Best Business Health Insurance Providers In The UK

AXA Health is part of one of the world's largest insurance companies, providing private healthcare in the UK since 1940. Their health insurance includes day-patient and inpatient treatment as part of their core coverage, and they also offer a range of optional extras so that you can tailor your business health insurance to suit your needs.

AXA's hospital list gives you and your employees access to over 250 private hospitals.

What policies do they offer?

AXA Health offers different health insurance plans for small businesses and corporations. Their Business Health Select plans allow you to choose the options that fit your needs and budget.

All of their policies cover musculoskeletal conditions, mental health support and cancer cover as standard. All scheme members also have access to an online GP service that operates 24/7, so your employees can access treatment and advice without needing to take time off to see their GP.

There's an extensive range of optional extras, including extra cancer cover, more extensive mental health treatment, out-patient cover, dental and optical care and therapies. If your employees regularly travel for work, you can also opt to add travel and employee assistance.

AXA's corporate health insurance includes workplace healthcare surveillance to enable your employees to get early treatment or perhaps prevent health issues altogether. You can also outsource your occupational health service to them.

Cashback

A health cash plan could be a valuable part of your employee benefits package if you have a limited budget. AXA Health offers plans that allow your employees to claim back some of the cost of their everyday health expenses. These could include a stay in the hospital as an inpatient, physiotherapy, dental treatments or eye tests.

Wellbeing support

Private medical insurance is a valued benefit that can help you to achieve greater employee retention and lower workplace absence. AXA's health and well-being support aims to help you improve your employee's overall health by encouraging healthier lifestyles and helping them to reduce stress.

Their small business health insurance includes a 40% discount on Nuffield health club memberships. If you opt for corporate health insurance, you can also benefit from employee assistance programmes and occupational health support.

The main benefits

• Fast access to private treatment at your choice of private hospital from a list of over 250 locations.
• Health insurance with good core coverage and optional extras so you can tailor your medical cover.
• Treatment for musculoskeletal conditions and cancer care as standard.
• Access to a 24/7 online GP and health advice.
• Discounts on health club membership and other rewards.
• Cost-effective cash-back plans.
• The option to add fast-track appointments to your out-patient cover.
• A choice of over 250 private hospitals and 33,000 specialists.
• Advice and services to improve your employees' health.
• Outsourced occupational health services and healthcare surveillance with corporate policies.

Vitality changed the health insurance market with its focus on supporting its members to live healthier lifestyles.

Most health insurance providers offer additional services and benefits to their customers, and Vitality includes the Vitality Programme, which allows your employees to access rewards for activity. These include anything from a free coffee to discounts on an Apple Watch.

Vitality also has a no-quibble full cover promise on their private health insurance, which guarantees that they'll pay all your treatment costs, which is rare among private health insurance providers.

What policies do they offer?

This health insurance provider offers different packages based on the size of your business. Their small business health insurance is available to companies with up to 249 employees. You can opt for corporate healthcare cover if you have over 100 employees, allowing you to choose the services and benefits package that best suits your business needs.

Core private health insurance

Every policy covers cancer care and primary care, including inpatient care and surgical procedures. Your employees can also seek support with mental health issues.

Every health insurance provider has its version of a virtual or online GP service, and Vitality is no exception. Their GP app allows patients to book video GP appointments and access their patient records. Their Care Hub also allows your employees to access treatment information, report a new acute condition or self-refer for physiotherapy treatment and CBT.

Small business health insurance

Vitality may focus on promoting and encouraging employee well-being, but its small business health insurance still offers access to a good range of private healthcare.

Their primary care cover includes up to £100 per year for private prescriptions and tests. Most medical insurance doesn't cover any tests unless you opt to add out-patient cover to your policy. It could give your employees a quick medical diagnosis even if you don't choose to add out-patient treatments to your healthcare coverage.

Inpatient care is included as standard, including diagnostic tests and scans if carried out while you're an inpatient.

Vitality's standard small business policy includes comprehensive cancer care, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Your employees can also self-refer for up to 8 face to face counselling sessions. Many private health insurance policies include some informal advice as standard, but these typically don't include face-to-face treatment, so this could be a valuable benefit that impacts employee retention, particularly if you work in a high-stress environment.

Corporate health insurance

Vitality's corporate health insurance covers everything you'll find in their small business health insurance policy with a few added extras.

This policy provides more extensive cancer cover, including discounted cancer screenings for employees and risk assessment services to allow your business to assess and adjust your employee's duties as necessary. A team of experts also provides advice on treatments and services.

As well as access to counselling, corporate policyholders can access the mindfulness app Headspace, which offers guided meditations to help improve sleep and reduce stress and anxiety. You can also access Togetherall, an online platform created by the Care Quality Commission to provide 24/7 access to mental health advice and support.

Employee benefits

The Vitality Programme offers rewards and discounts at two different levels. Small businesses can access various incentives and discounts with Vitality Select, while corporate clients can access the enhanced Vitality Plus programme.

Vitality Select includes discounts on coffee, travel, fitness equipment, gym membership and activity trackers.

Vitality Plus offers cashback on healthy food at Waitrose and Peloton hardware, free cinema tickets and discounts on Apple Watches as a reward for getting active.

Additional benefits

Vitality's medical insurance provides a range of employee benefits, including rewards and discounts to help them improve their personal health, but their small business coverage also offers online resources to help your small business administer your private healthcare cover and get cashback on your health insurance policy.

The Employer Hub allows you to easily add new starters and remove leavers, and there's support available to educate your workforce about the benefits and services available. With corporate health insurance, you'll also have access to employee health assessments and tools to help you devise a workplace well-being strategy. Gallup found that these initiatives increased engagement and could help with employee retention.

Suppose you need help deciding whether Vitality is your health insurer and whether the investment is worth it. In that case, their ROI calculator uses data from the Vitality Programme and Britain's Healthiest Workplace survey to allow you to assess the impact of different employee risk factors. This lets you consider your budget and the coverage you need your small business health insurance policy to provide.

Why speak to us?

We started Globacare because we saw that people needed high-quality insurance advice, and the call centres clients were familiar with weren't able to provide it. From the outset, we’ve focused on quality over quantity when it comes to our team, employing only the best brokers in the market and always putting clients first. It’s worked, as we now have a fantastic team, all of which genuinely love to help people. Click here if you’d like to meet the team.

Why do customers choose us?

We work hard to provide the highest levels of customer satisfaction, and it's one of the main reasons that many of our clients have been with us for years. Here’s why:

• Free advice from experienced product experts
• We're independent and work with all the leading insurers
• A single point of contact, both before you buy and after
• Help with claims if you ever need it
• Honest and trustworthy advice from a friendly team
• 5-star rating from over 400 client reviews

Contact Us

The main benefits

• Fast access to treatment for you and your staff when they need it.
• Coverage for primary care, including some diagnostic tests, cancer cover and mental health cover as standard.
• A full cover promise to pay all of your treatment expenses.
• Digital tools to book online GP appointments, report new conditions and self-refer for physiotherapy and CBT.
• Rewards and discounts to support and encourage a healthy lifestyle.
• Health screening and support to help employers devise a workplace well-being strategy with corporate health insurance.

Aviva is one of the largest health insurers in the UK. They offer comprehensive coverage as standard, including out-patient cover, typically only offered as an optional extra.

Their employee health insurance is offered at different levels depending on the size of your business so that you can access excellent coverage and the right services for your business needs.

What policies do they offer?

Aviva's health insurance comprises two policies tailored to your business's size.

Their Solutions policy is available to businesses with between 1 and 249 employees. It's worth noting that most insurance providers only offer group medical coverage to companies with two or more employees.

The Optimum policy was created for businesses with 250+ employees.

Both policies cover all acute conditions, cancer treatment, inpatient treatment, mental health care and out patient treatment as standard. Their out-patient cover includes consultant appointments and tests. Their BacktoBetter scheme offers case management for musculoskeletal conditions.

Whilst both policies are flexible, offering options to allow you to tailor your coverage and reduce your premiums, the Optimum policy provides a wider range of coverage to reflect the needs of a larger workforce.

Expert choice

The Solutions policy is designed to offer comprehensive coverage that reflects the needs and budget of smaller businesses, so it includes Expert Select as standard. Your employees will be offered a choice of suitable specialists and private hospitals from a selected list. It doesn't provide as much choice as a full hospital list, but premiums will be lower. Aviva also guarantees they'll pay all the expenses directly, so you won't have to pay any additional charges.

By contrast, the Optimum policy offers a full hospital list. This is where your insurance company gives you a choice of healthcare provider from a range of private hospitals within their network.

Wellbeing

The Solutions policy offers well-being support for your business and employees.

This includes health and well-being support, including apps for booking online GP appointments and that allow your team to set health goals and work towards them. Employees' family members can also use the digital GP app.

In addition, there's a stress counselling helpline that enables your workforce to seek confidential help and advice.

The main benefits

• Excellent core coverage, including out-patient treatments as standard.
• A range of optional extras so you can tailor your coverage to suit your needs.
• The BacktoBetter scheme offers expert case management for musculoskeletal conditions, which is ideal if your employees spend most of their time at a desk.
• Two expert choice packages help you tailor hospital and consultant choice to your budget.
• Wellbeing support services, including access to online GP appointments, stress counselling and apps that help your employees to set and achieve their health goals.

Even if you've never worked with a private medical insurance provider before, you've likely heard of Bupa. They have an impressive network of private healthcare facilities across the UK and sponsor the London marathon.

Their health insurance includes coverage for eligible treatment in their own hospitals or by any recognised treatment provider. Coverage includes treatments for musculoskeletal conditions, mental health conditions, out-patient care and cancer care as standard.

There's also no age limit on coverage. An insurance company will usually place an upper age limit on new customers. However, Bupa doesn't, so you can still offer private health insurance to employees who work beyond the normal retirement age.

What policies do they offer?

Bupa's approach is similar to other health insurance providers in that they offer different health insurance packages depending on the size of your business. Bupa health insurance is split into small business insurance for companies with 2-249 employees and corporate health insurance for businesses with over 250 staff.

They're the ideal choice if you're looking for excellent mental health cover, as they offer some of the most extensive coverage on the market. Their comprehensive policies also include out-patient cover as standard, which means that your employees can access private consultant appointments, scans and diagnostic tests without you needing to pay more.

What's included?

If you opt for Bupa's health insurance for small businesses or Bupa Select, their comprehensive corporate health insurance policy, you'll benefit from access to up to 600 hospitals across their network.

Both policies include coverage for cancer, musculoskeletal treatment, out-patient and inpatient care, and extensive mental health coverage as standard.

Your employees can also access health advice 24/7 with two different virtual services. The Bupa Anytime Healthline provides advice from a qualified nurse, while the digital GP app lets you book online GP appointments or use the symptom checker.

Optional extras

Whilst Bupa offers comprehensive cover; you can also choose to add other services, such as dental insurance and workplace flu vaccinations.

Bupa also offers the option of a cash plan which allows your employees to claim cashback on their regular healthcare expenses.

Support services

 One of the benefits of company health insurance is that it can provide your business with tools to help you support employee well-being.

Business tools

Bupa's coverage includes health assessments which can give you valuable information on the health of your workforce and devise initiatives to support them in improving their overall health.

They can also train your managers and employees to help them manage stress.

Support for employees

Bupa offers two different mental health programmes. Their small business offering includes the employee assistance programme, a counselling service that employees can access 24/7 for confidential support on any workplace or personal issue.

Corporate health insurance includes the Mind Matters programme, which includes the same employee assistance along with a critical incident, death in service or major change counselling programme, which includes on-site support if necessary. They've also removed most of their standard exclusions, including pre-existing conditions, to allow them to offer support whatever the circumstances.

Bupa Balance

Bupa Balance was introduced in 2021 and offers a more streamlined form of health insurance to businesses with over 300 employees. Most health insurance providers offer inpatient and day-patient care along with cancer care as standard. However, Bupa Balance doesn't. Instead, it provides services that allow your employees to receive a quick diagnosis and fast, targeted treatment. You can also opt to add chronic care to allow for a longer course of treatment.

In practice, health checks, diagnostic tests and out-patient treatments are covered, alongside unlimited digital GP appointments and access to helplines for mental health advice and advice from a trained nurse.

Whilst employees on a comprehensive plan can also claim cashback; this isn't available via Bupa Balance.

This option could be worth considering if employee absence is typically related to conditions that can be treated quickly and easily, as it can help them get back to work within a shorter time frame.

The main benefits

• Quicker diagnosis (on comprehensive policies).
• Fast access to private healthcare.
• A choice of up to 600 treatment locations.
• The most extensive mental health coverage on the market.
• Access to online GP appointments and health advice 24/7.
• The option to add family members to your policy.
• Discounts and rewards.
• Employee and business support on comprehensive policies, depending on your chosen policy.
• No age limit on coverage.

We hope this overview of the top four health insurance providers has been helpful. If you'd like tailored advice to help you find the right health insurance for your business, please get in touch for a comparison quote.