If you’ve considered adding business health insurance to your employee benefits package, it’s likely that you have questions around how it works. As your team are such a vital part of your business, you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting the cover that will best suit your people as well as your budget. That’s why we’ve created a business guide to health insurance.
Below, you can find a summary of some of the frequently asked questions that we cover in our guide. You can read the full guide here.
What is private health insurance?
In most instances, private health insurance covers the cost of treatment for acute conditions that develop after your membership has started (depending on the details of your plan).
How might your business benefit from health insurance?
Business health insurance can benefit your business in a number of ways, including:
- Employee retention: Including health insurance in your employee benefits package can be a great way to retain top team members by showing them that they’re a valued part of the business. It’s also a benefit that’s highly valued by employees. According to one survey, 42.7% of UK employees said that healthcare cover was the benefit they would most like to see as part of their employee benefits package.1
- Recruitment: Healthcare cover can also be a great incentive to attract new team members to your business. According to one survey, 85% of employees are more likely to work for employers who offer clearly labelled benefits.2
- Flexible and convenient appointments: Medical appointments can be difficult for your team to attend, particularly when they’re at inconvenient times. Healthcare cover can give your team more control over their appointments. They could have an appointment in the evening after work, or at the weekend.
How does business health insurance impact tax?
When you provide private health insurance to your team, it’s considered a ‘benefit-in-kind’. This means that your employees will need to pay tax on the benefit amount.
At the end of each tax year, employers have to complete a P11D expenses and benefits form for every employee who has received expenses or benefits in addition to their salary.
Find out more about how business health insurance impacts tax.
Why choose AXA Health for your business health insurance?
As AXA’s UK health and wellbeing specialists we’ll be your health partners to keep your business happy and healthy, and help your employees bring out their best selves. Whatever healthy looks like for you and your employees, we’ll help you get there. Regardless of the healthcare cover options you choose, we give you access to the following as standard:
- Online GP service: Our business health insurance gives you access to our 24/7 online GP service, AXA Doctor at Hand (powered by Doctor Care Anywhere). AXA Doctor at Hand gives you access to a 20 minute online or phone appointment with a GP at a time and place that suits you – 24/7, 365 days a year. Appointments are subject to availability. Doctor Care Anywhere’s fair usage policy applies.
- Expert help available 24/7: You and your team will get access to our 24/7 health information telephone support line, Health at Hand.* With Health at Hand, you can speak to our team of nurses, counsellors, midwives and pharmacists.
- Working Body: Our Working Body service gives you and your team access to physiotherapists over the phone, without the need for a GP referral. They’ll assess the symptoms, discuss what they could mean and help to plan what to do next. Working Body is available to our healthcare members aged 18 years and over. Any face to face treatment required is only payable under the plan if you have chosen the Therapies option.
- Proactive Health Gateway: Our online health and wellbeing platform is here to support you and your team with your health and wellbeing goals.
Read our small business guide to health insurance
Find out more about our business health insurance, including what is and isn’t covered, and get a quote today
*Health at Hand nurses and counsellors are available 24/7, midwives and pharmacists are available 8am-8pm Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm Saturday and 8am-12pm Sunday.
Sources and references
1Cover Magazine, 2018
2Canada Life Group