FAQs

Equipsme is FCA regulated, like a broker, and we develop our own products with insurers and service partners. We’re an intermediary, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, under the name Equipsme Insurance Services Ltd. We’re based in London and you can contact us at hello@equipsme.com or arrange for a call back at 020 3965 6410.

We develop our own exclusive health insurance and wellbeing support plans, aimed specifically at businesses throughout the UK. We don’t sell personal policies to consumers.

Equipsme will act on behalf of insurers when promoting, selling and administering any insurance benefits in our plans.

We’ll help you decide – but not tell you what to buy.

We provide all the key information about what is and isn’t covered by our plans and answer questions to help businesses decide what they want and need from an employee health insurance and wellbeing plan. As we distribute and sell our own products, we don’t review the whole market, so we can’t give recommendations or advice!

Equipsme Plans are available directly from us, or through certain Insurance Brokers. Your broker may be able to offer recommendations and advice.

We’re digital, so both companies and employees can do pretty much everything needed online via our Members portal or App. We’ve focussed on the things we know people really value, which is why our plans include things like 24/7 GP access, and physio appointments.

We don’t have a long eligibility criteria, just an age range for people we’ll cover, and a three year pre-existing conditions exclusion.

We try and keep everything simple, transparent, and practical.

To join Equipsme please go to the myBenefits platform through ‘Private Healthcare Insurance from Equipsme’.

You can choose to cover you and your family at anytime during the year. Please go to the myBenefits platform through Private Healthcare Insurance from Equipsme’. As your plan is arranged through your employer your plan will always have a 1^st November renewal date

You can add your partner to your Equipsme plan if you’re married, in a civil partnership or living together permanently in a similar relationship. You can also add your children and your partner’s children (a maximum of 6 children can be added at a cost of 50%). Children can stay on the plan up to the age of 25 when they will come off the plan at the renewal date following their birthday.

Once you have made your initial selection (choosing cover level and whether to add family members) on your myBenefits platform and you are enrolled on the Equipsme plan, the next available opportunity to change these selections will be at the annual renewal window or if you have an eligible life event.

Once your Equipsme health insurance plan becomes active you will receive an email with all the information you need as an Equipsme member on how to create your account, access your members portal, download the App and make the most of your benefits.

There will also be additional info made available to you on your myBenefits Equipsme tab once your plan has incepted.

We recommend reading the ‘How to use your plan’ guide that will be included in the welcome email and available on the Equipsme tab on your myBenefits portal.

On a level 2 plan (£33 a month) you DO have to pay £150 excess towards your claim, if it is made under the Diagnosis or Treatment plan benefits. This is only payable once on claims during the plan year and not per claim.  There is no excess to pay on any other plan benefits and no excess on physiotherapy.

You need to get your diagnosis/treatment approved by AXA Health before your appointment – so you know whether it’s covered or not to help avoid extra charges or surprise bills on the way.

Members can download the Equipsme App, and use it to request an appointment, any time of the day or night, subject to availability.

They can also call the 24/7 GP line at any time to make an appointment over the phone. For your appointment you’ll speak to a GP on the phone, or by video call.

They can talk through your condition, and even prescribe medication.

Yes. The price will depend on the medication you require and is usually more expensive than a standard NHS prescription.

However, you get the convenience of speaking with a GP quickly, and you can choose to get your prescription sent electronically to your local pharmacy to pick up your own medication, or to get it posted out to you directly.

If you need to be referred to a specialist for diagnosis and treatment, you’ll be able to contact the Equipsme team at AXA Health directly (by phone or by submitting a request via our portal or App) to find out if your condition is covered and they can help you make your first appointment with an approved consultant.

Existing health conditions are covered when you use the GP services, Health at Hand support lines and the health check benefit.

For physio, diagnosis and treatment, there is a 3 year pre-existing conditions exclusion. That means that if you’ve had any disease, illness or injury, or experienced symptoms whether or not you have received medication, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before the start of the insurance cover – you’re not covered for these under your plan.

Our aim is to help protect you from unexpected health issues, and excluding pre-existing conditions means we don’t have to make everyone complete detailed health questionnaires or price variations based on the answers.

Whenever you claim, AXA health may ask your GP, specialist or therapist for more information to confirm whether your claim can be covered. This could be to make sure your condition is not pre-existing, or to make sure that it is a coverable condition under your plan. Your GP may charge you for providing this information. This charge is not covered by your insurance policy.

Yes, and full benefit and exclusion details are contained in your Membership Handbook. To help, we’ve included some of the main conditions we DON’T cover below. For any health queries you can always contact the Health at Hand phone line from AXA Health who can help and support you with any questions.

Cancer – we don’t cover cancer treatment, but we know the key thing with cancer is getting a fast diagnosis. So if your symptoms aren’t pre-existing and diagnosis is included in your plan, you’ll be able to get to the right specialist to help you find out faster. Then, for cancer treatment the dedicated cancer support nurses available under the Equipsme plan will guide you back into the NHS. That’s because treatment for cancer can be incredibly complicated. It’s expensive which could lead to higher prices in future, it requires a team of specialists working together – and we believe all of that is best co-ordinated by the NHS.

Pregnancy and childbirth – we do cover certain related conditions during pregnancy, but we don’t cover other anti-natal or midwifery care.

Mental health conditions – if stress support is part of your plan we can help with telephone and face-to-face counselling, but we can’t provide other psychiatric treatment or support.

Ongoing, recurrent and long-term conditions – we call these “chronic conditions”. Examples include things like Crohns’s Disease.

Overseas treatment – we don’t cover treatment received outside the UK.

At Equipsme we focus our cancer support on early diagnosis but if cancer is diagnosed our plans do not pay for private treatment. We can help plan holders get a telephone or video appointment with a private GP, and depending on the chosen plan level get fast-track referrals for private diagnosis, see a private specialist/consultant, as well as helpline support with any questions if they have to go back into the NHS for treatment – all designed to help cut the waiting list for diagnosis which can also help speed up access to treatment back in the NHS

Terms and conditions do apply so if you are interested in an Equipsme plan we do recommend reading our full documentation. If you have any questions on what can be a complicated subject, please feel free to contact us.

You have bought an Equipsme health insurance plan through your employer. Using the link in your email, log in to create your members account, see your plan benefits and make changes to your plan.

You can see all your plan details and make changes to your account on our Equipsme members portal or App. When you’ve been added to the plan, you’ll get an email from us explaining how to set up your account and create a password.

We’ll send a code to your email address registered with us (just so everything is secure) and then you’ll be able to access the portal by going to the top right of the Equipsme homepage, and logging in. You can also download our Equipsme Members App via the App Store or Google Play.

You’ll see your plan start date in your Welcome email.

When you’re setting up your account using the links in the email, you’ll need to provide some information to pass data protection checks – and you’ll be sent a Verification Code by email. This is a 4-6 digit one-time passcode that you’ll need before setting your password. When you receive the passcode enter it as soon as possible (as they are time sensitive for only a few minutes), and then follow the on-screen instruction to help you set a strong password before using it to login and access your online Equipsme account.

If for any reason you encounter problems receiving a code or setting your password to log in, email us at members@equipsme.com and we’ll sort it out.

Don’t worry! This happens to everyone. Click on ‘LOGIN’ which you can find in the main navigation bar on any page of our website. Below the login button is a reset/forgotten password link. Click this link and enter the email address which you registered with. You will then receive an email from us to help you reset your password! You must have set up an account with us before trying to reset a password. The link to setting up your account is in your welcome email.

Should you have difficulty logging in, please email members@equipsme.com. We will get in contact as soon as possible to help you.

Please note though, Equipsme has been built for modern browsers such as Chrome, Safari and Firefox. It probably won’t work on an older Internet Explorer browser. As a first step if you’re having problems, try downloading Chrome and launching the website from there.

You can make amends to your details on your myBenefits portal here.

As soon as you leave your employer your Equipsme plan is cancelled, your employer will inform us and all cover for you (and your family if included) will stop on that date.

The Equipsme Health Insurance plan is exclusively available to you through your company, and we’re really sorry, but we don’t have an individual continuation option.

We may, however, be able to pass your details onto AXA Health, with your permission. They can help you explore your options – but please note other health insurance plans may not provide the same benefits, choices or type of cover.

The best way to access your benefits and make appointments is from your Equipsme Members portal or App. You can login to your portal on www.equipsme.com/members/login/ or download the App onto your phone from the App Store or Google Play.

Enter your email address and password to login, click on the relevant benefit icon on the home page and then follow the simple instructions to request your appointment.

You also have the option of phoning to make an appointment – all details are inlcuded on your portal or App.

The best place to start is to read your How to Use Your Plan guide, which you can find on the Equipsme members portal or App. It’s a guide with a simple flow diagram showing you what to do when!

We know you’re not a medical expert, so we won’t expect you to decide where is best to start. Just get in touch, and we’ll help you check what’s covered, and pick where and what to do next.

Please don’t arrange your own physio appointments or consultations with a specialist. These appointments have to be made through the Equipsme team at AXA Health. You don’t want to pick a person or clinic that isn’t recognised under your plan and risk your bills not being covered!

Don’t worry, there is an approved medical network of medical professionals, diagnostic centres and hospitals you’re covered to use. The aim is always to limit your travel distance or make initial appointments by phone or video.

Equipsme have joined forces with Thriva to offer you the option to do a home health check as part of your health insurance plan. Thriva are experts in preventative care, and aim to help put people in control of their own health – which is exactly what Equipsme is all about, too.

These home health checks are there if you’re just not feeling 100%, or if you just want to do a bit of an MOT. They’re simple, easy, and quick – and can be done from the comfort of your own home.

You have access to an online health check, a selection of Diabetes, Cholesterol + Vitamin D tests (depending on the cover level you have chosen) and a GP report. But that’s not all – as a valued member, you can also enjoy a 20% discount on other Thriva tests using an exclusive discount code which can be found on your members portal once you have signed up.

To get started on this exciting journey towards better health, you will receive an email from Thriva (hello@thriva.co) where you will be invited to create your Thriva profile. Simply confirm your details and set up your account. Once you have done this you can order your test kit (if included in your plan), which will then be sent out to you in the post. You do your own test at home, and send it back in the post too! Your kit comes with everything you need and full instructions to do a finger-prick blood test.

Your Equipsme plan provides cover for a year. Your membership certificate will show the dates on which your cover starts and ends.

All premiums must continue to be up to date for your cover to continue.

If you join your company and the plan part way through the plan year, you may have less than 12 months until the renewal date.

Please refer to your membership handbook and our privacy notice which can be found on our website.

In summary, we’ll only use your information in ways we’re allowed to by law, which means we only collect what we need, don’t sell it to 3^rd parties, and will always get your consent to process medical information when it’s necessary to do so.

You can choose to cover yourself as the employee as long as you are between the age of 16 and 69 years on the plan effective date. Once you have chosen a cover level for yourself, you can extend cover to include your partner/spouse (over the age of 16 years) and your children (under the age of 25 of the plan effective date).

All updates to personal details should be made on your myBenefits platform once you (and any family added) are enrolled on the Equipsme plan. The next available opportunity to change your cover level and add/remove family members will be at the annual renewal window or if you have an eligible life event. Please contact the myBenefits helpdesk on 02380 831 746,  Monday to Friday. 08:30 – 17:30 or use the help feature within the myBenefits site

Not always, they can vary, but in the example mentioned on the call the private prescription charge for my colleague’s antibiotics was £10.

Traditional private medical insurance can offer a lot more including cancer treatment and full psychiatric in-patient cover for example. Equipsme does not cover cancer treatment and psychiatric treatment but our level 1 cover does give you access to a range of health benefits including private consultations, tests and diagnosis, private treatment, physio, health checks and private 24/7 GP.

Equipsme (like other UK health insurance providers) only offers UK based treatment and cover. However, you can use our Health at Hand support service (with access to nurses, mid wives, counsellors and pharmacists) and our 24/7 GP line when you are on holiday abroad.

Any immediate family members added to the plan can only be added on the same cover level as chosen by the employee.

When you take out an Equipsme plan only new conditions will be considered for cover for physio, private consultations, specialist diagnostics and tests and private hospital treatment. Anything that you have had any symptoms, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before your plan effective date will not be covered.

As this is a specific medical related query please contact us directly using the contact us form on the website equipsme.com/edf.

Yes, level 1 provides an additional diabetes test on the health check, no yearly limit on physio and no excess to pay on private specialist diagnosis and tests, consultations and private hospital treatment.

For full details about benefits and tax and national insurance please visit the myBenefits portal where you can find all the information for all your benefits.

When you take out an Equipsme plan only new conditions will be considered for cover for physio, private consultations, specialist diagnostics and tests and private hospital treatment. Anything that you have had any symptoms, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before your plan effective date will not be covered.

Speedy cancer diagnosis is key and with Equipsme we cover eligible scans and consultations up to diagnosis, including MRI and PET scans. We don’t go on to cover cancer treatment.  If cancer is diagnosed, we don’t cover the private treatment of it but can still support people going back into the care of the NHS. Throughout, you’ll have the additional support of a dedicated cancer phone line, to help you and your family with questions and information. So our approach is therefore to get our members with diagnosis and treatment on their plan a faster cancer diagnosis – which can often also speed up the referral back into the wonderful NHS for their actual treatment, as the NHS are often best placed to provide that critical care.

Our 24/7 GP service is run by Health Hero, Europe’s largest digital health provider. They are CQC rated and offer remote access, via phone and video, to experienced doctors and expert clinicians. It is not an automated messaging service.

If you think you need access to a physio we make it as simple as possible. Members phone through to AXA Health or submit a claim form through their members portal or App (who provide our physio and health insurance benefits). They will then receive guidance and advice on whether the condition is covered or requires further information first, over the phone or a call back after their claim is submitted on the Equipsme portal or App. If it is then necessary to be seen face to face by a physio you will be directed to a physio in the AXA network, so you know what bills will be covered. Please refer to plan levels to determine which level of physio best suits your needs.

The private 24/7 GP service and the Health at Hand support line (with access to nurses, midwives and pharmacists) are available to discuss all medical conditions whether pre-existing or not. The private GP service cannot refer you to an NHS consultant, only to a private specialist. Your open referral can then be sent to AXA Health to assess whether for an eligible condition that is covered.

At Equipsme, like most private health insurance providers, we don’t cover private treatment that relates to the menopause, including things like Hormone Replacement Therapy – but we do have services that can help women get a firm diagnosis.

Our 24/7 GP is on hand to talk about symptoms – which is particularly useful if your own Doctor isn’t experienced or isn’t listening. Our nurses on the Health at Hand advice line can help you understand your treatment options, work out how to get the most out of your GP appointments, and trouble shoot HRT issues or queries.

Yes, absolutely. Please contact us via the contact us form on the equipsme.com/edf and we will happily send you a full handbook with all terms and conditions.

Equipsme do not cover gender re-assignment or gender confirmation treatment or anything connected with them, such as: gender re-assignment operations or other surgical treatment. The Health at Hand support line is always there for members to discuss any symptoms, questions or treatment, regardless of whether the treatment is covered by the plan or not. For specific questions about cover please don’t hesitate to contact the Equipsme team who will be happy to help.

When you take out an Equipsme plan only new conditions will be covered for physio, private consultations, specialist diagnostics and tests and private hospital treatment. Anything that you have had any symptoms, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before your plan effective date will not be covered.

Equipsme do not cover investigation or treatment of infertility and assisted reproduction, or treatment designed to increase fertility. For full details please refer to the members handbook.

For full details about benefits and tax and national insurance please visit the myBenefits portal where you can find all the information for all your benefits.

Yes, immediate family, including partner/spouse and children, not living at the same address can be covered under the plan. However, all claims are submitted through the employee’s membership so we can only hold details of one UK home address at any one time.

Routine checks are not covered under Equipsme. However, a mammogram would be covered if it was recommended as a diagnostic test by a private specialist, as part of an eligible claim under the plan.

Psychiatric treatment is not included within the Equipsme plan.

Equipsme is an additional health benefit available to EDF employees either as part of their contract or to choose during annual enrolment – The cost of this benefit is taxable but free from National Insurance. The exclusion for pre-existing conditions in the 3 years before your plan effective date will apply and Equipsme does not cover cancer or psychiatric treatment.

All Managerial Contract Holders are contractually obliged to hold Employee only Private Medical Insurance as a minimum. This is different from the Equipsme healthcare insurance plan. Please refer to your contract as appropriate.

No it doesn’t, both plans can complement each other, and as such, you may wish to consider whether cover from each, or both, suits your budget and circumstances. The Simplyhealth healthcare cash plan provides monetary assistance with everyday, proactive, health and wellbeing expenses, such as glasses , contacts and eye tests, dental costs and podiatry, some of which would not be covered under the Equipsme plan. The healthcare insurance from Equipsme gives access to a range of health benefits including private consultations, tests and diagnosis, private treatment, physio, health checks and private 24/7 GP (depending on the cover level you choose). It does not cover dental or optical cover.

The important thing is to assess and make a decision based on your own circumstances, requirements and budget

Equipsme provides cover in the UK (defined under the Plan as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), it doesn’t provide cover in Southern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Children can be covered up until the age of 25 and can remain on cover at age 25 until the next renewal.

No, as part of the private 24/7 GP service you can arrange for a private prescription to be delivered and these are charged dependent upon the medication. You don’t have to use the private prescription service, it’s an option if you need it.

Yes, but all family members need to take the same level of cover. Please note, the Thriva health tests are not available to children, or if you or your partner aren’t 18 yet.

No, all conversations with the 24/7 GP service are confidential. You can request that your notes are added to your NHS GP records.

Equipsme is transparent about what it does and does not cover. Full details are contained in your Membership Handbook and here are some things Equipsme does not provide cover for:

• Pre-existing conditions that you have had treatment, advice or symptoms for in the three years before joining the plan. Although you can use the 24/7 GP line, nurse and midwife support line and health tests from day one, regardless of the condition.
• Cancer treatment – although we do cover up to the point of cancer diagnosis.
• Psychiatric treatment.

Equipsme covers bills in full for all eligible physio treatment, there is no need to pay out of your own pocket and claim back.

The Equipsme plan Level 1 with diagnosis effectively provides no yearly limit on consultations, tests and scans and as well as physio sessions.

There is no excess to pay and nothing to claim back on eligible claims. For example, the cost of a couple of consultations with tests and scans could easily reach £700 to £1,000.

For full details please refer to the myBenefits portal to understand all the differences between the plan options.

No, you can only change your plan level at the renewal window.

When you take out an Equipsme plan only new conditions will be considered for cover for physio, private consultations, specialist diagnostics and tests and private hospital treatment. Anything that you have had any symptoms, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before your plan effective date will not be covered.

Yes, you can stay with your current healthcare provider.

When you take out an Equipsme plan only new conditions will be considered for cover for physio, private consultations, specialist diagnostics and tests and private hospital treatment.

Anything that you have had any symptoms, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before your plan effective date will not be covered. Treatment for a pre-existing condition will not be able to be continued under your Equipsme plan.

For clarification on particular cases please feel free to contact our friendly team on hello@equipsme.com

Once you have selected your plan option you are tied in until the next plan renewal.

The 3-year pre-existing exclusion is assessed based on the effective date of when a member was added to the Equipsme plan, and it is this date that is used when determining whether something is pre-existing or not.

For example, if a members plan effective date is the 1st of November 2023, then this is the date which will be used. If a member renews on the 1st of November 2024, their plan effective date remains the 1st of November 2023.

Once you are a member of Equipsme new conditions will be considered for cover (ie, not pre-existing or otherwise excluded under the plan terms and conditions), as long as you stay as a continuous member. In the example above, the knee injury would continue to be eligible for continued treatment.

Equipsme is an additional health benefit available to EDF employees. Please refer to your contract and the myBenefits portal if you need to check if you need to continue cover with AXA Health.

Please note, if you are able and want to replace the AXA Health benefit with Equipsme you will need to read all terms and conditions carefully. The exclusion for pre-existing conditions in the 3 years before your plan effective date will apply and Equipsme does not cover cancer or psychiatric treatment.

You can join Equipsme at any time during the plan year and cover will start on the 1st of the next month.

There are no benefit qualifying periods with Equipsme.

It is not possible to add on cover for pregnancy or cancer. Equipsme do provide access to a phone helpline where you can speak directly to midwives for help, guidance and support. Equipsme does not include cover for routine scans for pregnancy. Routine pregnancy is a common industry standard exclusion.

Speedy cancer diagnosis is key and with Equipsme we cover eligible scans and consultations up to diagnosis, including MRI and PET scans. We don’t go on to cover cancer treatment.

If cancer is diagnosed, we don’t cover the private treatment of it but can still support people going back into the care of the NHS. Throughout, you’ll have the additional support of a dedicated cancer phone line, to help you and your family with questions and information.

So, our approach is to get our members with diagnosis and treatment on their plan a faster cancer diagnosis – which can often also speed up the referral back into the wonderful NHS for their actual treatment, as the NHS are often best placed to provide that critical care.

When you take out an Equipsme plan only new conditions will be considered for cover for physio, private consultations, specialist diagnostics and tests and private hospital treatment.

Anything that you have had any symptoms, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before your plan effective date will not be covered. For specific medical questions please contact our friendly team on hello@equipsme.com.

Yes, the private prescription service is optional, but the fee is applicable to all members.

Once you have signed up to an Equipsme plan you are committed to the plan for the next 12 months. You can change the plan level at renewal.

You can discuss menopause related queries with our private 24/7 GP line and our 24-hour nurse line. Routine menopause treatment, such as HRT, is not covered by Equipsme, and is an industry standard exclusion. For more information about the support Equipsme provide for the menopause please read our leaflet.

Equipsme, like all private health providers, have a 14-day cooling period. Please refer to the rules of the myBenefits portal for further clarification.

More details relating to chronic conditions can be found in the members handbook which can be found on the myBenefits portal.

Equipsme only provides cover to employees of businesses but (depending on how far in the future you do retire) you can currently contact our insurers AXA Health when you leave EDF to explore what products are available from them as an individual.

If the future surgery does definitely relate to a pre-existing condition, then it would not be covered – but for specific queries about medical conditions please contact hello@equipsme.com.

Each condition and claim is assessed independently, and new conditions will be considered for cover (as long as not pre-existing or otherwise excluded under the plan terms and conditions) and will not specifically take into account any familial history. For specific queries about medical conditions please contact hello@equipsme.com.

Diagnosis, tests and scans would be covered on level 3, 2 and 1. An excess would only be applicable on level 2, and payable once per plan year, not per claim. If that same claim continues treatment beyond the next renewal date, a further excess would be payable.

Yes, the Simplyhealth plan is still available.

When you take out an Equipsme plan only new conditions will be considered for cover for physio, private consultations, specialist diagnostics and tests and private hospital treatment.

Anything that you have had any symptoms, advice or treatment for in the 3 years before your plan effective date will not be covered.

Once you have signed up to an Equipsme plan you are committed to the plan for the next 12 months. At the next renewal it is possible to change the level of plan to either increase or decrease the level of benefits.

If, after diagnosis, the condition is classed as a chronic condition then this would be excluded from cover including routine maintenance and treatment. Please refer to the member handbook, found in the myBenefits portal for full terms and conditions.

Equipsme do not ask if you are a smoker upon joining. Cover for treatment will be dependent on the symptoms/condition itself that is presented at the time of a claim. For example, whether it is a new condition or pre-existing. Please refer to the member handbook, found in the myBenefits portal for full terms and conditions.

Speedy cancer diagnosis is key and with Equipsme we cover eligible scans and consultations up to diagnosis, including MRI and PET scans.

We don’t go on to cover cancer treatment. If cancer is diagnosed, we don’t cover the private treatment of it but can still support people going back into the care of the NHS. Throughout, you’ll have the additional support of a dedicated cancer phone line, to help you and your family with questions and information. So our approach is to get our members with diagnosis and treatment on their plan a faster cancer diagnosis – which can often also speed up the referral back into the wonderful NHS for their actual treatment, as the NHS are often best placed to provide that critical care.

Yes you can absolutely stay with your current health provider.

Chronic conditions are industry standard exclusions and can be very complicated. For specific medical queries please refer to the members handbook on the myBenefits portal or contact our friendly team on hello@equipsme.com.