Self-employed health insurance

Health insurance for the self-employed

If you’re self-employed, you are your business – which means that you can’t afford to lose any time on the job if you get sick or injured. We’ve teamed up with Equipsme to offer easy, affordable health insurance for self-employed business owners, to help you avoid lengthy waiting lists and costly private treatment, and get you back to work as soon as possible.

• Speed - quicker access to health professionals means you'll be back in business faster
• Flexibility - different levels of healthcare to suit your needs and budget
• Cover for you and your family - you'll have the option to add your loved ones to your healthcare plan

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Our health insurance plans for the self-employed

We offer two levels of cover – our Solo and Solo Plus plans. So whether you want to be covered for stress support, physiotherapy, or in-patient hospital treatment, we've got the right health cover to suit your needs.

How much does small business health insurance cost?

The cost of self-employed health insurance depends on the plan you choose. The Solo plan is £30 a month and includes unlimited GP appointments, a health check, nurse helplines, stress support, and the cost of diagnosis. Once you're diagnosed, you'll need to seek treatment from the NHS.

The Solo Plus plan is £48 a month. It covers everything under the Solo plan, plus hospital treatment as a private patient, meaning that once you're diagnosed, you'll get access to private treatment – whether that's in-patient care or fast access to a specialist.

Access to specialists and hospitals are via an approved AXA Health network, who will help you book your treatment.

Do you need health cover as a self-employed business owner?

There are a few reasons you should consider health insurance when you’re self-employed:

Save time

When you’re self-employed, you don’t have time to wait around to speak to a GP or to get medical treatment. If you get sick or injured, a health insurance plan can give you quick access to healthcare professionals – whether that’s a GP or a specialist.

Get back to business quicker

Getting faster access to treatment means you can get back to running your business as soon as possible, without spending months on a waiting list.

Cover for you and your family

The option to buy healthcare cover for your partner and children.

Self-employed health insurance FAQs

Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about self employed health insurance.

• Is health insurance worth it?

  Having a health insurance plan in place can help you get back to work quickly if you get sick or injured. You may not have to spend as much time waiting to be diagnosed, or to receive treatment.

  Our health insurance plans with Equipsme can give you access to healthcare facilities and treatment at a time that suits you. On top of that, you’ll also have access to private GPs, nurse helplines, stress support, and online health checks. You won’t be asked any medical questions when you apply – you’ll simply get a list of pre-existing conditions that are excluded from our healthcare plans.

  Importantly, you’ll have the option to add your partner and children to your health insurance plan. Any family members added to your plan will have the same access to treatment as you do. You can add up to six children aged under 25 – and you’ll be able to cover all of them for just half the cost of your normal monthly bill.

• Who is eligible for health insurance with Simply Business and Equipsme?

  In order to qualify for our self-employed health insurance plans, you must be:

  a sole trader or a small business owner with no employees trading in the UK registered with HMRC for Self Assessment or on Companies House

  If you have employees and you’re looking to buy health insurance, you can read more about business health insurance here.

  Unfortunately, we can’t offer our health insurance plans to anyone aged 60 or over. We also can’t cover for the following:

  • partners under the age of 16
  • dependants over the age of 25
  • more than six children

  In addition, you mustn’t have an existing policy with Equipsme.

  Unfortunately, we can’t offer health insurance to business owners living in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

• Do you have health insurance group plans for the self-employed?

  Depending on your business set-up, you have two options when it comes to buying a health insurance plan with us.

  If you’re a sole trader or a self-employed business owner, then you’ll be able to buy health insurance for yourself, your partner, and your children.

  if you’re a small business owner and you’re looking to buy health insurance for yourself and your employees, then you can read more about our small business health insurance plans.

• Is cancer covered in your healthcare plans?

  When it comes to cancer, fast diagnosis is key to getting treatment quickly. So the Solo and Solo Plus plans will cover you until cancer is diagnosed. At this point, you’ll be guided back into the NHS for treatment, as cancer care after diagnosis is not covered.

  All plans offer access to a dedicated nurse helpline, so you can speak to heart and cancer nurse specialists for information and support.

• Is self-employed health insurance tax deductible?

  If you’re a sole trader, health insurance is considered a personal benefit so you usually can’t deduct it from your taxes. But if you can prove that you’ve had medical treatment solely for work purposes, you may be able to claim some tax relief.

  As HMRC can issue penalties for paying the wrong amount of tax, you should always seek advice from a qualified accountant.

We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions