There are 7 billion versions of normal
With 7 billion unique people on the planet, there’s no such thing as ‘normal’. Some of us just need a bit of extra help sometimes.
Whether you’re covered by us or not, we can support you.
We’re committed to helping people improve their mental health. So, if you take out a Bupa By You policy with us, mental health cover simply comes as standard. We also cover more mental health conditions than any other leading UK insurer†. Plus, we cover recurring conditions‡, and might even be able to cover you for mental health conditions you’ve struggled with in the past.
I need help. What’s my next step?
I already have Bupa health insurance.
I’m interested in health insurance for my employees.
I want to find out more about your mental health cover.
I don’t want insurance, but I do need some help
Even if you have a history of mental illness, that doesn’t automatically mean we can never support you in future. Every decision we make is based on your personal circumstances, so please call us on 0113 495 0866^ to discuss your options. Here’s some more helpful information about our support for pre-existing mental health conditions.
Our health insurance is designed to cover you for the treatment of conditions that appear after you take out a policy with us, and that includes mental health conditions*. However, even if you have a history of mental illness, that doesn’t automatically mean we can never support you in future.
When you take out a policy, you’ll usually be asked for some medical history. We’ll ask you about any symptoms, treatment or advice you’ve had in the past, including your mental health and wellbeing. How recent that was will affect what we can cover you for in future. Then we’ll tell you how we could support you in future. This is a wide-ranging area, so even if you’ve struggled in the past with similar but unrelated symptoms, we’d still look to see if we can support you.
For example, if you’ve had PTSD before, we could still cover you for future unrelated episodes of stress. And if you’ve had post-natal depression, we’d still cover you for unrelated episodes of depression. If we do exclude an existing MH condition from your Bupa cover, we may be able to review any such exclusion whenever you renew your policy, so do ask us for a review. We can only consider covering you for previously excluded conditions for which you’ve had no symptoms, treatment or advice for at least 12 months**.
Every decision we make is based on your own personal circumstances, so do call us to discuss your options on 0113 495 0866^. We may record or monitor our calls.
* Please check your policy to see if you have mental health cover.
** The period of time will depend on the condition.
Hear real-life stories from some of our members
Mental health problems affect 1 in 4 adults every year1, so no one should feel ashamed.
We’re here to help: see how we’ve supported other Bupa members on their mental health journeys.††
Alan was addicted to alcohol
Normal meant drinking over two litres of gin a day. Alan hid it quite well and hoped no one would notice. But his family did. Watch our video to see what life used to be like for him and how we helped.
ALAN:
If you knew where I’d come from…
…you wouldn’t think I’d be here now.
But after I retired, I was drinking two litres of gin every day.
Breaking point was the day my wife said she was walking out.
When I rang Bupa, I suppose I ran out of excuses.
I had a session with a doctor who specialises in addiction. He said basically ‘you’re killing yourself’
He put together a treatment plan. I went into rehab for 28 days.
SARAH:
We’re here to get you the support and treatment you need and minimise the impact on your family.
We do follow up calls…keep the conversation going and make sure you’re doing okay.
ALAN:
I’ve got a lot to thank Bupa for.
I’ve got my family back.
And I suppose I’ve got myself back, too.
Jameel struggled with both anxiety and depression
Normal meant a constant feeling of worry in the pit of his stomach and suffering with his emotions. But he felt pressure from his family to make everyone happy. Watch our video to find out how we helped.
JAMEEL:
Being around other people is the most natural thing in the world. But to me…it’s liberating.
You don’t always realise when something’s happening to you. I know I didn’t.
I’ve always been a worrier.
From a young age, my family put a lot of pressure on me. As I got older, my anxiety spiralled
I couldn’t leave the house, I’d jump every time the doorbell rang. I was very, very low.
My wife said: “It breaks my heart to see you like this, you need help.”
I had Bupa cover through work, so I made the call to reach out.
Bupa helped me choose a therapist… I was in control of who I went to see… they were fantastic.
PAT:
With anxiety, or depression, you always worry about the next wave. So getting the right treatment for you, as quickly as possible, is really important.
From the moment you pick up the phone, we’re here for you
JAMEEL:
Between my therapist, my wife, and Bupa, my confidence is higher than it’s ever been.
I’m so grateful for everything Bupa has done for me. They’ve helped change my life.
Can I get a quote for health insurance?
Take out Bupa health insurance and extensive mental health cover comes as standard.
Is Bupa health insurance right for me?
You’re bound to have questions, so we’re here to answer them.
Health insurance for you
0800 123 4567^
Health insurance for your business
0808 231 9476^^
Already a member?
This number will get you through to our mental health support line.
0808 115 5285^
Please have your Bupa membership number to hand when you call.
^Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 12:30pm. Calls may be recorded and to maintain the quality of our service we may monitor some of our calls, always respecting the confidentiality of the call.
^^Lines are open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm. We may record or monitor our calls.
†As of November 2019 this analysis is based on internally conducted review of the consumer health insurance market using publicly available information from the major insurers in the UK consumer health insurance market. Combined, Bupa, AXA PPP, Aviva and Vitality hold approximately 90% of the Gross Written Premium income of UK PMI providers. Refers to standard mental health cover when this is included in the selected consumer health insurance product. See PDF How we compare: Individuals (PDF 1MB)
‡Conditions that come back are defined as chronic. As of June 2019, we removed the chronic mental health rule on our consumer policies. However, if you joined Bupa or renewed your policy before June 2019, the chronic rule will still apply until you renew. Your certificate will show the date of your next renewal – but please call us if you are unsure. For any business policies please refer to your policy documents to see if you have mental health as part of your cover. If you have mental health benefits your policy documents will confirm if your employer has chosen to remove the chronic rule for mental health conditions.
††Each story refers to mental health cover and reflects the experience of one particular Bupa member. The cover you choose will have specific terms and conditions and pre-existing conditions are normally excluded.
1 . Mind.org: https://www.mind.org.uk/media/34727125/facts-statistics-2017-pdf-version.pdf (PDF, 0.3MB)
‡‡To support addictions we fund one addiction treatment programme per membership lifetime. To support chronic mental health conditions (conditions which recur) we have removed restrictions on cover from June 2019. If you joined Bupa, or renewed your policy, before June 2019, there will be still be restrictions on chronic mental health cover until your next renewal. Please call us if you would like to discuss the benefit limits on your policy.
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 by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 3829851. Registered office: 1 Angel Court, London EC2R 7HZ.
