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Aviva: Health Insurance reviews

1.80
Based on 186 reviews, last reviewed 1st Jul 2025
200% increase in 5 star reviews
in the past 90 days
50% decrease in 1 star reviews
in the past 90 days
See only 5 star reviews
18%
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5%
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2%
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3%
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72%

Latest highest rating:

5

Very easy producure, making a claim, tracking the st... Very easy producure, making a claim, tracking the status online and always able to speak to someone if you have any questions. Reviewed on: 13th June 2025
Wayne Morton's avatar
Wayne Morton

Latest lowest rating:

2

Poor oncology team, poor communication style. I unfortunately had cancer and my local private hospital referred me to a London hospital because the only surgeon who did what I needed was there. Av... Read more Reviewed on: 1st July 2025
Anna N's avatar
Anna N

About this product

Aviva health insurance gives policyholders access to 100s of hospitals across the country, allowing you to choose where you’ll be treated. There are three levels of cover available: Core, Advance and Reduce. Policyholders can access a range of wellbeing services, including healthy eating advice and gym membership discounts.

Before taking out a health insurance policy, check customer reviews to learn how satisfied existing policyholders are. The Aviva health insurance reviews on Smart Money People can give you valuable insight into the provider and its policies.

Find out how long policyholders have had their health insurance with Aviva and how satisfied they’ve been so far. Learn what is and isn’t covered under the health insurance policy to decide if it suits your requirements. Read about genuine experiences with the customer service team to learn how swiftly Aviva resolves customer concerns. Find out more about the wellbeing services available and how often existing customers use them. Make an informed decision about your new policy by reading our Aviva health insurance reviews.

If you have a health insurance policy with Aviva, share your experience with others. Tell us what level of cover you have and whether you’ve been satisfied with your choice. Have you made a claim on your policy, and if so, how quickly did you receive the payout? Are there any aspects of the insurance that you feel could be improved? Would you renew your policy with Aviva and recommend it to your family and friends? Write an honest Aviva health insurance review today. Together, we can help people like you make better financial decisions.

Aviva Health Insurance reviews (186)

Review of the Aviva, Health Insurance:

Horrendous. Utterly diabolic!

1
Horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. A nightmare. Utterly diabolic system, specifically designed to put your in constant stress, strain and struggle, so you run out of energy and give up. I have been having Aviva health insurance policy for a few years at the time I had to make a claim. Everything was fine while I paid, its a big company, so you kind of thinking you are protected, they have such a nice and shiny web site… Then when you dare to make a claim, this is where a nightmare starts. 1. No one picks up the phone for hours. Literally, for hours. No customer service presence EVER. The phone automatic msgs constantly says they are extremely busy, whatever time and day you call. You need to wait at least 45 mins on the phone to get throgh to the real person (thats the quickest I ever managed to get through after my many efforts) Im pretty sure this shortage on staff and responce is there deliberately. 2. Once you made a claim on their web site, and added all supporting documents, including GP referral and previous tests and scans (its mandotory before they even look into your claim) they suppose to contact you within 7 days. Guess what? Noone does. You have to chase them. Again. Call and wait for hours or try to get throgh their chatbot on the web site. 3. The chatbot is another nightmare. Everything is made to kick you off and not get you through to the real person. It is really hard to get through their automatic system. Sometimes just impossible. It is also, Im sure, made deliberately. 4. Once you made a claim, they will start looking for anything, literally, anything in you medical record to reject the claim. Trying to say its pre existing medical condition and etc. They try really hard, mind you. 5. Once you managed to get through these previous steps, and your claim was accepted, you still cant go to the consultant, no. They need to AUTHORISE your treatment. Otherwise its not gonna be paid for you. And this is your owns fault if you went to the doctor before they authorised any treatment in their system. They also choose a hospital for you and provide you the names of the authorised consultant. Only after this you can call to the hospital and book the appointment with a consaltant they choose. 6. Same steps happen with everything, every appointment or test you need to make. Whether its scans or tests or doctor consultations. Time flies by, appointments are not happening immediately, and here we are many months after without health issue being solved or any real result. ;) Congrats. 7. After months and months of struggle with their system, my surgery have been eventually postponed by the Spire hospital on the last day before the actual surgery. 3 weeks after the surgery assesment they suddenly decided I have to go to see a cardiologist and a GP, just to make them feel safer with what they do. ;) I have done this. And guess what? To the time I have done this (it was another month or so) the consultant who was suppose to perform this surgery just left this hospital ;))))) The end. At this point I could stand it no more! So I went to Russia (this is where Im from), and in 2 weeks there they have done all the tests and scans from scratch, prepared me for the surgery and performed the actual surgery. Done. And guess what? It was free. After this I canceled this ridiculous, torturing insurance and never looked back.) Eveything is hard, to the extent, its too much effort to make anything work. This is made deliberately by Aviva, to kick you off when you need them and cynically get their profit. And when you having health issues the last thing you want is more stress, struggle and palaver in your life. Having health issies is streessful enough. Then Aviva just adds more streess and struggle in already very hard circumstances. The whole reason of having private health insurance in the first place, is to have a stress free healthcare and fast specialist appointments. This is not what this is about. They just take your money and dont care about the rest. They dont even pick up the phone. Reviewed on: 17th January 2025

Up against a brick wall

1
Staggeringly difficult to make a claim. If you were not feeling well, you would give up within ten minutes, which I can only imagine is what their `goalkeepers` who answer the phone are trying to achieve. I would not recommend this company to any one. Absolutely dreadful. This is a zero star (you have to give a minimum of one apparently - they are not worth one star) review. Reviewed on: 27th May 2021

Company seeking loopholes to avoid claim

1
Five months ago I bought health insurance. Under my policy, I cannot claim for anything I suffered within the two years prior to the start of the policy. I understand that. I accept that. It also says that if the issue can be treated by the NHS within six weeks they would not pay the claim. I understand that. I accept that. A painful medical issue has arisen which satisfies all criteria and for which I require private treatment. I called to enquire about the process as I have not used the insurance before. I was put on hold for a long time. Eventually, the lady returned to recite all the clauses of my contract and also to says that even though this occurred AFTER I bought the policy and I am now seeking treatment FIVE MONTHS after the purchase of the policy the first symptoms occurred TOO CLOSE after the purchase date. Therefore, they need to do a full investigation. They need to requisition complete medical history and get it assessed before making a decision. This was not the question I put to them but this is what they wanted to say anyway. It's a time-consuming process and I am in pain. I want this solved right now not six weeks from today. The reason I bought medical insurance was to access a fast health care as Covid-19 was hogging the show. The treatment is only a couple hundred pounds. If they treat me this way, for a couple hundred pounds, what would happen if it were thousands of pounds? The way this came over was that they were looking for the slimmest loophole to avoid a pay-out. This was my first time and first impressions count. The amount of money that I have paid in premiums in the last five months together with the excesses on the policy, it is worth my while to go to a private doctor, dentist and optician, pay their fully fees and the total cost will be a fraction of the cost of the premium. Needless to say, the policy has been cancelled and shame on me for falling under the spell of their sales pitch. I want an insurance that will work for me, not the other way around. Aviva is not it. Reviewed on: 22nd April 2021

Terrible service on the phone. . Disgraceful.

1
Long winded way to get to see a specialist taking up to 2 weeks for them to deal with even the initial enquiry. Disgraceful. I shall be meaning this company ASAP Reviewed on: 8th April 2021

Medical insurance

1
Don’t touch this company they are an utter con........., they don’t pay out at all. My daughter took pcos and said because she had acne teenager and fatigue it was a symptom. They also get you to fill in forms which Your gp take a fee. It’s an utter disgrace I don’t ever recommend them and will tell everyone happy to take your money but nt pay you out. Don’t use them!!!!!! Reviewed on: 20th March 2021

What a con!

1
Tip 1. when you go to the Doctor and they ask how long have you had the symptoms just reply "on the way in". Went to Doctors with pulled shoulder blade muscle from golf. 18 months later had to go with different symptoms and pain in top shoulder joint (not muscle strain). Turns out I need an operation which is NOT covered because I had complained of pain previosuly! Total crap service and 14 months of pain. Paid for the op myself and would cancel my companys health insurance if it wasnt for the other staff I have on it. Reviewed on: 15th January 2021

Simply awful service

1
Bought my company’s private medical insurance from Aviva on advice of broker against web advice to go for the No.1 provider AXA. Turns out that if you have something as simple as a bruise or a pulled muscle (in my case) in apart of the body you are automatically excluded from any claim for absolutely anything for two years from policy start. So, if you pull a muscle in January one year and then have pain in the shoulder due to bone cancer the following year you are not covered. Better still notes made by non medically qualified personnel are treated as if a Doctor had written them! MY strong advice is this: 1. When booking your Dr’s appointment just say you are ill with no mention of what is wrong or with what. Also only book a week or two before expected appt. 2. Do not say how long you have had the symptoms or indeed what they are but just say it started just before you walked in. 3. Do not mention or comment on any of your medical history. 4. Always request access to your medical records so you can see what is written about you. 5. Make sure if they diagnose something you are given the proper investigative procedure (X-ray, MRI, blood test etc). This will determine exact issue and if you then have another different issue some time later it should be treated as a separate claim. 6. Choose another private medical insurer. Reviewed on: 1st January 2021

Con artists

2
I was with bupa for over 15years through my works health insurance and not a problem even when my wife developed a condition that needed lots of treatment bupa were fantastic, then the company changed providers and whent with aviva that's when it all changed, aviva say they won't cover treatment if that treatment doesn't cure the condition permanently, they fail to mention this beforehand, absolute con artists, Reviewed on: 1st September 2020

Aviva health

5
I highly recommend health insurance with Aviva. I've sorted everything in a few minutes! Easy access to website and helpful phone advisors. Reviewed on: 31st August 2020

Longstanding

4
Always felt happy dealing with Aviva Reviewed on: 25th August 2020

Speedy Diagnostic that excludes diagnostic

1
So, you buy this insurance thinking that you pay a little extra to avoid long waiting lists in this pandemic in case you need diagnostics whether anything is wrong - it's in the name - Speedy diagnostic, skip queues etc. But once you need diagnosing (ultrasound is means to diagnose something afaik), then it isn't included, so essentially you have to join NHS queues to have it done. Of course they say it's in the term and condition however I failed to find where. Complete and utter waste of money! Reviewed on: 10th August 2020

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