or if that’s impossible, quickly remedied.

There are two basic forms of dental insurance plans available here, providing benefits such as:

• routine dental treatments – check-ups, dental x-rays and hygiene treatments;
• remedial or restorative treatments – fillings, crowns and dentures;
• unexpected remedial or restorative dental treatments, including cover for mouth cancer;
• worldwide cover for dental accidents and emergencies.

International health cover

This is a range of health cover protection aimed primarily at those living overseas (or spending longer periods of time there) in countries where public health services maybe limited or even non-existent.

International health cover plans are largely bespoke products that could be tailored to your specific needs. A telephone discussion with the policy provider is required to look at the benefits and costs involved – depending upon the country you’re considering. 

What's covered in the AXA PPP health insurance plan

From this point on, we’ll be looking exclusively at the first of these – private health insurance, which may be useful if you are comparing health insurance cover options. Full details of their other forms of health cover are available.

As with most policies of this type, the cover exists to help with conditions that arise after you have taken out a policy.  There are special provisions and exclusions that apply to pre-existing medical conditions and these would be discussed with you on a case-by-case basis (see further below).

In detail

The basic AXA PPP health insurance quote is flexible and may cover:

• heart and cancer commitment offering extensive heart and cancer cover and care, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy;
• enhanced family and children’s cover including free cover for new-borns (available until the next policy renewal);
• 24-hour telephone access to information and guidance from nurses and counsellors and access to pharmacists and midwives throughout the day;
• in-patient and day-patient treatment at a network of over 250 hospitals;
• in-patient specialist, anaesthetist and hospital fees;
• surgery as an out-patient;
• computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans.

This plan is modular plan, allowing you to choose up to six options to enhance your cover.

There may be restrictions on cover, depending on your medical history.

Additional optional extras

• outpatient options
• extended cover up to £500 a year for Private GP consultations. Plus extended cover for treatment at any hospital, day-patient unit or scanning centre - even if outside of hospital directory
• up to 10 Therapy Sessions a year for GP referred homepathy, physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic and acupuncture treatments
• mental health treatments
• dentist and cashback options
• travel cover for help with emergency treatment abroad

Options to reduce your health insurance premiums

• add an excess from £100 to the plan; the more you are prepared to pay the lower your premiums
• the "six week option" means that if the NHS can't treat you within 6 weeks you will be eligible to have private treatment immediately
• once you have a plan in place you will receive a "no claims discount" if you haven't made a claim
• if you pay annually with a single payment rather than monthly you wil receive a 5% discount

What's not included in the AXA PPP plan

• pregnancy and childbirth;
• charges when treatment is received outside of AXA’s directory of hospitals unless you are covered by their Extended Cover option;
• any treatment incurred as a result of engaging in or training for any sport for which you receive a salary or monetary reimbursement, including grants or sponsorship (unless you receive travel costs only);
• any long term treatment of long term (chronic) conditions.

This personal health plan will not cover the following unless you choose the relevant options:

Dental procedures
You can choose the Dentist and optician cash back option to receive money back for some of the costs charged by your dentist or optician;

Out-patient diagnostic tests and out-patient consultations
You can choose from one of our two out-patient options for cover for out-patient consultations, diagnostic tests and practitioner charges;

Psychiatric treatment
You can choose the mental health cover to have treatment with psychiatrists, psychologists and cognitive behavioural therapists covered.

Can I get health insurance if I have an existing medical condition?

Yes, although you will not receive any cover for the first 2 years for existing medical conditions that you have had in the last 5 years - you don't need to provide any information when you apply.

Provided you are completely free of any treatment for 2 years after you have joined you will be covered for any future claims that are covered in the plan. 

Why should you buy an AXA PPP health insurance policy?

• the reassurance of knowing that you’re dealing with one of the world’s largest insurers;
• counselling helplines available 24 hours a day;
• free cover for newly-born children (until the next renewal date);
• a highly flexible and modular/customisable product;
• very fast access to specialist diagnostic services and treatment;
• 24hr access to a GP (through certain options);
• discounts on a wide range of fitness and healthy lifestyle facilities and products

How to get an AXA PPP health insurance quote

You can go direct to AXA PPP for a quote or you can use our comparison service through our partner Hannah Insurance Services who will look at the whole of market for you offering the same plans at the same price, but ensuring that you get advice on all providers plans that suit your circumstances and budget.

You could start by getting an online health insurance comparison of quotes and then if you wish call them on 01933 447251 to discuss your options and how they can keep the price as low as possible for you.

Or you can take a look at other health insurance reviews to compare before getting quotes.