Choosing the right private medical insurance for your UK business is a crucial decision that impacts employee wellbeing and your bottom line. Here at WeCovr, an FCA-authorised broker with experience helping over 750,000 clients secure various policies, we’re comparing two titans of the industry: AXA Health and Vitality.
WeCovr analyses group policies from two of the UK's top providers
AXA Health and Vitality are household names in the UK private health cover market. Both offer excellent group schemes, but they do so with fundamentally different philosophies. AXA Health, part of a global insurance giant, is known for its traditional, high-quality clinical pathways and straightforward approach. Vitality, on the other hand, has built its brand around a dynamic, rewards-based model that encourages healthy living.
Deciding between them isn't about which is "better" overall, but which is the best fit for your company's culture, budget, and priorities. This comprehensive analysis will break down every key aspect, from core cover to wellness programmes, helping you make an informed choice for your team.
Why Should Your Business Invest in Private Medical Insurance?
In today's competitive job market, a strong benefits package is essential for attracting and retaining top talent. Private Medical Insurance (PMI) is consistently one of the most valued employee benefits. But its advantages go far beyond recruitment.
Benefits for Your Business:
- Reduced Absenteeism: According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a record 185.6 million working days were lost to sickness or injury in 2022. PMI helps employees bypass long NHS waiting lists for diagnosis and treatment, getting them back to health and work faster.
- Increased Productivity: A healthy workforce is a productive one. Knowing they have access to swift medical care reduces employee anxiety, and proactive wellness benefits can boost energy and focus.
- Enhanced Employee Loyalty: Offering PMI demonstrates a genuine commitment to your team's health and wellbeing, fostering a positive company culture and improving staff morale.
- A Key Tool for Talent Attraction: For high-skilled roles, PMI is often an expected part of the remuneration package. Not offering it can put you at a significant disadvantage.
Benefits for Your Employees:
- Faster Access to Care: Employees can get prompt access to specialist consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatment for eligible acute conditions.
- Choice and Control: They gain more control over where and when they are treated, with access to a nationwide network of private hospitals and specialists.
- Comfort and Privacy: Treatment is often in a private room with amenities like an en-suite bathroom, offering a more comfortable recovery experience.
- Access to Advanced Treatments: Some policies provide access to drugs and treatments not yet available on the NHS due to funding constraints.
A Critical Note on PMI Coverage: Acute vs. Chronic Conditions
Before we delve into the comparison, it's vital to understand a fundamental principle of all standard UK private medical insurance.
PMI is designed to cover acute conditions. An acute condition is a disease, illness, or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment and lead to a full recovery. Think of conditions like hernias, joint problems requiring replacement, or cataracts.
Standard PMI does not cover pre-existing or chronic conditions.
- Pre-existing Conditions: These are any health issues you had before your policy started.
- Chronic Conditions: These are long-term illnesses that cannot be cured, only managed. Examples include diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and high blood pressure.
While PMI won't cover the routine management of a chronic condition, it may cover acute flare-ups if this is specified in your policy terms. Always check the details carefully.
Introducing the Contenders: A Snapshot of AXA Health and Vitality
AXA Health: The Trusted Clinical Expert
With roots stretching back 80 years, AXA Health (formerly AXA PPP healthcare) is a pillar of the UK health insurance market. As part of the global AXA Group, it leverages immense resources and a deep understanding of healthcare.
- Ethos: Their focus is on providing high-quality, clinically-led healthcare pathways. The emphasis is on getting the member diagnosed and treated effectively by the right specialist, at the right time.
- Best For: Businesses that prioritise straightforward, comprehensive medical cover and want a trusted, traditional insurance model without the requirement for employees to constantly engage with an app to earn benefits.
Vitality: The Innovative Wellness Champion
Vitality shook up the insurance world with its launch in the UK. Its unique "Shared Value" model is built on the idea that if members are healthier, it's better for them, for society, and for the insurer.
- Ethos: To incentivise healthy behaviour. Members earn points for being active, which unlocks tangible rewards like coffee, cinema tickets, and discounts on smartwatches.
- Best For: Companies with a young, active, and tech-savvy workforce that will be motivated by the rewards programme. It's ideal for businesses wanting to build a proactive wellness culture.
Core Cover Comparison: What's Included as Standard?
Both providers build their policies on a foundation of core cover. This is what you get as a minimum before adding any optional extras.
Feature | AXA Health (Business Health) | Vitality (Business Healthcare) |
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Inpatient & Day-Patient Care | Covered in full (specialist & hospital fees) in their network of hospitals. | Covered in full for hospital fees and up to set limits for specialist fees within their consultant and hospital networks. |
Cancer Cover | Comprehensive cancer cover as standard, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. | Comprehensive cancer cover as standard, including a promise to cover all eligible costs for advanced cancer care. |
NHS Cash Benefit | Yes, if an employee chooses to use the NHS for eligible inpatient treatment. | Yes, if an employee uses the NHS for eligible inpatient treatment. |
Post-Treatment Therapies | Limited cover for therapies like physiotherapy following eligible inpatient treatment. | Limited cover for therapies like physiotherapy following eligible inpatient treatment. |
Digital GP Service | Yes, Doctor at Hand (provided by a third party). Available 24/7. | Yes, Vitality GP. Available 24/7. |
Mental Health Support | Access to a telephone support line for counselling is standard. Further support is an option. | Telephone support and some initial talking therapies are included as standard. |
Key Takeaway: At the core level, both providers offer robust protection for serious medical events that require hospitalisation. The primary focus is on getting you treated for major conditions. The main differences start to appear when you look at the optional extras.
Outpatient Cover Options: Tailoring Your Policy
Outpatient cover is for treatment that doesn't require a hospital bed, such as specialist consultations and diagnostic tests (MRI, CT scans). This is one of the most important and customisable parts of any PMI policy.
AXA Health's Approach
AXA offers a straightforward, tiered approach to outpatient cover. You can typically choose:
- No Outpatient Cover: The most basic option, relying on the NHS for diagnostics and consultations.
- Limited Outpatient Cover: A set financial limit per policy year (e.g., £500, £1,000, or £1,500) for all outpatient services.
- Full Outpatient Cover: No annual financial limit for consultations, tests, and scans.
Vitality's Approach
Vitality also offers tiered options but includes more built-in benefits, even at lower levels.
- Core Cover only: Relies on the NHS for most outpatient services.
- Standard Outpatient: Provides a set number of consultations and a limit for diagnostics.
- Full Outpatient Cover: Covers consultations and diagnostics in full.
Crucially, Vitality often includes some outpatient benefits, like their "Talking Therapies" for mental health, even on lower levels of cover as part of their wellness focus.
Here’s a simplified comparison of how their outpatient options might look:
Level of Cover | AXA Health (Example) | Vitality (Example) | WeCovr's Insight |
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Basic | No outpatient cover. | Limited diagnostics and access to some talking therapies. | Vitality offers a little more "out-of-the-box" value here for proactive care. |
Mid-Tier | £1,000 outpatient limit per year. | Set number of specialist consultations + financial limit on diagnostics. | AXA's model is simpler to understand (one pot of money). Vitality's can be more complex but may offer higher limits for specific services. |
Comprehensive | Full cover for all eligible outpatient services. | Full cover for all eligible outpatient services. | At the top end, both providers offer excellent, comprehensive cover. The choice comes down to price and other benefits. |
The Wellness Proposition: AXA Feelgood Health vs. Vitality Active Rewards
This is where the two providers diverge most significantly.
AXA Health's "Feelgood Health" Programme
AXA's approach is a supportive, content-led wellness offering. It's less about daily tracking and more about providing resources to help employees manage their health.
Key Features:
- Doctor at Hand: 24/7 access to a digital GP for appointments by video or phone. Prescriptions can be sent to a local pharmacy.
- Health and Wellbeing Support: Access to online resources, articles, and guides on topics ranging from nutrition and sleep to stress management.
- Stronger Minds: A pathway for mental health concerns, offering access to counsellors or therapists without needing a GP referral first.
- Musculoskeletal Support: Members can often get direct access to physiotherapists for muscle, bone, and joint problems without a GP referral, speeding up recovery from common ailments.
The overall feel is one of professional, clinical support available when you need it. It’s a "pull" model – the resources are there for employees to access as and when they see fit.
Vitality's "Active Rewards" Programme
Vitality’s model is a proactive "push" model. It actively encourages and rewards daily healthy behaviours.
How it Works:
- Track Activity: Employees link a fitness tracker (like an Apple Watch, Garmin, or even a smartphone) to the Vitality Member app.
- Earn Points: They earn points for activities like walking a certain number of steps, working out, or attending a mindfulness session.
- Get Rewarded: The more points they earn, the higher their "Vitality Status" (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum). Points unlock weekly and monthly rewards.
Popular Rewards Include:
- A weekly coffee from Caffè Nero.
- Weekly cinema tickets from Vue or Odeon.
- Significant discounts on Apple Watches, running shoes from Runners Need, and gym memberships with Virgin Active or PureGym.
This gamified approach is highly effective for engagement but requires employees to actively participate to get the full value. If your team won't use the app or track activity, the core value proposition of Vitality is diminished.
Mental Health Support: A Top Priority for UK Businesses
Employee mental health has become a boardroom-level conversation. Both AXA and Vitality have invested heavily in their mental health support services.
AXA Health's Mental Health Pathway
- Focus: A structured, clinically-governed pathway.
- Access: Members can often self-refer via their "Stronger Minds" service without seeing a GP.
- What's Offered: After an initial assessment, members are directed to the most appropriate care, which can include:
- Telephone-based counselling.
- Face-to-face or virtual sessions with therapists, psychologists, or psychiatrists.
- Inpatient psychiatric care if needed and covered by the policy.
- Strength: AXA's clinical reputation and established relationships with mental health professionals provide reassurance.
Vitality's Mental Health Pathway
- Focus: Integrating mental wellbeing into the overall wellness programme.
- Access: Members can access support via the Vitality GP app or a dedicated mental health helpline.
- What's Offered:
- Talking Therapies: A set number of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or counselling sessions are often included as standard or as a low-cost add-on.
- Mindfulness Apps: Members earn Vitality points for using apps like Headspace or Calm.
- Comprehensive Care: Like AXA, they offer access to a full range of therapists and psychiatrists, and cover for inpatient care.
- Strength: The proactive inclusion of talking therapies and integration with mindfulness apps makes mental health support highly accessible and helps to de-stigmatise its use.
Underwriting Options for Group Schemes
When you set up a group policy, you must decide how the insurer will handle your employees' medical histories. This is called underwriting.
- Full Medical Underwriting (FMU): Each employee completes a detailed health questionnaire. The insurer then lists specific "exclusions" for each member based on their pre-existing conditions. It's transparent but administratively heavy.
- Moratorium Underwriting (Mori): This is the most common type for smaller groups. No health questions are asked upfront. Instead, the insurer will generally not cover any condition that existed in the 5 years before the policy start date. However, if the member goes 2 full, continuous years on the policy without any symptoms, treatment, or advice for that condition, it may become eligible for cover.
- Medical History Disregarded (MHD): This is the premium option, usually only available to larger groups (e.g., 20+ employees). The insurer agrees to cover eligible acute conditions, regardless of a member's prior medical history. It's the most comprehensive but also the most expensive option.
- Continued Personal Medical Exclusions (CPME): This is for businesses switching from another provider. The new insurer agrees to carry over the same exclusions the employees had on their previous policy, ensuring continuity of cover.
An expert PMI broker like WeCovr can provide invaluable advice on which underwriting option is the most suitable and cost-effective for your specific business needs.
The Verdict: AXA Health or Vitality for Your Business?
There is no single "best" provider; there is only the best provider for your business. The choice hinges entirely on your company culture, employee demographics, and what you want the insurance to achieve.
Consideration | Choose AXA Health if... | Choose Vitality if... |
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Company Culture | You have a diverse workforce with varying levels of tech-savviness and want a simple, reliable benefit. | You have a young, energetic, and competitive culture where "gamification" and rewards will drive engagement. |
Simplicity vs. Engagement | You prefer a "set and forget" benefit that works brilliantly when needed, without requiring ongoing employee action. | You want a benefit that actively engages employees daily and promotes a company-wide wellness culture. |
Core Value Proposition | Your priority is best-in-class clinical pathways and a straightforward claims process for when things go wrong. | Your priority is proactive health improvement and rewarding employees for looking after themselves. |
Employee Demographics | Your team spans a wide age range, including those less likely to use fitness trackers or apps. | Your team is predominantly younger, physically active, and comfortable using technology to manage their lives. |
Administrative Preference | You want a simple, easy-to-understand policy structure focused purely on healthcare access. | You are happy to promote the wellness programme internally to ensure your company gets the full value from the premium. |
WeCovr's Added Value: Expert Advice and More
Choosing the right group PMI policy is a complex task. As an independent, FCA-authorised broker, WeCovr simplifies this process at no extra cost to you.
- Whole-of-Market Advice: We compare policies not just from AXA and Vitality, but from all leading UK insurers, ensuring you get the perfect fit.
- Expert Guidance: Our specialists explain the jargon and help you navigate the complexities of underwriting, hospital lists, and optional extras to build a policy that meets your budget.
- Exclusive Benefits: When you arrange your PMI or Life Insurance with us, you gain complimentary access to CalorieHero, our AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, helping your team take control of their diet. You can also benefit from discounts on other types of business and personal insurance.
- Trusted Service: Our high customer satisfaction ratings are a testament to our commitment to finding the right cover for every client.
Is business health insurance considered a taxable benefit for employees?
Yes, in the UK, when a company pays for an employee's private medical insurance, it is considered a 'benefit-in-kind'. This means the employer must report it to HMRC on a P11D form, and the employee will have to pay income tax on the value of the premium. The business itself can usually claim the cost of the premiums as a tax-deductible business expense.
How many employees do I need for a group private health insurance policy?
Most insurers, including AXA Health and Vitality, will offer a group scheme for businesses with as few as two employees. However, some of the more comprehensive options, such as 'Medical History Disregarded' underwriting, are typically only available to larger groups, often starting at 20 or more employees. Small businesses with just a couple of staff can still access excellent group rates and benefits.
Will business PMI cover pre-existing medical conditions?
Generally, no. Standard private medical insurance in the UK, whether for an individual or a group, is designed to cover new, acute conditions that arise after the policy begins. Pre-existing conditions are typically excluded, especially under Moratorium underwriting. The main exception is for large corporate schemes that have 'Medical History Disregarded' (MHD) underwriting, which is the most comprehensive and expensive option.
Ready to find the perfect private medical insurance solution for your business? The expert team at WeCovr is here to help. We'll provide a free, no-obligation comparison of the market to find a policy that protects your team and supports your business goals.
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