AXA Company Health Insurance [Review]

Who Are AXA?

AXA Health was founded in 1940 by Doctors and Hospitals working together. The aim was to help everyday people access expert medical care fast.

Fast forward 70 odd years, AXA has become one of the UK’s leading healthcare providers. It has over 250,000 SME members and it’s Business Health product has received a 5 star defaqto rating.

AXA Business Health Insurance

AXA’s Business Health insurance is tailored for small and medium businesses with 1 to 249 employees. With this policy, you have the freedom to choose the level of company health insurance that suits both your business, employees, and budget

It allows you to customise your options to suit your specific needs. You’ll have the freedom to choose each aspect of your cover, meaning you can craft a policy that gives your staff the cover they need at an affordable cost to you.

AXA Small Business Health Insurance Policy Overview

• Full diagnostic tests
  All AXA Business Health policies cover a range of diagnostic tests, helping provide fast answers to staff’s health concerns
• Unlimited GP access
  Employees have unlimited access to virtual GP appointments through AXA’s Doctor@Hand service. They can book 20 minute appointments online or over the phone any time, any where
• Health At Hand
  Your employees will get access to a 24 / 7 health information helpline. The Health at Hand team of medical professionals are on hand to answer any health related questions they may have
• Physiotherapy
  Video and telephone appointments for physiotherapy and osteopathy are available for all AXA members
• Flexible additional options
  AXA knows there’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to a suitable company health insurance policy. They give you the opportunity to tailor a plan with the exact features you need.

What Does AXA Company Health Insurance Cover?

AXA’s group health plan is designed to give you the freedom to tailor your policy to suit the needs of your budget and staff. However it does offer a level of core cover which you can enhance by adding additional options.  We’ve outlined what the core cover looks like below.

Core Cover

AXA’s core cover otherwise known as ‘Treatment Options’ gives your employees the following cover.

In-Patient/Day-Patient Treatment

As an in-patient / day-patient, your employee may need to stay in a hospital bed overnight or for a period of time during the day. Should this be the case, the Treatment Option would cover them in full for diagnostic tests, specialist fees, hospital accommodation and ambulance transport.

Outpatient Surgery

If unwell staff may need tests and treatments that don’t require them to use a hospital bed. If this is the case they will be classed as an out-patient. With AXA’s treatment option they will get a certain level of out-patient treatment. This includes no yearly limit for out-patient surgery and all CT, MRI and PET scans that have been referred by a specialist.

To be covered surgeries and scans must be carried out at AXA-approved hospitals, day-patient units and scanning centres.

Cancer Cover

The Treatment Option allows you to choose between two levels of cancer cover for your employees. We’ve highlighted what they include in the below table.

NHS Cash Benefit

On top of the inpatient, day-patient and out-patient cover, your employees will benefit from an NHS cash benefit with the Treatment Option. This means that staff will receive a cash payment under the AXA Business Health policy if they receive certain treatments from the NHS.

Additional Cover

In addition to the cover mentioned above, AXA gives you the ability to enhance your cover. This is primarily based on the amount of out-patient treatment you opt for.

Out-patient cover refers to any treatment or tests that don’t require your employees to use a hospital bed. Common examples include Physio, diagnostic tests and consultations. The higher amount of out-patient cover you opt for, the higher your premiums are likely to be.

AXA offers three levels of out-patient cover this includes:

• Standard
• Enhanced
• Full.

AXA also offers AXA Advance for businesses with 250 or more employees. It offers similar features to the Business Health policy, but gives the additional options for occupational health screening and funding options to further support your business.

For more information on this, speak to one of our experts on 02074425880 or email help@drewberry.co.uk.

Nadeem Farid
Head of Health & Wellbeing

How Does AXA Business Health Standard, Enhanced & Full Cover Differ?

As mentioned above AXA give you the option to enhance your business health cover with different levels of out-patient cover. The option you select will affect the level of cover your employees will receive.

Standard Out-Patient Cover

Standard out-patient cover is the lowest level of cover out of the three options. There are no limits in terms of diagnostic tests, however it is limited in terms of specialist consultations and offers no cover for fees.

Enhanced Out-Patient Cover

Like with Standard cover, Enhanced offers no limit on diagnostic tests. However, it does offer more cover when it comes to specialist consultations providing four rather than two a year. It also includes cover for fees.

Full Out-Patient Cover

Full cover offers the most comprehensive level of cover and places no restrictions on the amount of consultations, diagnostics tests or fees. Due to this it will be the most expensive option.

AXA Business Health Insurance Options

In addition to the above cover AXA also offer additional healthcare benefits which you can add to your policy.

Therapies

The therapies cover gives your employees access to out-patient treatments from a therapist. They could see a physiotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor, homeopath or acupuncturist, for example. The cover extends to a maximum of 10 treatment sessions per policy year, and staff need to be referred by their GP.

Mental Health

Stress and mental health issues are becoming more important to employees and employers alike, making this a popular option to include in a company health insurance policy. This additional cover ensures that should they need it, your employees would get the counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy or psychiatric treatment they need.

Dental & Optical

The dental and optical cover allows your staff to claim cashback on certain treatments. This includes:

• 80% of dentist fees up to £400 per policy year
• 80% of the cost of prescribed glasses and contact lenses, up to £200 per year
• Up to £25 per year for an eye test.

Private GP

Getting an appointment with a GP can take time. With this option your staff will benefit from fast-access to in-person doctor’s appointments. This includes same-day, evening and weekend slots.  Adding this benefit gives your staff cover up to £500 per year for private GP consultations, which can help them to get a referral more quickly.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

AXA’s EAP comes at two levels, Essential and Premier. The table below shows what each level includes.

Travel Cover

This optional add-on may be suitable for companies whose employees travel abroad for business. Again, you’ll decide between two types of cover available:

• European Cover
  Provides a comprehensive range of emergency medical benefits and travel insurance for policy members who travel within Europe for business or leisure
• Worldwide Cover
  Offers the same level of comprehensive cover for employees who travel anywhere internationally for business or leisure.

You’ll need to make sure that any travel taking place doesn’t go against advice not to travel, such as from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. It’s also important that employees are medically fit to travel, otherwise a travel insurance claim could be denied.

Extended Cover

If you wish to increase the level of cover offered by AXA’s Treatment Option policy, you can also take out AXA’s extended cover. It provides the following additional features.

• Treatment in any hospital not already listed in AXA’s directory is covered in full
• Any planned, pre-approved treatment outside of the UK is covered up to the cost of equivalent treatment in the UK
• Extra cover for a wider range of specialists
• Some specific chronic conditions are covered in full, including asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and heart valve problems.

Additional Benefits

As well as offering a flexible policy that can be tailored to the needs of you and your employees. AXA’s Business Health Insurance offers a range of free additional benefits.

Working Body

Office workers and manual workers alike are prone to developing issues with their neck, back and shoulders. AXA’s Working Body service gives your employees direct access to phone or video treatment for these kinds of musculoskeletal conditions. They won’t need a GP referral and will be able to speak with a physiotherapist or osteopath directly.

Doctor@Hand

Your staff will have unlimited access to AXA’s 24/7 GP service. Employees can book a video or phone consultation that lasts up to 20 minutes. If needed, the GP can provide a referral for further appointments. As long as your policy has sufficient outpatient cover, the GP can make the referral to AXA, who’ll arrange a suitable appointment with a specialist.

Fast Track

This service helps members who’ve received a GP referral and are awaiting further treatment or advice. Again, your policy will need to include outpatient specialist consultations and diagnostic tests. AXA’s Fast Track Appointments team will then match the member with an appropriate specialist so they can be treated sooner.

Expert Help

For any other health-related concerns, employees can contact AXA’s Expert Help service for 24/7 advice and support. Members can discuss their medication with a pharmacist or speak with a nurse about their treatment options. Counsellors are on hand to provide emotional support, and midwives can assist with any pregnancy-related queries.

Gym Discounts

AXA also offers up to 40% on from individual memberships for health and wellness centres, such as Nuffield Health and gyms in the Hussle network. This helps to support the overall health and wellbeing of your team, and prevent a serious diagnosis later on.

Hospital Lists

One important aspect of AXA’s company health insurance is their hospital list. AXA provides access to its full hospital directory to all clients, regardless of where they are in the UK. The hospital directory includes facilities in every region of the UK, including Central London.

How Much Does AXA Business Health Insurance Cost?

The cost of a company healthcare policy will be affected by a number of factors. Some relate to your business. For example, the number of employees you have, their average age and the location of your business. How you choose to pay for your policy will also have an impact. Paying annually will be a cheaper option than if you decide to pay monthly.

Outside of your own business factors there are a number of policy specific factors that will also determine how much you pay. We’ve outlined these below.

Medical Underwriting Options

All insurance policies are subject to a form of underwriting before any cover will begin. The kind of underwriting you choose for your company’s private medical insurance will impact the price. We’ve outlined the underwriting options available for your policy:

• Full Medical Underwriting
  With this option, all risk factors are taken into consideration. This is due to the fact that each employee completes a medical assessment. If any pre-existing conditions are discovered exclusions may apply. This is one of the most cost effective options when it comes to underwriting.
• Medical History Disregarded
  With AXA, this option is available for businesses of at least 15 employees. No medical declaration is required and any pre-existing conditions are automatically covered. As this provides fully comprehensive cover, the cost of the policy will increase.
• Moratorium
  If an employee has suffered from a medical condition within the previous 5 years of the policy starting it won’t be covered under the policy. If the employee goes for two years without treatment, advice of medication, the condition can be covered again. This options gives a more average price-point.
• Continued Medical Exclusions
  This particular underwriting is only relevant to companies who already have  group health insurance. The same exclusions for any pre-existing conditions will continue to be applied by a new provider.

Excess

Opting for your team members to pay an excess in the event of a claim will also impact the cost of the policy. As with most kinds of insurance, a higher excess will make the policy cheaper, while a lower excess will increase the price.

AXA’s excess options are outlined below:

• £0
• £50
• £100
• £150
• £200
• £250
• £325
• £400
• £500
• £625
• £700.

Choosing a higher excess can be a good way to reduce the cost of your business health insurance policy. But, it will still need to be an affordable amount for staff. They’ll need to pay the excess once per policy year on their first claim.

Guided Option

Another way to manage the amount you’ll pay is by choosing AXA’s ‘Guided’ option. Instead of choosing a specialist or clinic from AXA’s directory, your employees will use AXA’s ‘Fast Track’ service. AXA will then recommend up to three specialists to choose from, and arrange the appointment.

Example Cost

To give some potential prices, we’ve included some examples below for a few of AXA’s different cover options. These examples assume:

• A company with 6 employees
• Employee ages of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50
• A media agency business based in Guildford with all employees living in the area
• Annual premiums (gives a 5% discount on the amount you, the employer, pays)
• Moratorium underwriting
• A £100 excess.

The table below shows the cover basis and costs for these examples.

As you can see, the more comprehensive cover options increase the policy premium. In any case, you’re free to select the exact benefits you feel your staff would benefit from the most.

It’s useful to remember that small business health insurance is age-rated. This means that the amount you pay is directly linked to the average age of your team.

For this reason, your premium will go up slightly each year even if your team stays the same size, as the risk of a claim increases with age.

Joseph Toft
Senior Employee Benefits Consultant at Drewberry

Get Expert Help Setting Up Your AXA Business Health Insurance

With so many customisable options, it can be difficult to know where to start when setting up an AXA business health insurance policy. The cover options and benefits you’ll offer your staff will depend on your company size and wellbeing strategy. What’s competitive in your industry might also be a factor.

Whether you need small business health insurance or corporate health insurance, our expert employee benefits consultants are here to help. We’ll listen to your needs and provide all the important information, making sure you get the best possible price for your desired cover.

Why Speak to Us?

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