AXA PPP vs BUPA Health Insurance
Discussion
My AXA policy renewal has come through at around £50 a month more than last year. The broker I'm using has offered be a BUPA policy at £62.50 cheaper than the AXA renwal price.
I'm not sure if it's a 'how long is a piece of string' type question, but does anyone have any thoughts on which is the better provider and if it's worth moving over to BUPA (comprehensive cover with central london & full cancer cover and £0 excess)
I'm not sure if it's a 'how long is a piece of string' type question, but does anyone have any thoughts on which is the better provider and if it's worth moving over to BUPA (comprehensive cover with central london & full cancer cover and £0 excess)
Scrump said:
Can’t help with the comparison of the two policies but I can suggest you look at any exclusions around pre-existing conditions. Switching to a new insurer may restart the pre-existing conditions.
Thanks. The broker said everything is covered, and thankfully, we don’t have any pre existing conditions. Bupa were much quicker to pay any consultant excesses for me, even if I was in a non Bupa hospital. Often I didn't even have to pay the excess at all as Bupa agreed upfront they would cover.
AXA when our work used them as provider waited until the last day in their contract to refund you your excesses. Then sent a cheque, despite our "favourable" rate negotiated being paid in advance, monthly by DD.
Ariva have been the best overall, though I think that is because they are just down the road and run our local hozzie. The amount of times they've given me the description of the wording to go to the local GP to get the medication on NHS via prescription rather than paying £00s plus at their hozzie has been very useful. (Of course once your past £120+ on the NHS it is better to have an annual infinite pass or whatever it is called rather than pay the price of each prescription at £8 or so a pop so with 2x prescriptions every 4 weeks (neat trick by the docs to make 13 months of prescriptions in the year) 26*8 = 200 so they've saved me an extra £80 from my works funded policy anyway.
AXA when our work used them as provider waited until the last day in their contract to refund you your excesses. Then sent a cheque, despite our "favourable" rate negotiated being paid in advance, monthly by DD.
Ariva have been the best overall, though I think that is because they are just down the road and run our local hozzie. The amount of times they've given me the description of the wording to go to the local GP to get the medication on NHS via prescription rather than paying £00s plus at their hozzie has been very useful. (Of course once your past £120+ on the NHS it is better to have an annual infinite pass or whatever it is called rather than pay the price of each prescription at £8 or so a pop so with 2x prescriptions every 4 weeks (neat trick by the docs to make 13 months of prescriptions in the year) 26*8 = 200 so they've saved me an extra £80 from my works funded policy anyway.
StanleyT said:
Bupa were much quicker to pay any consultant excesses for me, even if I was in a non Bupa hospital. Often I didn't even have to pay the excess at all as Bupa agreed upfront they would cover.
AXA when our work used them as provider waited until the last day in their contract to refund you your excesses. Then sent a cheque, despite our "favourable" rate negotiated being paid in advance, monthly by DD.
Ariva have been the best overall, though I think that is because they are just down the road and run our local hozzie. The amount of times they've given me the description of the wording to go to the local GP to get the medication on NHS via prescription rather than paying £00s plus at their hozzie has been very useful. (Of course once your past £120+ on the NHS it is better to have an annual infinite pass or whatever it is called rather than pay the price of each prescription at £8 or so a pop so with 2x prescriptions every 4 weeks (neat trick by the docs to make 13 months of prescriptions in the year) 26*8 = 200 so they've saved me an extra £80 from my works funded policy anyway.
just a point- Aviva (presume that’s what you meant by Ariva) don’t run any hospitalsAXA when our work used them as provider waited until the last day in their contract to refund you your excesses. Then sent a cheque, despite our "favourable" rate negotiated being paid in advance, monthly by DD.
Ariva have been the best overall, though I think that is because they are just down the road and run our local hozzie. The amount of times they've given me the description of the wording to go to the local GP to get the medication on NHS via prescription rather than paying £00s plus at their hozzie has been very useful. (Of course once your past £120+ on the NHS it is better to have an annual infinite pass or whatever it is called rather than pay the price of each prescription at £8 or so a pop so with 2x prescriptions every 4 weeks (neat trick by the docs to make 13 months of prescriptions in the year) 26*8 = 200 so they've saved me an extra £80 from my works funded policy anyway.
craig1912 said:
StanleyT said:
Bupa were much quicker to pay any consultant excesses for me, even if I was in a non Bupa hospital. Often I didn't even have to pay the excess at all as Bupa agreed upfront they would cover.
AXA when our work used them as provider waited until the last day in their contract to refund you your excesses. Then sent a cheque, despite our "favourable" rate negotiated being paid in advance, monthly by DD.
Ariva have been the best overall, though I think that is because they are just down the road and run our local hozzie. The amount of times they've given me the description of the wording to go to the local GP to get the medication on NHS via prescription rather than paying £00s plus at their hozzie has been very useful. (Of course once your past £120+ on the NHS it is better to have an annual infinite pass or whatever it is called rather than pay the price of each prescription at £8 or so a pop so with 2x prescriptions every 4 weeks (neat trick by the docs to make 13 months of prescriptions in the year) 26*8 = 200 so they've saved me an extra £80 from my works funded policy anyway.
just a point- Aviva (presume that’s what you meant by Ariva) don’t run any hospitalsAXA when our work used them as provider waited until the last day in their contract to refund you your excesses. Then sent a cheque, despite our "favourable" rate negotiated being paid in advance, monthly by DD.
Ariva have been the best overall, though I think that is because they are just down the road and run our local hozzie. The amount of times they've given me the description of the wording to go to the local GP to get the medication on NHS via prescription rather than paying £00s plus at their hozzie has been very useful. (Of course once your past £120+ on the NHS it is better to have an annual infinite pass or whatever it is called rather than pay the price of each prescription at £8 or so a pop so with 2x prescriptions every 4 weeks (neat trick by the docs to make 13 months of prescriptions in the year) 26*8 = 200 so they've saved me an extra £80 from my works funded policy anyway.
Any yep, I know they don't 'run' my local Spire branded hozzie, but that is their one for the area I live in by default. I could go to a BUPA hozzie but I'd have to pay more and travel more, hence why I said I went to their hospital - i.e. their default the hospital Aviva say is "'theirs' preferred choice" (as so though did BUPA and AXA when sending me there as well)!
Just realised to really contradict myself, we've at work just finished with Aviva switched to Medicash from the next payment so God knows how that'll palm out. HR bumpf says no change and 1.34 % reduction in premiums.
Both good
Just check that you can use your chosen insurer at your local private Hospital. Axa seem to have a deal with Nuffield local to me and so you can’t see anyone at Spire which is tedious if the specialist you want to see does not work at that hospital. This might just be a local thing to me though
Secondly, BUPA pay clinicians much less than other insurers such that many of my colleagues refuse to see any BUPA insured patients or you have to pay an excess. BUPA do seem to be the best organised though.
Just check that you can use your chosen insurer at your local private Hospital. Axa seem to have a deal with Nuffield local to me and so you can’t see anyone at Spire which is tedious if the specialist you want to see does not work at that hospital. This might just be a local thing to me though
Secondly, BUPA pay clinicians much less than other insurers such that many of my colleagues refuse to see any BUPA insured patients or you have to pay an excess. BUPA do seem to be the best organised though.
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