Buying a Home
Remortgaging
Landlord
Specialist
Secured Loans
Debt Consolidation
Conveyancing
Finding a Solicitor
Health Insurance
Aviva is one of the UK's largest insurers, offering flexible, competitively priced private medical cover for businesses of any size. Here's what's covered, what it costs, and how it compares to Bupa, AXA, and Vitality.
Aviva business health insurance is generally one of the most competitively priced options among the major insurers, with typical premiums ranging from around £20 to £150+ per employee per month depending on age, location, and level of cover.
Aviva tends to suit cost-conscious SMEs and businesses that don't need unrestricted access to central London specialists. If maximum consultant choice or comprehensive in-patient mental health cover as standard matters more to you than price, it's worth comparing alternatives like Bupa or Vitality. The best way to know what Aviva would cost for your business is to speak to an advisor, since group size, average age, and location all affect the price.
Aviva business health insurance offers UK employers a flexible, competitively priced way to provide private medical cover for their teams. As the UK's largest general insurer with over 320 years of heritage, Aviva has built a strong reputation in the corporate health market, serving over 4.7 million people through employer schemes.
We're a broker, not an insurer - we connect you with specialist providers to find the right business health insurance for your company, and we've seen firsthand how Aviva's Solutions and Optimum products perform for SMEs and larger organisations alike.
Overall rating: 4.2 out of 5
Best for: SMEs wanting competitive pricing with flexible cover options, and businesses that value guided hospital access to help control costs.
Aviva is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London. With roots tracing back to 1696, it's one of the oldest financial institutions in the UK and now operates as the country's largest general insurer.
The company formed in its current structure in 2000, when Norwich Union merged with CGU plc, with the Aviva name adopted in 2002. Today, the group serves around 25.2 million customers across its core markets of the UK, Ireland, and Canada, and reported £1.5 billion in operating profit in 2023.
Aviva's health insurance business has grown significantly in recent years, with sales jumping 41% in 2023 compared to the previous year. This growth reflects increasing demand for private medical cover as NHS waiting lists remain at historic highs.
Aviva won the Moneyfacts Private Medical Insurance Provider of the Year award in 2024 and was named General Insurer of the Year at the British Insurance Awards the same year. The company continues to invest in digital health tools, including its Digital GP app and MyHealthCounts wellbeing platform.
In 2025, Aviva introduced promotional offers including a free first month of cover on new Solutions policies, reflecting its focus on growing market share in the SME segment.
Before looking at Aviva's specific products, it's worth understanding what business health insurance actually covers and how it works.
Business health insurance, also called group private medical insurance (PMI), is a policy taken out by an employer to provide healthcare cover for employees. It pays for private medical treatment for acute conditions - illnesses or injuries that are short-term, treatable, and likely to respond to treatment.
Faster diagnosis and treatment: employees can skip NHS waiting lists, which have exceeded 7 million people in England. This can mean faster recovery and a quicker return to work.
Reduced absence costs: the Office for National Statistics reported 185.6 million working days lost to sickness absence in 2022. Private treatment can help reduce absence duration for some conditions.
Recruitment and retention: private health insurance ranks among the most valued employee benefits, so offering it can help you attract and keep staff.
Tax efficiency: employer premiums are typically deductible against corporation tax as a business expense.
Most policies cover:
Business health insurance doesn't typically cover:
Aviva offers two main business health insurance products designed for different company sizes.
Solutions is Aviva's flagship SME product, designed for businesses with up to 249 employees. It's a modular policy, meaning you start with core cover and add extras based on your needs and budget.
What makes Solutions particularly attractive for SMEs is its flexibility. You can start with basic cover for directors only and expand to the whole team as your business grows and budgets allow.
Optimum is designed for larger businesses with 250 or more employees. It includes everything in Solutions plus additional features as standard.
For larger organisations, Optimum offers the option of medical history disregarded underwriting. This is more expensive but allows employees to access treatment without exclusions based on their medical history, which can be valuable for businesses wanting comprehensive cover for all staff.
Business health insurance
Tell us how many employees you have and what matters most to your business, and an advisor will talk you through the right level of cover.
Aviva's core business health cover includes a comprehensive range of treatments and services. Here's what's included as standard with a Solutions policy.
Aviva covers accommodation and treatment costs at private hospitals or NHS private patient units. This includes:
If an employee stays overnight in an NHS hospital for a covered condition, they can claim a cash benefit.
Unlike some insurers that offer limited out-patient cover, Aviva's Solutions policy includes extensive out-patient benefits as standard:
This comprehensive out-patient cover is particularly valuable as it allows employees to access diagnosis and treatment without being admitted to hospital.
Cancer care is a core strength of Aviva's business health insurance. The cover includes:
Aviva's cancer cover is designed to support employees at every stage, from initial diagnosis through treatment and into recovery. The 5-year aftercare monitoring is more comprehensive than some competitors offer.
Aviva includes a self-referral mental health pathway as standard on Solutions policies. Employees can access support without needing a GP referral, which reduces barriers to getting help.
The pathway provides:
Aviva reports that 93% of employees using the mental health pathway who had left work due to their condition were either at work or ready to return by the time they were discharged.
What's not included as standard is in-patient mental health treatment. If you want to cover hospital stays for mental health conditions, you'll need to add the mental health upgrade option, which provides either 28 or 45 days of hospital treatment.
Aviva includes BacktoBetter, its musculoskeletal pathway, as standard on all Solutions policies. This is designed to help employees with back pain, joint problems, and other MSK issues get back to work faster.
The service includes:
This pathway is particularly valuable for SMEs, where having key staff off work with back problems can significantly impact operations.
Aviva offers several add-ons to enhance your core business health cover.
This extra covers:
Routine dental and optical care carries a separate excess, so make sure employees understand this when signing up.
This upgrade adds in-patient mental health cover to your policy, with options for either 28 or 45 days of hospital treatment per year. It only covers acute mental health conditions, not chronic ongoing issues.
This option expands the range of treatments employees can access with a GP referral, rather than requiring a specialist referral for certain services.
If Expert Select doesn't provide enough choice for your employees, you can upgrade to Aviva's extended hospital list. This includes additional hospitals in Greater London and more locations across the UK.
Extending the hospital list increases premiums but may be worthwhile if employees work or live in areas where Expert Select options are limited.
One feature that distinguishes Aviva from some competitors is Expert Select, which comes as standard with Solutions policies.
Expert Select is a guided hospital and consultant selection process. When an employee needs treatment, Aviva guides them to specialists and hospitals based on their condition, location, and clinical needs. These tend to be providers with lower treatment costs, which helps keep premiums more affordable.
You can opt for a hospital list instead of Expert Select if consultant choice is important to your business, but expect to pay higher premiums.
If your team is spread across the UK rather than concentrated in central London, Expert Select is unlikely to feel restrictive in practice, and the premium saving can be significant. It's worth checking the guided provider list for your employees' locations before ruling it out.
The cost of Aviva business health insurance depends on several factors, including:
As a rough guide for budgeting purposes:
These figures are indicative only. Your actual premium will depend on your specific circumstances and the quotes you receive.
Independent research consistently shows Aviva as one of the most competitively priced major insurers. A January 2025 study comparing quotes for comprehensive individual policies found the following annual premiums:
These figures are for individual policies, but they illustrate Aviva's competitive positioning. Group scheme pricing typically offers better rates per person than individual policies because risk is pooled across the whole workforce.
From the employer's perspective, premiums for business health insurance are usually deductible against corporation tax as a legitimate business expense.
For employees, company-paid health insurance is treated as a Benefit-in-Kind and must be reported on their P11D. Employees pay income tax on the value of the benefit, and employers pay Class 1A National Insurance contributions. Despite the tax implications, business health insurance remains a popular and valued employee benefit.
Managing costs
Choose a higher excess
Employees paying more towards claims reduces the premium. Common excess options range from £100 to £500 per person per year.
Use Expert Select
The guided hospital option keeps costs lower than full consultant choice, without necessarily reducing the quality of treatment employees receive.
Limit out-patient cover
You can cap out-patient benefits at £500 or £1,000 rather than having unlimited cover, which reduces the premium.
Exclude certain treatments
Removing optional extras like dental, optical, or therapies reduces the premium if your team doesn't need them.
Consider the six-week NHS option
Some policies let you agree to use the NHS if treatment is available within six weeks, which can reduce premiums.
Aviva business health insurance comes with several benefits beyond the core medical cover.
All covered employees get access to Aviva's Digital GP app, powered by Square Health. This provides:
The Digital GP service can help employees get quick medical advice without waiting for an NHS GP appointment, and the GP can refer to specialists if needed.
Employees can access the Aviva Wellbeing app to support their overall health. The app helps with:
Covered employees receive discounts at over 3,000 gyms and fitness centres across the UK. For employees dealing with cancer, Get Active also provides discounts on products and services to help with daily life during treatment.
Beyond treatment, Aviva's cancer support includes:
If an employee is admitted to an NHS hospital for a covered condition, they can claim a cash benefit. This provides some financial support even when using NHS services.
Making a claim on Aviva business health insurance follows a straightforward process.
Most claims require either a GP referral or a referral through one of Aviva's pathways. For mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, employees can self-refer directly to Aviva without seeing a GP first.
Before booking treatment, employees should contact Aviva to confirm cover and get pre-authorisation. This helps avoid surprises about what's covered and ensures the claim will be paid.
Once authorised, the employee can attend their appointment. With Expert Select, Aviva will guide them to appropriate specialists and hospitals.
For most eligible treatments, Aviva settles bills directly with the hospital or specialist. This means employees don't need to pay upfront and claim back later. They'll only need to pay any excess or amounts not covered by the policy.
Aviva saw a 21% increase in claims volume in 2024, with corporate scheme claims up 26%. This reflects both growing policy numbers and increased willingness to use private healthcare given NHS pressures.
The company has direct billing arrangements with most hospitals in its network, which helps make the claims process smoother for policyholders.
Understanding how Aviva stacks up against other major business health insurers can help you make an informed choice.
Bupa is the UK's largest health insurer with a strong reputation for healthcare expertise.
Choose Aviva if: budget is important and you're happy with guided hospital access. Choose Bupa if: you want maximum consultant choice and don't mind paying more.
AXA Health is known for strong digital tools and flexible outpatient options.
Choose Aviva if: competitive pricing is your priority. Choose AXA if: you want excellent digital integration and are willing to pay a bit more.
Vitality takes a unique approach, rewarding healthy behaviours with discounts and perks.
Choose Aviva if: you want straightforward cover without complexity. Choose Vitality if: your employees will actively engage with wellness rewards.
Quick comparison
We search across a wide range of providers, including Aviva, Bupa, AXA, and Vitality.
Understanding what existing customers say about Aviva helps set realistic expectations.
Aviva's overall Trustpilot rating covers all insurance products, not just health insurance. When filtered for health-specific reviews, feedback is more mixed.
Aviva has received several recent accolades:
These awards reflect Aviva's overall performance across insurance products, with specific recognition for product quality and claims handling.
Based on our experience arranging business health insurance for UK companies, Aviva is particularly well-suited to certain business profiles.
We connect you with business health insurance from Aviva and other leading providers, comparing options so you can find the right cover for your company at a fair price.
How it works
Tell us about your business
Tell us about your business, including number of employees, age range, and what cover you're looking for.
Compare your options
We'll compare quotes from Aviva, Bupa, AXA, Vitality, and other providers on our panel.
Get guidance in plain English
We'll explain the differences in plain English and help you choose the right policy for your business.
Set up your cover
We'll handle the application and setup, keeping the process as simple as possible.
Aviva offers strong value for money in the business health insurance market. Its combination of competitive pricing, flexible cover options, and strong pathways for common conditions makes it a compelling choice for many UK businesses.
The 5-star Defaqto rating and multiple industry awards confirm that Aviva's products are comprehensive and well-regarded. For SMEs particularly, the ability to start with just one employee and scale up, while keeping costs manageable through Expert Select, is valuable.
That said, Aviva isn't the right choice for everyone. If consultant choice is paramount, or if you need comprehensive in-patient mental health cover as standard, other insurers may be better suited.
We recommend Aviva for: SMEs wanting quality cover at competitive prices, businesses outside expensive metropolitan areas, and companies prioritising fast return-to-work for employees with mental health or musculoskeletal conditions.
Consider alternatives if: maximum consultant choice matters, you need extensive central London hospital access, or comprehensive mental health cover is essential.
The best approach is to compare quotes from multiple insurers for your specific situation, so you can make an informed decision based on like-for-like comparisons.
Independent guidance on business health insurance and industry standards.
Common questions
Yes. Aviva is one of the UK's largest and oldest insurers, with roots dating back to 1696. They're a FTSE 100 company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, with over 1.2 million health insurance customers. Their Healthier Solutions policy has a 5-star Defaqto rating.
Aviva plc reported £1.5 billion in operating profit in 2023. The company is regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and maintains robust solvency ratios, which suggests it's well-placed to meet its claims obligations.
Aviva's heritage companies have provided insurance for over 320 years. The current Aviva health insurance products have been offered for many years, with continuous development and improvement.
Core cover includes in-patient and day-patient treatment, out-patient consultations and diagnostics, cancer care, mental health support, and musculoskeletal treatment. You can add extras like dental, optical, and enhanced mental health cover.
No. Like all UK health insurers, Aviva doesn't cover pre-existing conditions unless you choose medical history disregarded underwriting (available for larger groups), which is more expensive but removes exclusions based on medical history.
Most modern policies include mental health cover, but the extent varies. Some offer unlimited therapy sessions, while others cap annual treatment. Check the specific policy details if mental health cover matters to your team.
Yes. Comprehensive cancer cover is included as standard, covering diagnosis, treatment, and up to 5 years of aftercare monitoring.
Costs vary based on employee numbers, ages, location, and cover level. As a rough guide, expect £20-£150+ per employee per month depending on these factors. The best way to get an accurate price is to request a quote.
Generally, yes. Aviva is typically one of the most competitively priced major insurers. Independent comparisons have found Aviva significantly cheaper than Bupa for equivalent cover, particularly for older customers, where the difference can run to thousands of pounds a year.
Yes. Choosing a higher excess, using Expert Select, limiting out-patient cover, and removing optional extras can all reduce premiums.
Yes. Employer premiums are typically deductible against corporation tax. However, employees pay income tax on the benefit, as it's treated as a Benefit-in-Kind.
Get a GP referral (or self-refer for mental health and MSK issues), contact Aviva for pre-authorisation, attend treatment, and Aviva will typically pay the provider directly. Employees only pay any applicable excess.
If you've had treatment pre-authorised by your insurer, claims are usually processed quickly, often within a few working days to a couple of weeks. For moratorium underwriting policies, claims may take longer as the insurer reviews your medical history to confirm the condition wasn't pre-existing.
If a claim is declined, ask for the reasons in writing. You can submit additional clinical notes and appeal the decision. If you're still unhappy, you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Yes. Many businesses start with directors-only cover and expand to staff later. Aviva Solutions accepts policies from just one employee.
Most providers allow employees to add partners and children to the policy for an additional premium, typically £25-£85 per family member monthly. This is usually optional, so you can choose whether to offer family cover or keep the policy employee-only.
Employees may be able to continue cover on an individual Aviva policy if they seek a quote within 45 days of leaving. Benefits, terms, and costs may differ from the company scheme.
What our clients say
Shortly after I spoke with Anna, she was also very helpful and made it effortless and a nice experience.
Had a really good experience regarding arranging a secured loan. They introduced me to a great advisor. Thanks for the help.
For once a loan transaction without stress and complications. Very impressed and highly recommended.
Thrilled to share my exceptional experience with Money Saving Advisors. The website made it incredibly simple and easy to connect with an advisor. They helped me find the best deal on my remortgage and secured a very competitive interest rate!
Great advice and money saved on mortgage.
I have previously declined a loan of the value I needed from various brokers, but this website found me a reputable broker with surprisingly decent rates.
Health Insurance
Protect what matters most. Our advisors compare plans from leading UK health insurance providers.
