Help understanding health insurance
Find answers to some common questions about our health insurance.
What does health insurance cover?
Health insurance covers treatment for acute conditions that start after your policy begins.
An acute condition is:
- an illness or injury that is likely to respond to treatment,
- something that you can recover from.
Health insurance doesn’t cover:
- conditions that you had before your policy started,
- ongoing conditions for which there isn’t a known cure, like arthritis or diabetes.
Although, long-term treatment for cancer or mental health conditions may be covered even if the condition can’t be cured.
The level of cover you’ll get depends on your policy.
Some policies cover treatment and diagnosis. This means that any appointments or tests needed to find out what’s wrong could be had privately.
Some policies only cover treatment. This means that you’d get a diagnosis from the NHS. You’d then ask for a referral for private treatment.
For more about what is and isn’t covered, visit our compare cover page.
Which Bupa health insurance option is right for me?
We have two levels of health insurance cover.
- Comprehensive health insurance
This covers medical costs from diagnosis to treatment. If you’d like private consultations and tests to find out what’s wrong, as well as private treatment, this policy might be best for you. - Treatment and Care health insurance
If you’re happy to be diagnosed by the NHS, but want to receive private treatment, this policy might work for you. It’s cheaper than our Comprehensive policy as it just covers treatment after you’ve been diagnosed.
You can also include cancer cover as part of our Comprehensive or Treatment and Care policies. There are two levels of cancer cover to choose from.
- Full cancer cover. This covers you from private diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.
- NHS Cancer Cover Plus. This is cheaper, and just allows you to access private treatment for cancer if the NHS are unable to provide the treatment you need. Specifically, you’ll be covered for private chemotherapy, radiotherapy, drug therapy or operations.
For full details about our cancer cover, see our cancer promise page.
You can get a quote online now. Or get in touch and we’ll talk you through your options. Call our team on 0808 115 3461. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 12.30pm.
Why should I compare health insurance?
It can be tricky to know what to look out for when you’re choosing health insurance. The level of care you need will depend on your lifestyle and the aspects of health you’re most concerned about. You’ll also need to consider your budget.
That’s why comparing different health insurance policies can be useful. By getting quotes for different levels of cover you’ll be able to compare the costs against the benefits. This will help you make an informed decision.
When considering your options, you might want to look for a package that covers the following:
- Hospital treatment
- Out-patient therapies
- Aftercare
- Tests and scans
Make sure you fully understand a health insurance policy before joining. You’ll need to know what it includes and excludes to be certain it meets your needs. Most health insurers also offer discounts for couples and families.
You can view a comparison table on our compare cover page.
Questions about health insurance? Just ask
These helpful articles and videos explain how our health insurance policies work.
From what’s covered to what some medical terms mean.
How much does health insurance cost?
Find out how much health insurance costs and what value you get for your money.
What am I covered for?
Check out the treatments and conditions that private health insurance covers.
How does health insurance work?
See answers to some common questions about how health insurance works.
Will I need an excess on my health insurance policy?
Discover what excess is and how much you need to put on your insurance policy.
How to choose health insurance
Knowing what to look for in a policy will help you choose the right cover for you.
What’s the difference between in-patient vs out-patient cover?
We breakdown the differences between in-patient and out-patient cover.
Want to know more about health insurance?
Our jargon buster videos, insights articles and policy guide can help. Take a look to learn more about health insurance.
Jargon buster videos
We’ll help make sense of some common health insurance terms.
Health trends and latest insights
We highlight different health conditions to help you improve your wellbeing and lifestyle.
Policy guide
Read our guide to Bupa health insurance.
Still unsure about health insurance?
We understand that insurance can take a bit of time to get your head around.
So we made this video to help explain how easy it is to call us up and ask whatever’s on your mind. We can talk you through your options and even give you a quote.
we're on hand to answer any questions and if you want to bounce any ideas and things of what you're looking for we can directly address that and get to the best conclusion for yourself.
There's also different discounts that we offer such as 10% family discount, 5% couples' discount so you just have someone that can guide you right through that journey to make it comfortable and convenient for you, it's a big decision to make so it's having that support with you all the way.
The most common question I get on the phone is that do I have to set up the policy straight away that is not the case, when you do call in we'll run through the quote review over the phone make sure that we have answered every question that you can think of and then we can always get it sent out to you whether that's by post or email.
It can be personalised that one advisor stays with you throughout the whole process and we can also provide our personal email so if you do have any questions once you've come away from the call you can certainly bounce those questions back with us and we can certainly help you straight away replying with that email because it does come through directly to us.
To initially speak to us you don't need anything, you speak to one of our advisors and go through the whole process with you at the point of enrolling on your policy we may ask you for further information on your medical history if needed, but if you have all that information to hand them there's nothing further you'll need.
We can then go through any more questions you have and if you're happy then get the policy set up but it's all up to you and there is no rush.
You'll be covered for treatment that’s covered by your policy from the moment you’ve chosen a policy and set up your Direct Debit. Once your cover has started, you can cancel it within 21 days. If you haven't made any claims in this time, we'll refund what you’ve paid for that month or year.
When you start your policy, you'll be sent documents with details of what is and isn't covered. We’ll also send details of how to get in touch if you need to claim. You can also find this information in our policy benefits and terms (PDF, 0.5MB).
Each year before your renewal we'll send your renewal details including any changes to the price of your policy.
Yes, you can add your partner and/or your children to your policy. This includes new born or adopted children or children you have responsibility for. If you already have Bupa health insurance, you can update your policy to add a partner and/or children at any time.
If you’d like to update your policy, please call us on 0333 331 4195. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 12.30pm.
Families can save 10% when adding a child to their policy. This saving applies to new Bupa health insurance customers who take out a family policy with at least one adult and one child. Taking out one family policy is 10% cheaper than taking out individual policies for each family member. You may not be offered the same discount when you renew.
Couples can save 5% when adding a partner to their policy. This saving applies to new Bupa health insurance customers. Taking out one policy as a couple is 5% cheaper than taking out two individual policies. You may not be offered the same discount when you renew.
Yes, your cover will renew every year, automatically.
We’ll write to you at least 28 days before your renewal date. Your cover will automatically renew unless you let us know that you’d like to end your cover.
When you renew your cover, you can make changes to your policy to reflect any changes in your circumstances.
If you choose not to renew your policy, you will no longer be covered for treatment or care for any condition.
The good news is you have the option to stay with us on a new, personal policy. Even better, we may continue to cover any ongoing or existing conditions if your new policy starts within three months of your old scheme ending. This will depend on your new policy’s benefits and terms. Just give us a call and we’ll talk through your options.
Find out more about leaving your company scheme or call us today on 0808 271 4693. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 12.30pm.
There are several benefits of taking out health insurance. If you develop a condition, you’ll have quick access to the treatment you need to help you back on the road to recovery.
Costs for treatment that’s covered by your policy could be paid in full, as long as you:
- Use a fee-assured consultant. This means we have agreed to pay their fee in full.
- Get treatment from a hospital in your chosen network.
This will be subject to the terms of your policy. For example, some policies have limits on the amount you can claim for some things. Some policies include an excess that you may have agreed to pay.
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Bupa Anytime HealthLine and Digital GP are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Bupa health insurance is provided by Bupa Insurance Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 3956433. Bupa Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Arranged and administered by Bupa Insurance Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 3829851. Registered office: 1 Angel Court, London, EC2R 7HJ.
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