
As an FCA-authorised broker that has arranged over 900,000 policies, WeCovr understands that choosing private medical insurance for your family is a major decision. This guide explores whether AXA Health offers the best private health cover for UK families, providing an expert, in-depth review and market comparison.
Protecting your family's health is, without doubt, a top priority. In an era of growing NHS waiting lists, many UK families are turning to private medical insurance (PMI) for peace of mind and faster access to treatment. AXA Health is one of the most prominent names in the UK's PMI market. But does its reputation translate into the best possible cover for you and your loved ones?
In this comprehensive guide, we'll break down AXA Health's family offerings, analyse how they stack up against competitors like Bupa and Vitality, and help you understand the crucial details so you can make an informed choice.
Before diving into AXA specifically, let's clarify what private medical insurance is and why it's becoming increasingly popular.
In simple terms, PMI is a type of insurance policy designed to cover the costs of private healthcare for specific, treatable medical conditions. It works alongside the NHS, not as a replacement for it. For example, you would still rely on the NHS for accidents and emergencies, GP visits (unless your policy includes a private GP service), and the management of long-term chronic illnesses.
A Crucial Point on UK Health Insurance: Pre-existing and Chronic Conditions
This is the single most important concept to understand about UK private health cover. Standard policies are designed to cover acute conditions – diseases, illnesses, or injuries that are likely to respond quickly to treatment and return you to your previous state of health.
PMI policies do not cover chronic conditions, which are long-term illnesses that require ongoing management, such as diabetes, asthma, or hypertension. They also exclude pre-existing conditions – any ailment you had symptoms of, or received advice or treatment for, before your policy started (typically within the last five years).
Beating the Queues: According to the latest NHS England data, the number of people on waiting lists for routine hospital treatment remains a significant concern, with millions waiting many months, and sometimes over a year, for procedures. For a child in pain or a parent unable to work, this wait can be agonising. PMI offers a way to bypass these queues and get treatment swiftly.
Choice and Control: Private health cover gives you more control over your healthcare journey. You can often choose:
Comfort and Privacy: A significant benefit is access to a private room in a hospital, usually with an en-suite bathroom, TV, and more flexible visiting hours. This can make a stressful time much more comfortable, especially when a child is unwell.
Access to Specialist Drugs and Treatments: Some advanced cancer drugs and treatments, while approved, may not be available on the NHS due to cost constraints (a situation often referred to as the "NHS funding lottery"). Many comprehensive PMI policies provide access to these, offering families more treatment options.
AXA is a global insurance giant, and its UK health insurance arm, AXA Health, has a long-standing reputation for providing comprehensive and reliable cover. Their core product for individuals and families is the Personal Health plan.
The Personal Health plan is built on a modular basis. This means you start with a core foundation of cover and then add optional extras to tailor the policy to your family's specific needs and budget.
The foundational Personal Health plan provides substantial cover for the most significant medical costs.
| Feature Covered by Core Plan | Description |
|---|---|
| In-patient & Day-patient Treatment | Covers tests and surgery when you are admitted to a hospital bed, even if just for the day. This includes hospital fees, specialist fees, and diagnostics like MRI/CT scans. |
| Extensive Cancer Cover | Comprehensive cover for cancer diagnosis and treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. It also includes ongoing monitoring and check-ups. |
| NHS Hospital Cash Benefit | If you choose to use the NHS for treatment that your policy would have covered, AXA pays you a cash sum for each night you spend in an NHS hospital. |
| 'Doctor at Hand' Digital GP | 24/7 access to a private GP via phone or video call. This is incredibly useful for families, allowing you to get medical advice for a poorly child in the middle of the night without leaving home. |
| Health at Hand Support Line | 24/7 access to a team of nurses, counsellors, and pharmacists for medical advice and support. |
| Strong Mental Health Support | Even on the core plan, AXA provides support for mental health, a feature that has become increasingly important for families post-pandemic. |
This is where you can customise your policy. The most common options families consider are:
AXA Health's plan includes several features that are particularly appealing to families:
No provider exists in a vacuum. To judge if AXA is the "best," we must compare it to its main rivals: Bupa and Vitality. These three providers represent the lion's share of the UK private medical insurance market.
Here is a simplified comparison of their typical family offerings. Note that specific details can vary based on the exact policy chosen.
| Feature | AXA Health (Personal Health) | Bupa (Bupa By You) | Vitality (Personal Healthcare) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Philosophy | Traditional, comprehensive insurance focused on treatment. Straightforward and reliable. | Strong clinical reputation with a focus on extensive treatment pathways and direct access services. | Wellness and rewards-driven. Encourages healthy behaviour to lower costs and earn benefits. |
| Core Cover | Strong in-patient and cancer cover as standard. 'Doctor at Hand' 24/7 GP included. | Comprehensive in-patient and cancer cover. Access to 'Digital GP' and direct access for certain conditions (e.g., cancer, mental health). | Comprehensive in-patient and cancer cover. 'Vitality GP' app included. |
| Out-patient Options | Flexible. Can choose full cover, a monetary limit, or no out-patient cover to manage cost. | Flexible. Comprehensive and limited (capped) options are available. | Flexible. Options for full cover or capped consultations/diagnostics. |
| Mental Health | Good standard support. An enhanced option can be added for more extensive psychiatric and therapy cover. | A market leader in mental health. Often includes extensive cover even on standard plans, with no annual limit for eligible conditions. | Strong focus on mental wellbeing. Cover is usually very good, integrated with their wellness programme. |
| Wellness Programme | ActivePlus: A newer, simpler rewards scheme. Members track activity to earn rewards from partners like TUI and Fitbit. Less complex than Vitality. | No integrated rewards programme. Focus is purely on health treatment and support services. | The Vitality Programme: The core of their proposition. Track activity via a watch/app to earn points, achieve a status (Bronze to Platinum), and get rewards and premium discounts. |
| Best For Families Who... | Want straightforward, reliable, and comprehensive cover without the complexity of a mandatory wellness programme. | Value a trusted brand with a huge network and market-leading mental health and cancer support pathways. | Are active, tech-savvy, and motivated by rewards. Happy to engage with the programme to lower their premiums. |
Navigating these differences can be complex, especially when trying to get like-for-like quotes. This is where using an independent PMI broker like WeCovr becomes invaluable. We can compare the entire market for you, explain the nuances, and find the policy that truly fits your family's needs at no extra cost to you.
The cost of a private medical insurance UK policy is not one-size-fits-all. Premiums are highly personalised and depend on several key factors:
To give you a rough idea, here are some potential monthly costs for an AXA Health Personal Health plan. These are for illustrative purposes only.
| Family Profile | Location | Level of Cover | Estimated Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Adults (40), 2 Children (8, 12) | Leeds | Core + Mid-level Out-patient + £250 Excess | £180 - £250 |
| 2 Adults (40), 2 Children (8, 12) | Central London | Core + Full Out-patient + £100 Excess | £300 - £450 |
| 1 Adult (35), 1 Child (5) | Bristol | Core Only + £500 Excess | £80 - £120 |
A good health insurance policy today is about more than just paying for operations. It's about supporting your family's overall wellbeing. AXA excels in this area.
Health insurers have a vested interest in keeping you healthy. AXA's ActivePlus programme is their way of encouraging this. By syncing a fitness tracker, you can unlock member offers and discounts from partners. This provides a gentle nudge towards a healthier lifestyle.
Here are some tips for keeping your family active and well:
AXA's Mind Health service provides confidential telephone support from trained counsellors. This can be used for any number of worries, from child-related anxiety to work stress or bereavement. Knowing this professional support is just a phone call away offers enormous reassurance.
So, after this deep dive, is AXA Health the best PMI provider for UK families? The honest answer is: it depends entirely on your family's priorities and budget.
Here’s a summary of the pros and cons to help you decide.
| Pros of AXA Health for Families | Cons of AXA Health for Families |
|---|---|
| ✅ Comprehensive and clear core cover. | ❌ Can be more expensive than some competitors if you add all the options. |
| ✅ Excellent 'Doctor at Hand' 24/7 digital GP service. | ❌ The ActivePlus wellness scheme is less extensive and rewarding than Vitality's. |
| ✅ Strong, reliable brand with a straightforward claims process. | ❌ The standard hospital list may exclude some high-end city hospitals unless you pay for an upgrade. |
| ✅ Good balance of traditional insurance and modern digital tools. | |
| ✅ Flexible options to tailor the policy to your budget. |
AXA Health is likely the best choice for you if:
You might prefer another provider if:
Choosing the best PMI provider can feel overwhelming. That’s where WeCovr comes in. As an independent, FCA-authorised broker with high customer satisfaction ratings, our service is designed to make your life easier.
Let us do the hard work for you. We'll handle the research, compare the quotes, and present you with clear, tailored recommendations.
Ready to find the best health insurance for your family?
Get a free, no-obligation quote from WeCovr today. Our expert advisors will compare the leading UK providers to find the right cover at the right price, giving you the peace of mind you deserve.






