What does health insurance cover?

What's not covered on any policy?

Things that aren't covered by a policy are called exclusions.

Some exclusions apply to all policies including:

• Life events such as pregnancy, menopause or ageing
• Medical conditions, including diseases, injuries or any other symptoms you had before your policy started
  These are sometimes known as pre-existing conditions. Most health insurance works this way.
  
  For example, if you had a knee injury in March and then took out health cover in June, your new policy wouldn’t cover this injury. You also couldn’t claim for any tests or treatment related to the knee injury. This is because your symptoms began before you had cover in place.
• Ongoing health issues with no known cure

  These are sometimes known as chronic conditions, for example diabetes and asthma. Your policy usually won’t cover treatment related to ongoing or chronic issues.

If you have a question about this, it’s worth getting in touch.

What's not covered on our Treatment and Care policy?

Things that aren’t covered by a policy are called “exclusions”. Some of these apply to all policies, such as allergies. The three exclusions listed are specific to our Treatment and Care policy:

• Outpatient appointments before treatment

  These are appointments that a GP or specialist might recommend that you have before you’re diagnosed. You might have these appointments at at a hospital, without needing to be admitted for the day or stay overnight. These appointments would help with diagnosis.
• Tests before treatment

  These are tests that a GP or specialist might recommend before you’re diagnosed. The tests would help to diagnose what’s wrong with you.
• Scans before treatment

  These are scans that a GP or specialist might recommend before you’re diagnosed. The scans would help to diagnose what’s wrong with you.

Our Treatment and Care policy is designed for those who are happy to be diagnosed by the NHS or pay as you go private healthcare.

It doesn’t cover appointments, scans or tests that you may need before you are diagnosed. If you’d like to include these, see our Comprehensive health insurance.

Questions to ask when comparing health insurance cover

Some questions you could ask include:

• Will I need to see a GP before making a claim?


• Does the insurer offer access to a GP who can refer me if I need specialist help?


• Are there limits to the amount of cover I can claim each year?


• Does the provider offer cover for ongoing treatment for mental health issues?


• Will I get a discount if I insure my family?


• Which private hospitals do I have access to?

What are Bupa's health insurance benefits?

Bupa medical insurance is designed to suit your health and wellbeing needs. You’ll be covered for all these conditions, and more:

• Mental health

  Your emotional wellbeing is as important as your physical health. That’s why our health insurance covers more mental health conditions than any other leading UK insurer^†.
• Day and night access to healthcare

  Save time with our digital appointments in the My Bupa App. Speak to GPs, nurses, physios and mental health specialists. Book video or phone appointments during the day and evenings, on weekends and bank holidays.
• Cancer cover
  Our cancer cover can offer access to some drugs and treatments before they’re available on the NHS. This can help you get the medicines you need, faster. Any drugs or treatments will need to be evidence-based and covered by your policy.
• Direct access to care

  If you’re worried about cancer, mental health or muscles, bones and joints, you can contact our Direct Access team. We’ll check that your symptoms are covered and give you advice on what to do next. We could refer you to a specialist when we speak to you. Or, if you do need to see a GP, we’ll let you know.