Bupa - Are you with them?

[Twiglet]

Bupa is fantastic. I needed some investigations last year. Got appointments straight away (within a week) with consultants and not their minions, at a time that was convenient to me. All the tests I needed were covered and were done very quickly. I also needed a very expensive scan after I had already used up all of my outpatient benefit under the plan, but when I phoned them up they said that things which cost lots come seperately and they would cover it anyway. The people on the end of the phone were always extremely helpful and friendly and they sort all the claims out with the hospitals themselves.

 

A diagnostic process which would have taken over a year on the NHS took a total of 6 weeks. Couldn't fault them in any way at all.

 

(You do need to select your plan carefully though - when reading the amount provided for outpatient benefit bear in mind that an initial consultation costs £200-250, subsequent appointments £150 each and tests £250 upwards)

[mm22]

Westfield Health, based in Sheffield, is fantastic and for the same price as BUPA covers both dental, eyewear and such extras as acupuncture etc. They have a website! Try and see how they compare.

[Anj1364]

Westfield arn't as good as they were when I first started paying into it about 20 yrs ago. They have cut down on what they will pay out for, and some things you can only claim back a percentage of the cost. I am considering dumping them in the near future, and looking into the possibility of BUPA. Just wish I had done it before last July!

[nick2]

Originally posted by Tony

That is true, which is why you should get in sooner than later.

 

They won't treat you for any pre-existing conditions (why would / should they?) but they will continue to treat you for any covered condition for as long as you pay them the premiums, unlike any of the other companies who eventually stop if there is no end in sight.

 

At the end of the day it is an insurance policy, and your health is the one thing worth paying as much as you can afford for IMO.

 

So would they treat me for my Asthma ?

 

And does "pre-existing" only include things you know are wrong with you, eg. I might have a brain tumour now, but not know it, if I come round to claiming will they say "well, you must have had it for years, so it's pre-existing, sod off" ?

[GHS1961]

I'm also with BUPA, I get free cover through my employer but also pay extra to cover my wife and kids.

 

I have had only positive experiences in dealing with BUPA, I had a knee op last year and the service at Thornbury was faultless. All my fees were paid directly to the Consultant and the hospital with the minimum of hassle.

 

The key benefits to me were being seen by the key specialist for this type of surgery in the city and knowing that I was being operated on by the Consultant himself rather than one of his juniors who was learning on the job. All the diagnostics including a scan were carried out in the evening so I didn't have to take time off work and the nursing and physio care was suberb. It would be very difficult to return to the NHS.

 

Co-incidentally I have just had my renewal through today for the family and the premium for wife and two teenagers is £782 for the year. This is the full comprehensive level of care, not cheap perhaps but I believe it is money well spent.

[Tony]

Originally posted by nick2

So would they treat me for my Asthma ?

 

And does "pre-existing" only include things you know are wrong with you, eg. I might have a brain tumour now, but not know it, if I come round to claiming will they say "well, you must have had it for years, so it's pre-existing, sod off" ?

I think the answers would be no and yes.

 

I suspect that if you deliberately set out to 'defraud' them (not the best word, but probably the upshot ) they may well have good reason to get upset though

[willman]

wegot bupa when my then wife was crippled with a prolapsed disc.she had to wait 7 months for a consultancy, the disc was that bad that the consultant booked a bed at her first visit - she had surgery 2 days later.

although she cant claim for any treatment related to that disc surgery,the feeling of having BUPA has been beneficial.

i have a standar life policy through my company which appears to be just as good.

 

shop around our policies went from £62 to £32 by the time we bought. not bad considering Westfield is two thirds of that for minimal cover.

[Twiglet]

Originally posted by nick2

So would they treat me for my Asthma ?

 

And does "pre-existing" only include things you know are wrong with you, eg. I might have a brain tumour now, but not know it, if I come round to claiming will they say "well, you must have had it for years, so it's pre-existing, sod off" ?

 

It is a no and a yes. The asthma they would definitely not treat you for. If they believe you were symptomatic of the brain tumour prior to taking out the policy they would probably refuse to treat it because they would say you were aware there was something wrong even though you didn't know what it was. However if you clearly had no idea and suddenly started displaying symptoms after joining they'd cover you. It all depends what is mentioned in your medical records at the GPs.

[killthedj]

i just signed up for Westfield as per my previous thread - it seemed like the right option for me - covers different things to Bupa - but is much cheaper from 4 to 20 pounds a month - i signed up for about 14 pounds a month

 

it's more general healthcare stuff like dentists , consultants, physio, Glasses etc - which suits me cos I know i'm gonna claim rather than see my money drop into a black hole

[Guderian]

A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with a hernia.

I was informed I could wait months via the NHS for an op.

 

My employer offers BUPA cover for its staff. I rang BUPA and explained the situation to them.

They said if I joined there and there I could receive treatment and surgery, even though it was "pre-existing".

 

A week later I was operated on at the Thornberry Hospital.