Cancer Health Insurance Cover Comparisons

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How can Healthplan Help You Find Health Insurance With The Right Cancer Cover

A health insurance broker like Healthplan helps you secure the best cancer cover by:

• Finding the best policies – We compare insurers to ensure you get comprehensive cancer care, including specialist treatments and drugs.

• Access to leading specialists – We help you choose health insurance policies that provide fast access to top oncologists and private hospitals.

• Cover for advanced treatments – We identify plans that include cutting-edge treatments, therapies, and medications not always available on the NHS.

• Reducing financial stress – We ensure your policy covers key expenses, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hospital stays.

Contact us for a tailored quote and take the first step towards securing your adequate health insurance with cancer cover.

What is cancer insurance?

A cancer diagnosis can be life-altering. At the very least, it is bound to be a difficult and stressful time for both the cancer patient and their family.

You want to make sure that you get the best care you can in a timely fashion. Getting cancer insurance can reassure you that you will get the treatment you need when you need it.

Cancer cover allows you to access private treatment for cancer. This may include cutting-edge procedures or drugs that are too costly for the NHS to provide. Seeking out private care also allows you faster access to such treatments as you get to avoid lengthy NHS waiting times.

On top of these benefits, when you use private medical insurance, you are also given the freedom to select your preferred hospital in the UK, either NHS-run or private, and a consultant of your choosing.

Part of why a cancer diagnosis can be so difficult and anxiety-inducing is the lack of control patients often feel. Cancer insurance gives you back some feeling of control, letting you decide the path your treatment journey will follow.

Is Cancer Covered by Health Insurance in the UK?

In most cases, yes—cancer is covered by health insurance in the UK. Many policies include cancer care as standard, but the level of cover can vary significantly between providers. Some insurers might exclude certain types of cancer or limit cover for specific treatments, such as experimental therapies or newer drugs not yet approved for widespread use. 

It’s also worth noting that if you’ve had cancer in the past, your options may be more limited. Many insurers exclude pre-existing conditions, although some may offer cancer cover if you’ve been symptom-free for a set period—typically two to five years. 

Because there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to health insurance and cancer cover, it’s important to do your research and compare policies carefully. Working with the Healthplan brokers can help you understand exactly what’s included, what might be excluded, and whether you can enhance your policy with add-ons for more comprehensive protection. That way, you can find a plan that offers peace of mind and the right level of support if the unexpected happens. 

What does Cancer Insurance Cover?

Every health insurance policy covers a different range of services and treatments, so it’s difficult to say exactly what your cancer insurance will cover. However, there are several treatments that are frequently included in health insurance plans.

Some of the treatments and services often covered under private health insurance for cancer are:

• Access to drugs and/or therapies that may not be available through the NHS due to their high cost.
• Access to chemotherapy treatments at home rather than in a hospital.
• Access to a private nurse who can care for your home nursing needs over the course of your treatment.
• Ability to choose your preferred medical facility in the UK, whether that’s in a private hospital or an NHS hospital. If the latter, you would receive an NHS cash benefit.
• Ability to choose your preferred consultant, giving you as much control as possible over the treatment process.
• Monitoring during remission; your care does not stop after your treatment.
• Access to end of life palliative care. Any hospice you use will receive donations from your insurance provider.

When choosing your insurer, you should double-check that the features you are most concerned with are definitely included in the plan. Again, the above list is intended to give you an idea of the treatments and services usually included in private healthcare policies. It is not a guarantee that every plan will include these features.

How the Different Insurers Cover Cancer in their Health Insurance Policies

Most insurers include cancer cover as part of their ‘core’ or inpatient cover:

Aviva

• Chemo/radiotherapy
  Fully covered, including treatment at home when clinically appropriate. Side‐effect treatments (e.g., antibiotics, antisickness meds, steroids, pain relief, immune boosters, blood transfusions) are also included
• Bone-strengthening drugs are covered in full
• Bone marrow / stem cell transplants: Fully covered, including collection, storage, implantation, and donor cells (excluding search/donor compatibility testing or courier costs)
• Preventative treatment
  E.g. the removal of a healthy breast in the event that you’ve been diagnosed with cancer in the other breast
• Donation of up to £10,000 to a hospice
  In the form of a £100 per night benefit if you need end of life care
• NHS cash benefit
  If you receive NHS treatment for cancer that would have been covered by the policy, you’ll receive £100 a day for each day you receive treatment as an inpatient, day-patient or outpatient, including each day spent receiving IV chemotherapy at home and £100 each week you’re taking oral chemotherapy drugs at home.
• Ongoing needs
  Diagnostic tests and specialist consultations post-treatment are covered (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer monitoring). Medical devices and stent replacements up to five years post-treatment are included
• Up to £100 for wigs and up to £5,000 for external prostheses.

Note that Aviva does not pay for hormone therapy unless deemed medically necessary to shrink a tumour before surgery or radiotherapy

AXA Healthcare

AXA Health has two levels of cancer care:

• Comprehensive Cancer Cover
• NHS Cancer Support.

Comprehensive Cancer Cover offers full cancer cover, while NHS Cancer Support, an option that can be selected to lower the premium, does not cover cancer except in the case that the NHS does not pay for a particular drug or treatment due to its cost. This means all cancer treatment will have to be on the NHS unless there’s a particular drug or treatment your consultant recommends that the NHS doesn’t supply.

• Licensed cancer drugs not funded by the NHS: Covered under both options, if recommended by a specialist.
• Chemotherapy & radiotherapy: Covered in full under Comprehensive Cover. Under NHS Cancer Support, the treatment is NHS-based, but AXA will cover any eligible drugs not funded by the NHS.
• Chemotherapy at home: Available where clinically appropriate. 
• Bone-strengthening drugs: Covered under Comprehensive Cancer Cover
• Hormone therapy
• Bone marrow / stem cell transplants
• Hospice donation
  £100 donation to charity for every night you receive the end of life hospice or home care.
• Additional support: Up to £1,000 per year for wigs, head coverings, and microblading after hair loss caused by cancer treatment.
• Access to their Dedicated Cancer Nurses, a 24/7 helpline, and second medical opinion services as part of both cover levels.

AXA will pay for unproven drugs in certain circumstances, such as if you’ve been invited to participate in a randomised clinical trial approved by an appropriate ethics committee.

Bupa

Bupa has two levels of cancer care:

• Cancer Cover
• NHS Cancer Cover Plus.

On a Comprehensive (inpatient and outpatient) policy, Cancer Cover pays for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in full, whereas NHS Cancer Cover Plus pays for the diagnosis of cancer but all treatment will be on the NHS unless there are drugs/treatments only available privately.

On a Treatment & Care (outpatient only) policy, with Cancer Cover, all post-diagnosis treatment is paid in full whereas under NHS Cancer Cover Plus all diagnosis and treatment will be on the NHS unless there are drugs/treatments only available privately.

• Chemo/radiotherapy
  Including genetic testing to match chemotherapy to you and your type of cancer
• Hormone therapy
• Bone-strengthening drugs
• Bone marrow / stem cell transplants
• For breast and bowel cancer symptoms, the option to bypass your GP and go straight to Bupa (where you have diagnostic cover and your symptoms are covered by the policy)
• NHS Cash Benefit
  If you have Cancer Cover but still opt to have your treatment on the NHS, you’ll receive an NHS cash benefit of £100 per night up to 35 nights per year for each night you spend in the hospital receiving cancer treatment.

Bupa does not pay charitable donations towards end of life / palliative care in a hospice.

The Exeter

The Exeter places neither financial nor time limits on its cancer treatment.

• Diagnostics (specialist consultations, tests, and scans)
• Surgery (tumour resection, reconstructive surgery) 
• Chemo/radiotherapy:
  Including the option to have chemotherapy at home where possible
• Hormone therapy
• Bone strengthening drugs
• Bone marrow / stem cell transplants
• Donation of up to £250 to a hospice
  If you need end of life / palliative care
• NHS cash benefit:
  £150 per night for up to 30 nights if you have free NHS inpatient treatment for cancer that would otherwise have been covered under your policy
• Monitoring:
  Full cover for follow up reviews related to the continuing care of cancer, including when in remission

The Exeter does not cover preventative treatment, including the prophylactic removal of healthy tissue to reduce future risk of disease

Vitality

• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy: Covered in full when recommended by a specialist. Includes the option for home chemotherapy, where clinically appropriate.
• Bone-strengthening drugs: covered when needed as part of the cancer treatement 
• Hormone therapy: if recommended as part of your treatement plan
• Scalp cooling:
  To reduce hair loss from chemotherapy
• Follow up consultations
• Targeted cancer screenings:
  Discounted or included screenings for breast, bowel and cervical cancer via Vitality’s Targeted Cancer Screening Programme.
• End of life care
  Pain relief plus the services of a qualified nurse at home for up to 14 days (max £1,000 per day)
• NHS cash benefit
  £250 per night (up to a maximum of £2,000 per treatment) for inpatient treatment and £125 per day (up to a maximum of £500 per course) for day-patient treatment
• Up to £300 per condition for wigs / Up to £200 per condition for mastectomy bras / Up to £5,000 per condition for external prostheses

Why should I have cancer insurance?

While it’s true that cancer care has come leaps and bounds in recent years, cancer treatments and therapies can still come at a significant cost.

One in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. As such, it’s worth preparing for the worst, as much as we hope to never have to deal with such a debilitating illness. By including cancer treatment in your private medical insurance plan, you can rest assured knowing that you will get the treatment you need when you need it, avoiding lengthy NHS wait times.

Cancer Cover in Health Insurance FAQ