Frequently asked questions

As a starting point, think about your lifestyle, budget and the conditions or illnesses which concern you the most. 

Comprehensive covers medical costs from diagnosis and treatment to aftercare for real peace of mind.

Prompt Diagnosis covers private diagnosis - consultations, diagnostic tests and scans, following a referral from your GP.

Treatment and Care covers treatment and aftercare following an initial diagnosis through the NHS.

If you’d like to speak to a Bupa healthcare adviser about health insurance, call 0800 606 570* . It’s hassle-free and we should only take a few minutes to talk you through some suitable options.Alternatively you can get a quote online now.

If you are unsure about how to choose the right health insurance for you, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has produced a guide to buying private health insurance. Download the ABI guide (pdf, 758Kb) “Are you buying private medical insurance?”

Once you've decided on which of the three, core health insurance options is right for you, you can adapt your cover with a range of add ons that includes Dental and Optical Cover, Travel Cover and Complementary Therapies Cover.

Bupa By You covers you for new conditions that occur once your cover has started - so you won't be able to use it for medical conditions that were apparent before you took out cover. There are also certain conditions that, whichever plan you choose, will not be covered, for example chronic long-standing conditions or cosmetic surgery. Details of all of the exclusions in place can be found in the Bupa By You Membership Guide that will be sent to you once you have taken your cover out, or you can view it here.

You will be covered from the moment you have agreed on the level of cover that's right for you and you've set up your monthly direct debit. Once your cover has started, you can cancel your cover within 21 days of the cover starting. Once you're a member you will be sent all of the documentation that details what is and isn't covered and how you get in touch with us should you need to claim.

Before your renewal we will send your renewal details including your new subscription price.

You can add your partner and/or your children (including newborn or adopted children) as dependants on your membership at any time. Give a Bupa healthcare adviser a call so that they can update your policy.

Yes - Bupa By You allows you to provide appropriate cover for each member of your family. So if you feel that there are family members who would benefit from more comprehensive cover, but others who might just need access to Prompt Diagnosis with Complementary Therapies Cover added on, then that's not a problem.

We’ll write to you at least 28 days before your renewal date, and your annual cover will automatically be renewed unless you decide to end your cover. Bupa By You is adaptable health insurance so each year at renewal you can change elements of your cover if your circumstances change.

If you’ve been part of a company health insurance scheme but you’re leaving it now, you can still keep your Bupa Health Insurance.

If you were asked to give details of your medical history on your company scheme we will (at our discretion) consider providing cover on Bupa By You without the need to provide any further medical details. However, anything that was excluded on your company scheme would remain excluded on
Bupa By You.

We can help you create the cover you want. Just call one of our healthcare advisers today on 0800 606 570* to talk through your health insurance options.

Bupa membership gives you access to breakthrough cancer drugs and treatments, and the latest advances in medical technology, when there is good-quality clinical evidence to support it. If a specialist recommends a new drug, as long as it is licensed by the European Medicines Agency for your condition, we will pay for it.

We will always evaluate requests to fund new or experimental treatment. Bupa’s own clinical appraisal process takes an average of just 48 hours.

As long as there is sound clinical evidence to prove benefit, we will fund it.

Whereas some insurers only provide treatment for the primary cancer (the cancer you are initially diagnosed with), Bupa will cover you even if your cancer spreads.

We will provide cover and support at every stage of your cancer, including palliative treatment, even if your cancer is incurable.

No - Bupa does not take family history of cancer into account when deciding whether or not to offer cover to a new customer.

Bupa does not pay for unproven treatments. The only exception is when the treatment is part of a clinical trial, the protocols of which, have been reviewed and approved by us.

Our support team is able to give customers and their carers or family, advice related to their specific situation and discuss options for being treated at home. Our informed decision making service helps customers understand the options available to them and the information they need to be able to make informed decisions about their own care.

If you are treated by a Bupa fee assured consultant in a Bupa recognised facility that is within your chosen network, we will fund all of your eligible diagnostic tests and investigations and all eligible treatment for cancer.

If you opt to receive your cancer treatment in a NHS hospital and the treatment is funded by the NHS, Bupa’s practice is to offer a Bupa Cancer Cash payment which allows members to claim £100 for every day/night or session up to a maximum of 35 days/nights or sessions for eligible cancer treatment that their radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgery (for cancer) is provided by the NHS.

Yes - Bupa gives you the option to receive your chemotherapy at home (where your consultant feels this is clinically appropriate) safely and from a specialist nurse. Treatment at home means there is as little disruption to your life as possible.

Treatment for the most commonly diagnosed cancers (breast, bowel and gynaecological) is provided through our unique network of specialist cancer centres, which guarantee you will be treated by an expert cancer specialist team.

Payments are usually made directly by Bupa when you use our fee assured consultants and your chosen network hospitals. So there is no need to pay any costs yourself. (Any excess payments excepting).

No. However, we will need to ask some questions about:
 

• your age, sex and medical history
  
• whether you smoke
  
• your current state of health
  
• your occupation

Health insurance does not generally cover pre-existing conditions. If you’ve never had health insurance, we’ll need to base our decision on the cover we can offer you on your past seven years’ medical history. So, if you have symptoms which you know could cause problems in the future, you’ll need to tell us straightaway.  

At Bupa, we try to ensure that our members continue to receive access to the highest levels of medical care at the lowest possible cost. Your subscriptions will be based on your individual circumstances and the cover you choose.

You can pay your annual subscription in one go by debit or credit card or by monthly direct debit. Payment is due on the date the cover is to begin and, if paying by direct debit, each month after that.
 

The Bupa Low Claims Bonus is a new and personalised way of calculating your annual Bupa subscription. Those who have claimed very little, or not at all, will receive a bonus each year to reduce their ‘medical inflation increase’. And those that have larger claims paid will receive a small increase on top of the annual ‘medical inflation increase’.

If you are unfortunate enough to become ill, it’s vital that you seek the quality care you need as soon as you possibly can. You can still benefit from the Bupa Low Claims Bonus through a lower ‘medical inflation increase’ in the following years, should you have no or low value claims.

Find out more about our Bupa Low Claims Bonus.