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Our Health Cash Plans and Health Insurance

What's the difference between a Bupa Health Cash Plan and health insurance? Hide

The table below highlights some of the usual differences between Bupa Health Cash Plans and Bupa Health Insurance.

Bupa Health Cash Plans	Bupa Health Insurance
Health cash plans provide cash payments to help with everyday healthcare costs^.	Health insurance may be more extensive and covers the cost^ of eligible private treatment and hospital stays.
You pay for eligible treatment/expenses and then claim back some or all^ of the costs^ in the form of cash refunds.	Treatment costs are usually paid^ directly to the consultant/hospital by Bupa.
Pre-authorisation is not necessary.	Pre-authorisation from Bupa may be required before treatment.
Health cash plan benefits range from dental, optical and prescription costs right through to chiropody and hospital stays, depending upon the cash plan chosen.	Bupa Health Insurance generally includes cover for private hospital-related costs, such as eligible consultations, treatment, hospital stays and outpatient treatment.^ A health cash plan such as Bupa Health Expenses Cover can be added to health insurance to cover a wider range of healthcare needs and suit your healthcare budget.
Pre-existing conditions are covered#	Health insurance may not cover pre-existing conditions, dependant upon the policy.

I already have Bupa health insurance. Is it worth me having a Bupa health cash plan as well? Hide

Bupa health cash plans are designed to supplement health insurance by providing cash back towards a variety of everyday health care costs that might not be covered under traditional health insurance schemes.

A Bupa Patient Cash scheme offers some of the usual benefits associated with medical insurance in the form of a low-cost cash plan. It has been designed to help you get prompt diagnosis and access to certain treatments so you would not need to have both products.

What is a Bupa Health Cash Plan Hide

Bupa Health Cash Back and Bupa Health Expenses Cover Plus cash plans provide cash payments to help with everyday health care costs such as dental and optical fees, and many more.

Bupa Patient Cash plan provides financial help towards early diagnosis, offering cash refunds^{^} for a variety of healthcare needs including NHS or private hospital stays and consultation fees.

Bupa Health Expenses Cover can be used to complement health insurance. This health cash plan gives you up to 100%^† cash back on what you spend on everyday health expenses such as NHS or private dental treatment, prescriptions, contact lenses and eyesight tests.

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Our Health Cash Plan Schemes

Who can apply for membership? Hide

You can apply for Bupa Health Cash Back membership if you’re aged between 16 and 69 inclusive and a UK resident. You can include your partner and a maximum of three dependant children if they are under 18, unmarried and not in a civil partnership. Any children and partner covered must live with you at your address.

You can apply for membership on Bupa Health Expenses Cover if you are aged between 18 or above andare a UK resident.

You can apply for membership on the Bupa Health Expenses Cover Plus if you are aged between 18 and 64 and are a UK reisdent.

You can apply for membership on either Bupa Health Expenses Cover or Bupa Health Expenses Cover Plus if you are under 18 and have a parent who also has a membership and is resident at the same address. All correspondence regarding your scheme will be sent to your parent.

You can apply for a membership of Bupa Patient Cash if you’re aged between 16 and 79 inclusive and a UK resident. You can apply and pay for membership of Bupa Patient Cash for your children if they are aged over one and a UK resident.

Will I need to have a medical? Hide

No you will not require a medical to take out a health cash plan.

However, there are certain criteria that must be met in order to join which are listed in the question ‘Who can apply for membership?'

How many children can be covered on each scheme? Hide

On the Bupa Health Cash Back scheme, you can add up to a maximum of three of your or your partner’s dependant children.

On the Bupa Patient Cash scheme you can apply and pay for any number of your or your partner’s dependant children, each member will have their own membership.
 

Can I cover my teenage children, even though they've left school? Hide

On our Bupa Health Cash Back scheme, you can cover a maximum of three children up to the age of 18 who live with you at your address, are unmarried and not in a civil partnership.

On our Bupa Patient Cash scheme you can apply and pay for any number of your or your partner’s dependant children as long as they are a UK resident. They do not have to live at the same address as you or be in full time education.

Do I have to sign up for a minimum length of time? Hide

No. You can cancel your membership for any reason within 21 days of receiving your membership letter, and as long as you haven’t made a claim we’ll refund any unused subscription for that year.

You can end your membership or the membership of any of your dependants at any time by providing us with 30 days’ prior written notice to: Member Services Manager, Bupa Cash Plan, Dale Buildings, Cook Street, Coventry, CV1 1JH.

Is my personal information secure? Hide

If you apply online for our Bupa Health Cash Back scheme then your personal information is secure on our website. We do not pass your personal information details onto any other third party.

You can view our legal notices here.  
 

What happens when I have completed my Bupa Health Cash Back online application? Hide

We will then process your application, and if you are accepted, we'll post you a pack containing:

• your welcome letter
• details of how to make a claim
• where to find your Membership guide and policy summary
• a claim form

We aim to respond to your application by post within seven working days. If you don't hear from us, please call us on 0845 606 6003^*.

How easy is it to join? Hide

It’s simple to join our Bupa Health Cash Back scheme. You can simply apply online in a few easy steps.

To join our other schemes you can download the Bupa Patient Cash application form (pdf, 247Kb) and return it to us at Bupa Cash Plan, Dale Buildings, Cook Street, Coventry CV1 1JH Or call us on 0500 000 125^* quoting ref 3948.

How can I pay? Hide

For our Bupa Health Cash Back scheme we accept Direct Debit monthly payments. You will be asked to provide your direct debit details as part of your online application. If you're not the account holder, or more than one person is required to authorise debits from the account, we can't complete your application online. Please call us on 0500 000 125^*.

For our Bupa Patient Cash schemes we accept monthly or annually Direct Debit payments. Please fill in a Bupa Patient Cash application form (pdf, 247Kb), including your direct debit details and send this back to us.

When will my account be debited? Hide

Direct debits are the payment method for all new members and as default the direct debit will be collected on the 1st of each month. The amount debited will depend on the level of cover you have chosen. You will receive an advance payment notification letter which will confirm the details of your first direct debit payment followed by a monthly premium amount. The first payment may be more than the monthly premium. If collection of money on the 1st of the month isn't suitable we offer two additional dates for collection, the 12th and 20th of the month. For more details or to amend your collection date please call us on 0845 606 6003*.

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Questions about our benefits and cover

Are pre-existing conditions covered? Hide

Pre-existing conditions are covered for all Bupa Health Cash Back benefits. For more information, please call 0500 000 125^* and speak to one of our advisers.

Pre-existing conditions are not covered for any benefits on our Bupa Patient Cash scheme for the first 12 months of your membership. For more information, please call 0500 000 125^* and speak to one of our advisers.

Can I claim for the full cost of my treatments and services? Hide

We will pay benefits up to the maximum benefit allowance for your chosen level of cover. You can only claim benefits for treatments and services that you or your dependants have received.

For details of the different levels of cover and the refund percentages, please refer to the Bupa Health Cash Back Membership Guide (pdf, 286 Kb), or the Bupa Patient Cash Membership Guide (pdf, 204kb).

Am I covered for NHS and private hospital stays? Hide

The Bupa Health Cash Back scheme will not cover you for in-patient hospital stays in either NHS or private hospitals. However, we will refund 75 percent, up to benefit limits, on private consultations or diagnostic scans. Terms and conditions apply so please refer to the Bupa Health Cash Back Membership Guide (pdf, 286 kb).

The Bupa Patient Cash scheme offers a cash benefit within a set amount for each night in hospital ((up to a total of 20 nights and up to the maximum as set out for your membership level), regardless of whether you choose to stay in an NHS or private hospital. Terms and conditions apply so please refer to the Bupa Patient Cash Membership Guide (pdf, 204kb).

What can I claim for on the optical benefit? Hide

We will refund 100 percent, up to benefit limits, on Bupa Health Cash Back of the money you spend on routine sight tests, prescription glasses and contact lenses, up to the maximum benefit amount for your chosen level of cover. For details of the different levels of cover and the refund percentages, please refer to the Bupa Health Cash Back membership guide (pdf, 123Kb).

What can I claim for on the dental benefit? Hide

We will refund 100 percent, up to benefit limits on Bupa Health Cash Back of the money you spend on dental services provided and treatment up to the maximum benefit amount for your chosen level of cover. For details of the different levels of cover and the refund percentages, please refer to the Bupa Health Cash Back membership guide (pdf, 123Kb).

How do I make a claim? Hide

To make a claim you must use the claim form we provide. If you don’t have a claim form, please call us on 0845 602 1092^*. To help reduce the time it takes to reimburse you, send us your fully completed claims form and original receipt(s) as soon as possible following treatment. Your claim needs to be submitted to us within 90 days of treatment unless it is not reasonably possible to do so.

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Got an existing health cash plan with a different provider?

How do I switch to Bupa from my existing cash plan provider? Hide

Moving from your existing cash plan scheme to Bupa Patient Cash couldn’t be more straightforward. Call 0500 000 125, quoting 3948 and one of our advisers will be happy to answer any of your questions.

If you apply for our Bupa Health Cash Back scheme our full terms and conditions, benefit limits and qualifying periods apply for all new members. You can only apply to join this scheme online.

What happens if I'm already receiving hospital treatment for a pre-existing condition? Hide

If you’ve already claimed for hospital benefits relating to a pre-existing condition on a different cash plan scheme, you would be able to continue to claim on our Bupa Patient Cash scheme after the qualifying period for pre-existing conditions which is 12 months. For more information, please call 0500 000 125 and speak to one of our advisers.

Can I claim benefits straight away? Hide

There is a 13 week initial qualifying period following the start of your Bupa Health cash plan for all benefits except for the Bupa Helplines and Bupa HealthLine (where they apply). This means that you can start using the Bupa Helplines and Bupa HealthLine as soon as you become a health cash plan member but will need to wait 13 weeks from the start date of your continuous period of membership of the plan before you can start claiming any other benefits.

We do not pay benefits for a pre-existing condition or a condition which results or is related to a pre-existing condition for the first 12 months of your membership on the Bupa Patient Cash scheme.

Can I claim for all benefits straight away if I transfer from my current provider? Hide

There is no waiting period for any Bupa Health Cash Plan scheme if you’re transferring from another health cash plan and have completed the qualifying period with that provider. You’ll just need to provide proof of your current health cash plan membership.

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