What does health insurance cover?

What's not covered on any policy?

The best health insurance plans will make it really clear what is and isn't included in your cover.

None of our policies cover:

• Life events such as pregnancy, menopause or ageing
• Allergies and food intolerances
• Medical conditions, including diseases, injuries or any other symptoms you had before your policy started
  These are sometimes known as pre-existing conditions. Your policy usually won’t cover injuries or conditions you had before your cover started. 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. Diabetes and asthma are examples of ongoing health issues with no known cure. 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 exclusions apply to all policies, such as allergies and the other conditions listed above. The three listed below 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 at a hospital, but you wouldn’t need 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 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 my GP first?


• Does the insurance provider 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 ongoing treatment for mental health issues?


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


• Which private hospitals do I have access to?

What are Bupa's health insurance benefits?

Bupa private 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 we cover 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 audio appointments during the day and evenings, on weekends or bank holidays.
• Cancer cover
  Our cancer cover can offer 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 call our Direct Access team. We'll check that your symptoms are covered and give you clear advice on what to do next. We could refer you to a specialist on the call. Or, if you do need to see a GP, we'll let you know.