Health Insurance from Bupa
The Bupa group of companies is perhaps the most well known of health insurance companies and has access to around 400 private and NHS hospitals in the UK – here is information about the company.
Bupa was founded more than 60 years ago and even by 1947 had over 28,000 private customers in the UK alone. It now operates in almost every country in the world and opened its first private hospital in 1981 and now owns the Cromwell hospital in central London.
Bupa can provide a whole host of health care plans and with over 5,000 people being diagnosed with cancer each week in the UK their cancer treatment cover is one of the most extensive there is.
They also have a simply claims process like many of the private insurers to you don’t actually pay anything and have to reclaim from the company as they handle all of the paperwork for you thus relieving stress of the administration process.
There are effectively no waiting lists with Bupa as you get prompt medical treatment when required so long as its covered in one of the many plans they offer. They also have a 24 nursing healthline that you can call to get advice and guidance.
Types of plans on offer
Bupa offer 5 main types of health cover as follows:
- Health care select 1 – just about covers for everything and is their highest level of cover
- Health care select 2 – include everything except complementary medicines
- Health care select 3 – is the same but excludes out patient treatment unless within 6 months of a related day patient treatment
- Health care select 4 – is the same but with less cover for out patient treatment
- Heath care select heart and cancer – is a program that specialises in heart and cancer treatment
Joining Bupa is easy and you won’t be asked for a medical examination but to complete a questionnaire about your current state of health and your lifestyle – for example if you are a smoker and how much you drink each week. As with all insurers when it comes to health you’ll need to put down any pre-existing conditions and if a family member suffers from anything that could be material.
The cost of cover varies greatly and depends on many things such as your age, where you live and what has happened with your health previously. You’ll be able to get a quote and some occupations have discounts attached to them such as if you are a teacher.
Making a claim is easy and if you need to have treatment or attend hospital you should discuss it with your GP who knows the Bupa system and who they can refer you to. They will take care of all the paperwork and claims process together with the Bupa team. Most policies carry some form of excess like any type of insurance policy. Sometimes you get to chose and a higher excess payment would reduce your annual policy payment. See the application form for more information.
I you are not a Bupa member you can get treated at their hospitals or opt for private patient care by paying for it directly under their self pay treatment program. You can opt for standard GP treatment or other programs such as dental care.
