How Aviva Global Treatment works, what it covers, and why it comes up when arranging a mortgage and protection
We are often asked two questions when someone comes to us for mortgage advice.
The first one is obvious.
Can you help me get the right mortgage?
The second usually comes a little later.
How does protection fit around the mortgage?
Mortgages are the headline. Protection is the safety net underneath.
A mortgage is a long term commitment. For most people it runs for twenty or thirty years. During that time life does not stay neat. Illness happens. Accidents happen. Things you never planned for still turn up.
Protection is about keeping choices open and protecting the plan you commit to when you take on a mortgage.
That is why protection comes up naturally in mortgage conversations, and why options like Aviva Global Treatment exist.
What if the best treatment is not available through the NHS
Most people assume the NHS will always have the answer. Most of the time it does.
But some serious illnesses need very specialist treatment. Sometimes the right expertise sits in a small number of hospitals around the world, not necessarily here in the UK.
That is the gap Aviva Global Treatment is designed to fill.
It is not private medical insurance.
It is not something you buy on its own.
And it is not available without advice.
What Aviva Global Treatment actually is
Aviva Global Treatment is an optional add-on benefit that can be added to certain Aviva protection policies, but only through a financial adviser.
If you or an eligible child are diagnosed with a covered serious condition, it can give access to leading medical specialists and treatment overseas, where appropriate, and manage the process for you.
It sits alongside your main Aviva protection policy and cannot be taken out on its own.
How much does it cost
This is usually the bit that surprises people.
Aviva Global Treatment typically costs around £3 a month when added to an Aviva protection policy and is reviewable every three years.
For many people, it is one of the lowest-cost protection add-ons available, yet it can unlock access to specialist care worldwide if it is ever needed.
Which policies it can be added to
Global Treatment cannot be bought on its own.
It can only be arranged through an adviser and added to certain Aviva Individual Protection policies, including:
Life insurance
Critical illness cover
Income protection
You can only hold this benefit on one Aviva policy at any time.
What illnesses does Aviva Global Treatment cover
This benefit is not open-ended. It applies to a defined list of serious illnesses and medical procedures, subject to medical definitions and approval.
In plain terms, it covers overseas treatment for the following main areas.
Cancer treatment
This includes treatment for malignant cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and sarcoma, as well as certain early-stage and in situ cancers, where the diagnosis meets the policy definitions.
Major heart surgery
This includes coronary artery bypass surgery and heart valve replacement or repair. Procedures such as angioplasty on their own are not included.
Neurosurgery
This includes surgery involving the brain or other intracranial structures, and surgery for benign tumours located in the spinal cord.
Live donor organ transplants
This includes transplants involving a kidney, a liver lobe, a lung lobe, or a portion of the pancreas from a compatible living donor.
Bone marrow and stem cell transplants
This includes bone marrow transplantation and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, using either the patient’s own cells or cells from a compatible living donor.
For treatment to be covered it must be medically necessary, approved in advance, and carried out at the overseas hospital confirmed as part of the claim process.
How the support actually works
Once a qualifying diagnosis is confirmed, the case is managed for you.
A nurse case manager is assigned.
Treatment options are explored with international specialists.
Hospitals and consultants are identified.
Travel and accommodation are arranged within policy limits.
The aim is to remove stress and complexity at a point where people already have enough to deal with.
Cover for children
Eligible children are included under the benefit.
Children are covered up to age 18, or up to age 23 if they remain in full time education.
Where a child requires overseas treatment, travel support can include parents, subject to the policy terms.
What this does not do
This matters just as much as what it does do.
It does not cover every illness.
It does not replace the NHS.
It is not general private healthcare.