TL;DR
Navigating the world of international private medical insurance can feel overwhelming. As expert UK-based brokers who have helped arrange cover for over 900,000 people, we at WeCovr know that clarity is key. This guide cuts through the jargon to give you an authoritative, plan-by-plan breakdown of AXA's global health insurance offerings.
Navigating the world of international private medical insurance can feel overwhelming. As expert UK-based brokers who have helped arrange cover for over 900,000 people, we at WeCovr know that clarity is key. This guide cuts through the jargon to give you an authoritative, plan-by-plan breakdown of AXA's global health insurance offerings.
A plan-by-plan breakdown of typical AXA Global health cover choices and the practical trade-offs limits, excess, outpatient, mental health, dental and evacuation
AXA is one of the world's most recognised insurance brands, offering a robust suite of international health plans designed for expatriates, digital nomads, and families living abroad. Understanding their structure is the first step to choosing the right protection.
AXA's international plans are built on a modular system:
- Core Cover: This is the foundation, covering essential and often high-cost in-patient hospital treatment.
- Optional Add-ons: These allow you to build on the core plan with benefits like out-patient care, dental, and medical evacuation.
- Area of Cover: You select the geographical region where you need protection, which directly impacts your premium.
This à la carte approach allows for flexibility but requires careful consideration of the trade-offs between cost and coverage.
Understanding AXA's Core Structure: Area of Cover
The first major decision you'll make is your "area of cover." This defines the geographical boundaries of your policy. Choosing a more limited area is one of the most effective ways to manage your premium.
AXA typically offers several tiers of geographical coverage:
- Worldwide: The most comprehensive option, providing cover anywhere on the globe, including the USA. This is the most expensive due to the high cost of healthcare in the United States.
- Worldwide Excluding USA: A highly popular choice. It provides global cover but removes the USA, significantly reducing the premium. You may still be covered for emergencies in the USA for a limited period (e.g., up to 21 days), but it's not designed for long-term treatment there.
- Europe: Covers you for treatment within European countries. This is ideal for those residing and travelling primarily within the continent.
- Regional Plans: AXA may also offer specific regional plans, such as for Southeast Asia or Africa, tailored to the healthcare landscape and cost in those areas.
| Area of Cover | Typical Use Case | Cost Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | Expats living in or frequently travelling to the USA. | Highest Premium |
| Worldwide exc. USA | The most common choice for global citizens and expats. | High Premium |
| Europe | Individuals living and working exclusively in Europe. | Medium Premium |
| Regional (e.g. SE Asia) | Expats based in a specific region with limited global travel. | Lower Premium |
Insider Adviser Tip: Be realistic about your travel patterns. If you have no plans to live in or spend significant time in the USA, choosing a "Worldwide excluding USA" plan is the single biggest cost-saving decision you can make.
AXA's Core International Health Plans: A Detailed Comparison
AXA generally structures its international offering across several distinct tiers. While plan names can change, they typically follow a pattern from essential in-patient cover to fully comprehensive, all-inclusive protection. Let's break down a typical structure, from 'Standard' to 'Prestige Plus'.
| Feature | Standard | Comprehensive | Prestige | Prestige Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Annual Limit | ~£1,000,000 | ~£2,000,000 | ~£3,000,000 | Fully Covered |
| In-patient Treatment | Fully Covered | Fully Covered | Fully Covered | Fully Covered |
| Hospital Room | Standard Private | Standard Private | Standard Private | Standard Private |
| Cancer Care | Fully Covered (within limit) | Fully Covered (within limit) | Fully Covered | Fully Covered |
| Out-patient Cover | Optional Add-on | Included up to a limit (e.g., £25,000) | Included up to a limit (e.g., £50,000) | Fully Covered |
| Mental Health Cover | In-patient only | In-patient + Out-patient (e.g., 20 sessions) | In-patient + Out-patient (e.g., 30 sessions) | In-patient + Out-patient (more sessions) |
| Medical Evacuation | Optional Add-on | Included | Included | Included |
| Dental & Optical | Optional Add-on | Optional Add-on | Included (within limits) | Included (higher limits) |
| Health & Wellbeing Checks | Not Included | Included (basic) | Included (extensive) | Included (comprehensive) |
Key Takeaways from the Plan Comparison:
- In-patient Care is Standard: All plans provide a strong foundation by fully covering the costs of hospital stays, surgery, and cancer treatment (up to the overall annual limit). This is the core of any good private medical insurance policy.
- Out-patient is the Key Differentiator: The biggest jump between a basic and a mid-tier plan is the inclusion of out-patient cover. This includes specialist consultations, diagnostic tests (like MRI scans), and physiotherapy. Lower-tier plans often require you to add this at an extra cost.
- Comprehensive Means More Than Just Hospitals: As you move up to 'Prestige' levels, the cover becomes more holistic. Benefits like routine dental check-ups, new glasses, and preventative health screenings become standard, rather than optional extras.
The Critical Trade-Offs: How to Customise Your AXA Plan
Beyond choosing your plan tier and area of cover, several other levers allow you to fine-tune your policy and premium. Understanding these is vital to avoid paying for cover you don't need or being underinsured when a crisis hits.
Choosing Your Excess (Deductible)
An excess (also known as a deductible) is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim in each policy year before the insurer starts paying.
- How it works: If you have a £500 excess and your eligible medical bills total £8,000, you pay the first £500, and AXA covers the remaining £7,500.
- The Trade-Off: A higher excess leads to a lower monthly or annual premium. A £0 excess means a higher premium, but AXA covers costs from the very first pound.
Practical Scenario: Sarah, a 35-year-old marketing manager in Spain, wants to reduce her premium. Her current plan has a £0 excess. By opting for a £1,000 excess, she could save approximately 20-30% on her annual premium. She decides this is a worthwhile trade-off, as she is in good health and can afford to cover the first £1,000 of costs in the unlikely event of a major claim.
In-patient vs. Out-patient Cover
This is one of the most fundamental concepts in private health cover.
- In-patient Cover: For treatment that requires you to be admitted to a hospital bed, even if just for a day (a 'day-patient'). This includes surgery, cancer treatment, and overnight monitoring.
- Out-patient Cover: For medical care where you are not admitted to hospital. This includes seeing a specialist for a consultation, diagnostic scans (MRI, CT, X-ray), blood tests, and therapies like physiotherapy.
Common Client Mistake: Opting for an "in-patient only" plan to save money without considering the reality of healthcare journeys. Almost every serious condition starts with an out-patient diagnosis. Without out-patient cover, you would have to pay for the initial consultations and scans yourself before your in-patient benefit could be used for surgery.
Underwriting Options: Moratorium vs. Full Medical Underwriting
How an insurer treats your past medical issues (pre-existing conditions) is determined by the type of underwriting you choose.
- Moratorium (Mori) Underwriting: This is the most common and simplest route. You don't declare your full medical history upfront. Instead, any medical condition you've had symptoms, advice, or treatment for in the 5 years before your policy starts is automatically excluded for the first 24 months of your cover. If you remain symptom-free for that 2-year period, the condition may then become eligible for cover.
- Full Medical Underwriting (FMU): You complete a detailed health questionnaire, disclosing your entire medical history. The insurer's medical team assesses your application. They may:
- Accept you on standard terms.
- Accept you but apply a "loading" (a higher premium) to cover a specific condition.
- Accept you but place a permanent exclusion on a specific condition.
WeCovr Adviser Tip: Moratorium is fast and simple, ideal for those who are young and healthy. FMU is better for individuals who have a known, historic medical condition that is now fully resolved. With FMU, you get certainty from day one about what is and isn't covered, whereas a moratorium can lead to claim disputes if there's ambiguity about a condition's history. A broker like WeCovr can provide invaluable advice on which path is right for your personal circumstances.
Deep Dive into Key Benefits and Limits
Let's look closer at the benefits that matter most to expatriates.
Mental Health Cover
Mental wellbeing is a crucial, and thankfully, increasingly standard part of international health insurance.
- In-patient Psychiatry: All good plans, including AXA's, will cover the costs of being admitted to a hospital for acute psychiatric conditions.
- Out-patient Therapy: The key difference between plans is the cover for out-patient consultations with psychologists or psychiatrists.
- Basic plans may exclude this or offer it as a paid add-on.
- Mid-tier and top-tier plans typically include a set number of sessions per year (e.g., 20 or 30), providing vital support for conditions like anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Dental and Optical Insurance
These are almost always optional add-ons, except on the most premium-tier plans.
| Dental Benefit | What It Typically Covers | Is It Worth It? |
|---|---|---|
| Routine Dental | Check-ups, scaling and polishing, simple fillings, X-rays. | Worth considering, as it encourages preventative care. Premiums are moderate. |
| Major Restorative | Crowns, bridges, root canals, dentures. | More expensive, but can provide significant savings if you need complex dental work. |
| Orthodontics | Braces and other teeth-straightening treatments. | Usually only available on top-tier plans, often with a waiting period and a lifetime limit. |
Important Note: UK private medical insurance does not cover chronic or pre-existing conditions. Policies are designed to cover acute conditions that arise after you take out the cover. This principle applies globally.
Medical Evacuation and Repatriation
For any expatriate, this is a non-negotiable benefit. It is the safety net that ensures you get the right care, no matter where you are.
- Medical Evacuation: If you suffer a serious illness or injury in a location where adequate medical facilities are not available, this benefit covers the cost of transporting you to the nearest centre of medical excellence.
- Medical Repatriation: This covers the cost of returning you to your home country for treatment if medically appropriate.
Real-life Example: An oil and gas worker in a remote part of West Africa suffers a severe heart attack. The local clinic is not equipped to handle the case. His AXA Global plan's evacuation benefit covers the cost of an air ambulance to a specialist cardiac hospital in South Africa, a cost that could otherwise run into tens of thousands of pounds.
The AXA Claims Process and Member Support
A good policy is only as good as its claims service. AXA has a well-established process:
- Pre-authorisation: For any planned treatment, especially hospital stays or expensive scans, you or your doctor must contact AXA beforehand to get the treatment approved. This guarantees cover and allows for direct billing.
- Direct Settlement: For pre-authorised, in-patient treatment, AXA will pay the hospital directly. You simply show your membership card and don't have to worry about large bills.
- Pay and Claim: For smaller, out-patient costs like a GP visit or a prescription, you often pay yourself and then submit the receipt for reimbursement via AXA's online portal or mobile app.
Beyond claims, AXA provides valuable member support services such as:
- A 24/7 multilingual helpline for medical advice and assistance.
- A Virtual Doctor service, allowing you to have a video consultation with a doctor from anywhere in the world.
- A second medical opinion service for when you want another expert to review a diagnosis or treatment plan.
Is AXA Global Health Insurance Right for You?
AXA offers a world-class, reputable, and comprehensive private health cover solution.
Pros:
- Globally recognised brand with a vast network of hospitals and clinics.
- Highly flexible and customisable plans.
- Strong digital tools, including a member portal and virtual doctor services.
- Comprehensive cover for major conditions like cancer.
Cons:
- Premiums can be at the higher end of the market.
- The modular structure can be complex to navigate without expert advice.
The only way to know if AXA is the best fit is to compare it against the market. At WeCovr, we provide a whole-of-market comparison, analysing AXA's plans alongside leading international PMI providers like Bupa Global, Cigna, and Allianz. Our FCA-regulated advice ensures you find the perfect balance of cover and cost for your unique needs, at no extra cost to you.
As a WeCovr client, you also get complimentary access to our AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, CalorieHero, and benefit from discounts on other insurance products when you take out a health or life policy.
Does AXA Global cover pre-existing conditions?
What's the difference between UK PMI and International PMI?
Can I add my family to my AXA Global policy?
Why use a broker like WeCovr to buy AXA insurance?
Ready to explore your AXA Global health insurance options or see how they stack up against the competition? The team at WeCovr is here to help.
Get in touch today for a free, no-obligation quote and personalised advice from our team of independent experts. We'll make sure you're protected, wherever life takes you.
