AXA Health: what it covers, how to claim and how to complain

AXA Health is the private medical insurance arm of the AXA group in the UK, sold under the trading names AXA PPP healthcare and AXA Health¹. It sells health insurance to individuals, families and employers, and it builds a plan from separate care options rather than selling one fixed package: you choose which options each person on the membership gets².

That structure is the single most useful thing to understand before you buy. Outpatient diagnosis and care covers consultations, scans and therapy; inpatient and day patient care covers surgery and hospital stays. They are chosen separately, and separately for each person covered, so two adults on the same membership can hold different levels of cover².

This page covers what AXA Health sells, how a plan is put together, how to apply, how to complain, and how your cover is protected. It does not quote prices, because AXA Health sets those individually and publishes them on its own site.

What AXA Health offers: health insurance for individuals, families and businesses

Health insurance covers the cost of private medical treatment, giving access to private healthcare and reducing the strain on the NHS⁵. AXA Health sells that cover to three broad groups: individuals, families and employers. The individual and family side is what most people searching for the brand are looking at, and it is built from the care options described below.

Some health insurance plans in the market go beyond treatment and offer preventative services such as regular health assessments, mental health support and lifestyle advice⁵. Whether a particular AXA Health plan includes any of these depends on the options chosen, so the plan documents are the place to check.

AXA Health sits inside a group that also sells home, car, van and landlord insurance through the AXA brand, and those are separate products with separate policies⁶. If you are looking for cover for your home or car rather than your health, the insurance guide explains how those product types work.

How an AXA Health plan is built from separate care options

AXA Health's own guidance describes two options that can be added to a plan: "Outpatient diagnosis and care" and "Inpatient and day patient care". They are chosen separately for each person covered by the membership². That means a membership is not one product but a set of decisions, and the decisions can differ from person to person.

The practical effect is that two people on the same membership can hold different cover. One adult might take outpatient diagnosis and care only, while another takes both options. Adding a partner or a child means making those choices again for that person rather than extending one shared package.

It also means the cost of a plan is driven by which options are selected and for how many people, not by a single headline price. AXA Health prices cover individually, so the figure depends on the options, the people covered and their medical history. Its own site carries the current prices.

Outpatient diagnosis and care: what it covers

Outpatient treatment means you go to hospital for a consultation, tests or treatment and leave again straight afterwards, with no overnight stay or supervised recovery². AXA Health's guidance says outpatient cover will usually pay for consultations with specialists, X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests, MRI, CT and PET scans, and physiotherapy and other therapy sessions².

That list matches what outpatient benefits cover elsewhere in the market: specialist consultations, diagnostic tests such as X-rays, blood tests and ultrasounds, and MRI, CT and PET scans⁹. It is the diagnostic end of private care, the part that often involves waiting for a referral on the NHS.

One exclusion is worth knowing before you rely on it. AXA Health's guidance states that your insurance may not cover the cost of drugs you are prescribed as an outpatient². Outpatient cover is built around consultations, tests and therapy, not around the prescription you leave with.

Outpatient cover is also where limits tend to bite, because it is the option people use most. AXA Health gives the example of a limit of 3 specialist consultations, where you can have up to 3 consultations but there is no limit on how many tests or other types of treatment you have². Limits are set per plan, so the number that applies to you is the one in your policy documents.

Inpatient and day patient care: what it covers

Inpatient treatment means you stay in hospital overnight or for several nights. Day patient treatment means you need a medical professional looking after you as you recover from your test or treatment, but you do not stay overnight². Both sit under the same option on an AXA Health plan.

AXA Health's guidance says inpatient and day patient cover may pay for surgery or other procedures, your stay in hospital and the care you have while you are there, and diagnostic tests and treatments such as scans and physiotherapy while you are in hospital². In the wider market, core cover of this kind typically includes inpatient and day-patient treatment, full cancer cover and virtual GP access¹⁰.

This is the option that covers the expensive events, and it is the one most people mean when they say they have health insurance. It is also the option that most often comes with an excess, described below.

Covering children, partners and grandchildren

Because care options are chosen separately for each person covered, adding someone to an AXA Health membership means choosing their options rather than extending yours². How that works in practice for a partner, a child or a grandchild depends on the plan, and AXA Health's own documents set out who can be added.

The wider market shows the range of approaches. Some insurers let you add a spouse, partner or civil partner as well as children, with members needing to be UK residents for the duration of the policy year¹¹. Others put no limit on how many children you can add¹². Some give a new baby free cover for up to three months from birth if added within three months, and disregard the baby's medical history so no personal exclusions apply¹³.

For couples, the market splits. Some insurers sell a single joint policy covering two people, and you do not have to be married to take one out¹². AXA Health's structure is per person rather than joint, so two adults are covered as two members with their own options².

Support lines, online GP and other member services

Health insurers commonly bundle services that are not treatment: access to a GP, second opinions, counselling and health information. In the market these appear as GP advice lines, virtual doctor services, counselling and legal advice¹⁴, free access to a GP 24/7 with second medical opinions and emotional wellbeing support¹⁵, and online or phone access to a UK-registered GP at any time¹⁶.

AXA Health's member services sit alongside the insured options, and what is included depends on the plan. The important limit is the same across the market: these services are not an emergency service. Independent guidance on claiming on health insurance states that in a medical emergency the route is to call 999 or go to the nearest A&E¹⁷.

What happens when you reach your cover limit

Every option on a plan has a limit, and AXA Health's own example shows how one works: a limit of 3 specialist consultations means you can have up to 3 consultations, but there is no limit on how many tests or other types of treatment you have². The limit applies to the consultations, not to everything under the option.

When a limit is used up, AXA Health's guidance says you will need to either pay for the treatment yourself, or ask if it is possible to be transferred to NHS care². Those are the two routes, and neither is automatic: paying is a decision you make, and a transfer depends on the NHS being able to take you on.

Limits are set per plan and per option, so the number that applies to you is the one in your policy documents rather than any figure quoted generally. It is worth checking the limits on the option you expect to use most before you rely on it.

How the excess and no claims discount work

An excess is the amount you pay towards a claim before the insurer pays the rest. It is a common feature of health insurance and it is set when the policy is taken out, so the figure that applies to you is the one in your plan documents. AXA Health's guidance on treatment types does not set out excess levels, and they vary by plan.

No claims discounts work differently in health insurance from how they work in motor insurance. In the wider market, some health plans give discounts on premiums to members who stay healthy and do not claim, and each member on the policy has their own no claims discount, so a claim by one person does not affect the discounts of the others¹⁸. That per-person structure mirrors the way AXA Health builds cover person by person².

If you are comparing health cover with motor or home insurance, the discount mechanics are not the same. Motor policies commonly protect a no claims discount for an extra premium and allow one at fault claim without losing it¹⁹, and some insurers return the discount and excess if an uninsured driver damages your car and you are not at fault²¹. None of that transfers to health cover.

How to apply for AXA Health cover

Applying for health insurance in the market generally starts with a quote: a few personal details, the date you want cover to start, the cover options you want, and your medical history²². AXA Health works the same way, and its own site carries the current application route and the numbers to call.

1. Get a quote with your personal details, the cover start date, the options you want and your medical history²².
2. Answer the medical history questions fully, because pre-existing conditions may be excluded or covered depending on the plan²³.
3. Read the new policy documents before cancelling any existing cover, because terms are not carried across from one insurer to another²³.
4. Manage the membership afterwards through the online account, which is how existing members usually handle cover and claims.

AXA Health publishes a sales line for new cover and a separate number for applicants aged 75 and over, with different opening hours for each. Because contact numbers and hours change, check the current details on axahealth.co.uk before calling.

AXA Health complaints record and how your cover is protected

AXA Health's complaints record covers the six month period ending 30 June 2026, when it received 13.45 complaints for every 1,000 policies in force, measured by lives insured, and upheld 52.2% of them¹. It closed 51.9% of complaints within three days and 46.8% within eight weeks¹.

Its complaints record is published. In the six months ending 30 June 2026, AXA PPP healthcare limited opened 21,487 complaints and closed 20,483, a rate of 13.45 complaints for every 1,000 policies in force, where "policies in force" means lives insured. Of the complaints it decided, 52.2% were upheld, 51.9% were closed within three days and 46.8% were closed within eight weeks¹.

For comparison, the general insurance side of the AXA group received 5.17 complaints per 1,000 policies in force over the same period, with 59.2% upheld and 30.7% closed within three days¹. The two figures are not directly comparable because they cover different products and different measures.

If something goes wrong, the route is the insurer's own complaints process first, then the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are not satisfied. AXA also publishes support for customers who are struggling with payments, including talking through repayment options²⁴. Free, impartial help on money problems is available from MoneyHelper and from debt advice charities, and the debt guide sets out the options.