Aviva Healthier Solutions Comprehensive Review: Pros, Cons & What's Included

At a glance: From £45/month · Comprehensive tier · Best for: cost control via excess choice, larger families, no max joining age · Excess options: £0–£1,500

What is Aviva Healthier Solutions Comprehensive?

Aviva is one of the UK's largest and longest-established insurers, and its Healthier Solutions policy is widely regarded for clarity and breadth of cover delivered in a straightforward, traditional structure — no wellness engagement mechanics, no complex modular add-on tree. What stands out most practically is the sheer number of excess options (up to seven different levels) and the ability to limit or remove outpatient cover entirely to control cost.

Who this plan is actually for

• Families, particularly larger families, thanks to Aviva's eldest-child-only pricing on family policies
• Buyers who want maximum control over premium via excess level, without the complexity of a modular add-on system
• People who prefer predictable, claims-based renewal pricing with no lifestyle-tracking element
• Anyone wanting to ease into private cover via the optional 6-week NHS wait threshold rather than full private-only access

Pros

• The widest range of excess options in the UK market — up to seven levels from £0 to £1,500, giving genuinely fine-grained control over premium versus out-of-pocket cost
• Eldest-child-only pricing on family policies — every additional child is covered at no extra charge, which produces meaningful savings for families with more than one child
• Per-member no-claims discount — similar to Bupa, each person on the policy builds their own NCD independently
• Free newborn cover with a cash payout for children added to the policy during the term, useful if you're planning to grow your family
• MyHealthCounts wellness scheme offers genuine discounts (cited up to around 15% off renewal) for healthy lifestyle factors, without the ongoing engagement tracking that defines Vitality's model
• No maximum joining age, useful if you're insuring an older family member alongside younger ones on the same policy

Cons

• Outpatient cover is optional to remove or limit, which lowers price but means you need to actively choose the right level rather than getting full cover by default
• Mental health cover is included for inpatient treatment as standard, but outpatient mental health support is typically an optional extra — check this specifically if ongoing therapy access matters to you
• The "Expert Select" guided hospital option trades specialist choice for a lower premium, similar to AXA's Guided pathway — not everyone wants this trade-off
• No wellness-engagement discount mechanism — if you're already very healthy and active, you won't get the kind of ongoing reward Vitality offers for the same behaviour

What's included as standard

Benefit	Coverage
Cancer cover	Full — diagnostics, surgery, chemotherapy, with monitoring for up to 10 years post-treatment via Expert Select
Mental health	Inpatient included as standard; outpatient typically optional
Outpatient cover	Full, or limit/remove to reduce cost
Therapies (physio etc.)	Optional add-on
Dental & optical	Optional add-on
No-claims discount	Available, per-member
Excess options	£0, £100, £200, £250, £500, £1,000, £1,500

What it costs

Indicative pricing starts from around £45/month, among the more competitively priced comprehensive policies from a major UK insurer. The biggest cost lever is excess choice, given how many levels Aviva offers — moving from £0 to £500 or higher produces a substantial saving, and limiting outpatient cover can reduce the price further still.

How it compares

Aviva's most relevant comparisons are Vitality (similar broad audience, very different pricing philosophy) and Bupa (similar comprehensive scope, different price point). See our full Vitality vs Aviva comparison for the detailed breakdown of wellness-linked versus straightforward pricing.

Should you choose this plan?

This plan suits you if you want maximum flexibility to dial cost up or down via excess and outpatient limits, particularly if you have a larger family or don't want to engage with a wellness tracking programme to get a fair price. If comprehensive outpatient and mental health cover without any configuration matters more to you than price flexibility, Bupa's more inclusive structure may be a better starting point for comparison.

A whole-of-market broker can see this plan alongside every other option on the table, including ones that might suit you better once your full circumstances are taken into account — which is why speaking to one before you buy is usually worth the five minutes it takes.

Speak to an adviser

Prefer to go direct? Get a quote from Aviva's own site →

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Prices and features in this review are indicative and based on publicly available product information. Your actual premium will depend on your age, postcode, medical history and chosen cover options. This article is for general information only and is not financial or insurance advice — always confirm current terms with Aviva or a regulated broker before purchasing.