If you've searched the web for private health insurance that covers hiv then you are most likely for looking for established UK based health insurance companies that can cover your hiv.
Our advice when shopping around for health insurance that covers hiv is to speak to a health insurance broker. Health insurance is incredibly complicated and if you want absolute certainty that hiv is covered by your policy you should consult with a broker who can explain which policy providers will cover this medical condition and which will not.
There are many advantages to using a insurance broker but the largest by far is that you're using their expertise at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than by you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different areas? Some will give you a lower policy premium than offers. A broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance policy? A broker will know this critical information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different insurance policies?
- You've developed a certain medical condition and want to know which insurer offers the biggest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you huge amounts of time and effort.
You can call around every health insurance provider on the market and ask if they cover hiv, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its much quicker to speak to one medical insurance broker which will know which providers on the market cover hiv and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
HIV Information
HIV is a long term health condition which is now very easy to manage. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. The virus targets the immune system and if untreated, weakens your ability to fight infections and disease.
Nowadays, HIV treatment can stop the virus spreading and if used early enough, can reverse damage to the immune system.
HIV is most commonly transmitted through having unprotected sex with someone with HIV who isn't taking HIV treatment. Unprotected sex means having sex without taking HIV PrEP or using condoms.
HIV can also be transmitted by:
All pregnant women are offered an HIV test and if the virus is found, they can be offered treatment which virtually eliminates risk to their child during pregnancy and birth.
People who take HIV treatment and whose virus level is undetectable can't pass HIV on to others. Although there is no cure for HIV yet, people living with HIV who take their treatment should have normal lifespans and live in good health.
Without treatment, people with HIV will eventually become unwell. HIV can be fatal if it's not detected and treated in time to allow the immune system to repair. It's extremely important to test for HIV if you think you've been exposed.
HIV is found in body fluids of a person with the virus, whose levels of virus are detectable.
The body fluids most likely to contain enough virus to pass on HIV to another person are:
HIV is a fragile virus and does not survive outside the body for long.
HIV is most commonly passed on through unprotected anal or vaginal sex. There is a very low risk of getting HIV through oral sex and there can be a small risk through sharing sex toys, which can be eliminated by using fresh condoms for each person using the toy.
Read more about what causes HIV
Seek healthcare advice as soon as possible if you think you might have been exposed to HIV.
The only way to find out if you have HIV is to have an HIV test. This involves testing a sample of your blood or occasionally saliva for signs of the infection. In NHS services this usually involves a blood test with results available within a few days.
Some services, including HIV or sexual health charities, may provide saliva tests. Saliva tests that indicate a person may have HIV will need to be confirmed through a blood test.