Private Health Insurance

Show me switching FAQs

These are some of the FAQs we hear about moving or switching private health insurance. We’re always happy to run through more details over the phone. If these FAQs don’t show what you’re looking for, call our friendly team or ask us to call you back.

If I just want a rough idea of costs, will your sales team keep ringing me back?

No. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service. We don’t ‘cold call’. We would never knowingly phone you to ‘sell’ a product that you did not want, and we’ll always ask your permission to contact you in the future if you do become our customer.

To give you an idea of costs, it’s easy to get a quote online. You’ll see that we need to find out your medical history and personal details in full before giving you a final cost. That’s because we want to be sure you get the right cover and that we can provide the benefits you’re looking for.

Will there be a lot of paperwork involved?

It’s important for us to record all your details accurately to give you the cover you want, but we’ll do our best to keep the forms to a minimum. We may even be able to switch or move your cover over the phone. Depending on your medical history we may ask you to fill in a short questionnaire, but one of our main priorities is to provide you an excellent service from start to finish. That means making it easy to move or switch to Aviva.

Will you need copies of my old policies?

No. If you’re moving an Aviva policy, perhaps from a company scheme, then we’ll need to know your policy reference number. If you’re switching to Aviva from another provider, we’ll talk to you about your medical history to get a clear picture of the cover you want and an accurate understanding of the benefits we can provide. There’s no need to send us old policies.

Can I get the same benefits from Aviva, at a cheaper price?

We would like to say yes, but it is fairer to say that we can’t answer that until we know your details in full. Every healthcare provider offers a different group of benefits to their policyholders. We’re confident that you’ll find our core cover is both extensive and competitive. You can choose the extra benefits you want, which will increase your premiums. Or if you prefer, by reducing the level of cover provided you can reduce your costs. We’ll always do our best to offer you the most extensive policy we can at a price you can afford.

I’m leaving my company’s scheme at short notice, can you help me get cover quickly?

Let us know as much detail as you can. Whatever your circumstances, we’ll do our best to help. Many policies can be arranged over the phone with cover starting immediately if necessary.

Will you cover my pre-existing medical conditions?

Private health insurance doesn’t usually cover existing conditions. If we use moratorium underwriting criteria to move or switch your policy, then exclusions can be removed in some circumstances. Because your medical history is unique, we’ll need to find out more about your circumstances before making a decision.

Will your list of hospitals be different to my current provider’s list?

When you take out private health insurance with us you’ll get prompt, private medical treatment at a nationwide network of private hospitals and clinics around the UK. We divide these facilities into ‘lists’:

Standard Hospital List
Access to a nationwide list of hospitals. This group of over 300 hospitals is automatically included on your policy unless you choose an alternative hospital list.
Trust Care Hospital list
By choosing the comfort of private facilities at NHS/Partnership hospitals, you could save up to 25% on your premiums.
Extended Hospital List
Particularly attractive if you live in the Greater London area, this list gives access to more exclusive hospitals in addition to our standard hospital list. This option increases your premium by 30%.
Signature Hospital List
Access to a selected number of hospitals, which could give you savings of up to 25% on your premiums. This list is only available to policy holders living in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Is there a difference between ‘private health insurance’ and ‘private medical insurance’?

We say ‘private health insurance’ most often, but your current provider may call it ‘private medical insurance’. Both terms describe the same thing: a policy that helps you get private treatment could be called private health insurance or private medical insurance.