Health Insurance

Health insurance, also known as private medical insurance, works alongside the NHS. It focuses on providing quicker access to diagnosis and treatment, with more choice about who treats you, and where.

Benefits that come as standard with our health insurance:

• Consultations and/or treatment with a specialist
• Diagnostic tests
• Hospital charges
• Full cancer cover
• Out-patient mental health treatment

Add to the core cover with these options, at an additional cost:

• Dental and optical cover for routine dental, accidental dental injury and eye care expenses
• Mental health treatment adding day patient and inpatient care to your core outpatient cover for acute mental health conditions
• Extended hospital list increases the number of hospitals you can use, mostly in the Greater London area. This is instead of Expert Select, our core route to treatment or the standard Key hospital list
• Other treatment and therapies such as GP-referred treatment to a physiotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor or acupuncturist
• No claim discount protection – pay a small sum to help keep future premiums down

Options that will reduce the cost of your health insurance:

• The six-week option, cover starts if NHS treatment isn’t available within six weeks (We can’t offer this if you live in the Channel Islands or on the Isle of Man)
• Increase the initial amount you pay towards the cost of a claim – choose from £100, £200, £500, £1,000, £3,000 or £5,000 (no more than once each member, every policy year)
• Reduce the list of hospital lists you can choose from 
• Reduced the amount of outpatient cover have, you can choose from £0 (no cover), £500 or £1,000, as well as removing certain outpatient benefits.

Typically, there are general exclusions found in most health insurance plans, these can include but are not limited to:

• Chronic conditions.
• Pre-existing conditions.
• Drug or substance abuse.
• Sex change.
• Organ transplants.
• Prescribed drugs.
• Fertility treatment.
• Cosmetic surgery or treatments.
• Trial or experimental drugs or treatments.

Insurers do not typically pay for treatment towards chronic conditions. However, they may provide cover if there is an acute flare up of the condition.

Most health insurance plans are not designed to cover pre-existing medical conditions. Pre-existent conditions are illnesses for which you had symptoms, consultations, medication, surgery or other treatment in the past.

You can still get private medical cover with a pre-existing condition – you just won’t be able to make a claim for any care relating to that condition. Instead, you will need to carry on seeking treatment from the NHS for your pre-existing medical condition.

No. However, we’ll need to ask some questions about your:

• age, gender and medical history
• smoking
• current state of health
• occupation

Yes, you need to renew your policy every 12 months. We’ll send you a renewal invite around 30 days before your renewal date so you can check your details are correct and the cover still meets your needs.

If you’ve previously filled out our MyHealth Counts health questionnaire, you’ll also discover if your Q score has helped you secure a discount.

No, our health insurance doesn’t cover you abroad. It only covers you in the UK, which means England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Yes, you can add other people to your policy if they’re part of your immediate family group. For example, this means you can add a spouse, a partner, or your children.

If you add two or more children aged 19 or under, you’ll only pay for the oldest (until they turn 20). 

There is no upper age limit, however you need to be aged 18 to take out a Health insurance policy with us.

How much you pay for your health insurance might change year-to-year. Because when we work out your renewal price, we consider several factors. Some of them are about you specifically, like your age or postcode. Others are about what’s happening in the world or the insurance market in general, like the cost of medical treatments increasing.

Discover other factors that might cause your health insurance premiums to change.

As a health insurance customer, you will have access to the Aviva Digital GP app* in addition to your cover. The app is provided by Square Health, which gives you unlimited 24/7 access to GP video consultations, per member, per policy year (terms and conditions apply).

Other than that, we don’t cover any charges to see an NHS or private GP or for any treatment or diagnostic tests they carry out.

However, if they refer you for further assessment or treatment, you can then start a claim.

* Please be aware that the benefits of the app don’t form part of your cover, and they could change or be removed, in the future. This is a non-contractual benefit Aviva can withdraw at any time. Terms and conditions and the privacy policy for the Aviva Digital GP service can be found within the app.

Yes, if you apply before your baby is three months old, we’ll give you up to three months of free health cover for them. If you apply before your baby is three months and make a claim, your baby’s medical history will be disregarded and no personal exclusions will apply. If a baby is added after they are three months old, then any pre-existing conditions will be underwritten.

If you already have another child (aged 19 or under) on your policy, after those first three months are up, your new child will continue to get free cover until the oldest child turns 20. That’s because you only pay for the oldest child on your policy.

We also offer a ‘baby bonus’ where, if you’ve had the policy for over 10 months and your premiums are paid up to date, any family member covered by the policy will get £100 from us when you have a baby or adopt one up to a year old.

If you need to make a claim on your health insurance, we’re here to help.

Once you’ve been referred by your GP, you can start a claim in MyAviva or by calling us. We’ll just need to know your symptoms, when they started, and what you’ve been referred for. 

You can find all the information and contact details you need on our make a health insurance claim page.

Yes, you need a referral from a GP to claim.

If you see your GP or have a video consultation with one via the Aviva Digital GP app, and they want you to see a specialist, tell them you’ve got private health insurance with us. 

Yes, you can make certain changes at any time. This might include changing the name, title or address of anyone on the policy.

At renewal, you can increase or decrease your cover (see above).  We’ll need to check your claim history before deciding if we can make these changes, and it may affect how much you pay.