Our history

In 2015, AXA PPP healthcare celebrated 75 years of providing private healthcare plans to millions of people.

In April we launched Personal Health, a private healthcare plan that offers extensive heart and cancer cover and care, family care and no claims discount.

 In May we announced that, subject to regulatory approval, we’d be acquiring The Permanent Health Company Ltd (PHC). We would also be acquiring Simplyhealth’s private medical insurance business, subject to approval by the appropriate authorities.

The first day of 2014 saw the launch of AXA PPP healthcare's new referral approach for members and employees with musculoskeletal conditions.

For the fifth consecutive year, AXA was ranked No.1 global insurance brand, with a brand value of $7,096m.

On March 12th 2012, AXA PPP healthcare completed the acquisition of health insurance provider Health-on-Line.

AXA announced that it had signed and closed the sale of Denplan to Simplyhealth Group Limited. Denplan has been part of AXA PPP healthcare since 1993 and has grown to be the leading provider of dental payment plans.

AXA PPP healthcare International created in response to the growing international market.

Launch of First Healthcare designed specifically for children.

Acquisition of ICAS International Holdings, leading provider of health and wellbeing services and creation of AXA ICAS.

We celebrated 20 years of the AXA brand.

Launch of the Health and Wellbeing suite of products/services to support organisations interested in the health and welfare of their employees.

Launch of Health Cover and Health Cover Plus, a No Claims Discount product for individuals.

Launch of Retirement Essentials, a low cost plan for the over 55’s.

Launch of Independent Health Cover (IHC) a plan specifically for sole traders.

Medical Industrial Services (MIS) Ltd, which was purchased in 1998, was rebranded AXA PPP healthcare Occupational Health Services.

To reflect our new ownership, we were renamed AXA PPP healthcare. The last few years have seen the launch of many other products including:

• Launch of Recovery, a medical plan covering treatment following a road traffic accident
• Launch of CashBack, our cash plan product
• Essential Health Cover, a cancer, heart and stroke medical plan

Over 2 million people now enjoy membership with AXA PPP healthcare.

Launch of CommonSense, a packaged health and safety and occupational health product.

We were acquired by Guardian Royal Exchange, which was itself acquired the following year by Sun Life & Provincial Holdings, part of the AXA Group.

We were also on the acquisition trail, buying the UK's leading provider of occupational health services, Medical Industrial Services (MIS) Ltd, which was rebranded AXA PPP healthcare Occupational Health Services in 2003.

More product innovations were launched too. In 1998, we launched Back to Health, a corporate scheme aimed at lowering the cost of sickness absence.

In 1993 we acquired Denplan, the UK's leading dental payment plan specialist. We also continued to develop our business, launching our 24-hour customer health information service, Health at Hand and our employee assistance programme, Employee Support.

We also introduced our hospital network in 1997.

In the 1970s and 1980s we launched a number of ground-breaking initiatives. These included:

• Family Masterplan, a medical insurance plan offering private healthcare for the whole family.
• Private Hospital Plan, a low cost plan that made medical insurance an option for millions of new customers.
• Retirement Health Plan, the first private medical insurance scheme for the over 60s.

We changed our trading name to Private Patients Plan.

In 1943 we launched our Hospital Service Plan, costing two pounds twelve shillings a year. In its first year it attracted 3,100 members from the London region.

Membership was extended to the rest of the UK in 1950.

AXA PPP healthcare, or the London Association for Hospital Services as it was first known, was conceived in 1938 as a health insurance scheme for middle income earners in London. With support from the Royal Medical Colleges, the British Medical Association and the King’s Fund, the company was incorporated in 1940.