Bupa business health insurance review

Bupa was founded in 1947, making it older than the NHS. They don't have shareholders, which means their focus is on providing excellent customer service and reinvesting profits to improve their services. They operate private hospitals and clinics, dental centres, digital healthcare and care homes for older people, as well as providing health insurance to individuals and businesses.

Bupa has over 60 million customers worldwide, including 16.7 million health insurance clients.

Private health insurance is a highly valued employee benefit that demonstrates your commitment to your employees' health. It provides quick access to treatment without the NHS waiting list, which benefits your business by reducing sickness absence and positively impacts your employees' well-being. Providing employee health insurance can improve employee morale and help your business attract top talent.

Bupa's business health insurance provides different levels of coverage depending on the number of employees you want to cover. Its small business policy covers companies with 2-249 employees, and its corporate coverage covers companies with 250+ employees.

While there are many similarities between the policies, Bupa tailors its offering to reflect the needs and challenges of businesses with both small and large workforces.

Bupa's health insurance policies provide excellent core coverage, whether you choose a small business or corporate health insurance policy. You'll also find a range of optional extras to tailor your policy to suit your requirements. Let's start with Bupa's small business health insurance.

Small business health insurance

As we've mentioned, you can buy Bupa's health insurance for small businesses if you have 2-249 employees, making it suitable for smaller companies that aim to grow their team in the future.

Core cover

Bupa offers three levels of coverage to its small business customers. These apply differing financial limits to some treatments and services depending on your chosen level, while other services benefit from unlimited coverage.

In-patient treatment and day-patient treatment

With Bupa Select, your employees can access unlimited in-patient or day-patient treatment, so they're covered if they need to be admitted for hospital treatment overnight or as a day patient. Their choice of hospitals or treatment centres depends on your chosen coverage level. With Select Key and Select Enhanced, they can choose from over 300 treatment facilities, while Select Complete, the highest level, provides access to 600+ hospitals. You can also select the guided care option, which provides a shortlist of suitable consultants and hospitals to employees seeking treatment.

Cancer cover

Bupa's comprehensive cancer coverage gives your employees unlimited treatment for as long as they're covered. They can attend a specialist centre for diagnostic tests and access treatment with an oncology team. Treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and cutting-edge drugs and treatments that may not yet be available on the NHS. They can opt to have chemotherapy at home, receive specialist advice regarding treatment decisions and see counsellors for emotional and psychological support. Should their condition become terminal, the policy also covers end-of-life care.

Out-patient cover

Bupa's small business health insurance includes full coverage for diagnostic scans. Your employees can also access consultant appointments, x-rays, diagnostic tests and out-patient therapies such as physiotherapy or alternative treatments, within your chosen financial limits. Bupa health insurance offers unlimited, comprehensive cover with Select Complete, or an allowance of £1,000 or £1,500. Your employees can also use part of their allowance for complementary therapies such as acupuncture, osteopathy or chiropractic treatment, subject to policy limits.

Mental health cover

Bupa provides some of the most comprehensive cover for mental health conditions in the health insurance market, with up to 45 days of in-patient or day-patient treatment with a consultant or therapist. The policy also offers face-to-face or online therapy, as well as access to an online programme for additional mental health support.

Many insurers now limit coverage to customers who access repeated treatment for mental health conditions by classifying their condition as chronic. Bupa doesn't, which means your team can get the right support when needed. Health insurance typically excludes addiction treatment, but Bupa will fund one treatment programme per employee.

FAST TRACK SERVICES

Bupa provides some services on a fast-track, direct-access basis, letting your team access treatment quickly without a GP referral. If an employee experiences suspected cancer symptoms, musculoskeletal issues or mental health concerns, they can call Bupa for advice. The next steps will vary depending on your policy coverage and the symptoms, but can include a referral to a consultant or physiotherapist if necessary.

Cash benefit plans

Bupa's health insurance includes an NHS cash benefit, which lets employees claim cashback for NHS treatment that their private medical insurance would otherwise have funded. They can claim up to 35 nights in an NHS hospital bed at £50. There are also additional allowances if they receive NHS cancer treatment at a hospital or at home.

Other services

Bupa offers additional services to provide your team with health information and advice. You can also choose to provide access to an extended list of hospitals and treatment centres.

Digital GP service

Bupa's digital GP service gives your employees access to medical advice 24/7, meaning they can arrange appointments around their other commitments or seek advice in the middle of the night if needed. Your staff can choose between telephone and online appointments.

Telephone support

The Anytime HealthLine is a nurse-led telephone helpline that's available 24/7 to provide advice on minor injuries or ailments. Nurses can also provide general health advice on self-care or travel vaccinations. Your employees' family members can also use the service as long as they live at the same address.

Bupa's family mental HealthLine provides access to nurses and specialist mental health advisers. It supports parents with concerns about their children's mental health, and staff can use it even if the policy doesn't cover their children.

Choice of hospital list

We've mentioned that Bupa's small business policy offers three levels of coverage. The highest level provides access to over 600 private hospitals and treatment centres across the UK via Bupa's Extended Choice list, while the other two provide access to 300+ hospitals and clinics.

The extended list covers hospitals with higher treatment costs, typically those in major cities. If your business is based in Central London, it's worth considering adding the Extended Choice with Central London list to give your team more options close to home or work.

Optional extras

Bupa health insurance provides comprehensive cover, but you can also add more treatments and services if needed.

Dental cover

If your employees already pay for private dental treatment and check-ups, adding dental coverage to your business health insurance can help them save money. Bupa offers five levels of cover that let your staff claim cashback for routine check-ups and various treatments, including emergency care. Your employees can receive treatment at a Bupa dental clinic or with their usual dentist. There's also unlimited treatment for oral cancer if your employee chooses a Bupa dental clinic. 

Private GP appointments

Bupa health insurance includes access to its 24/7 virtual GP appointments as part of its core coverage. However, you can also provide your team with face-to-face GP appointments at work or a Bupa treatment centre. You can pay a fixed annual fee of £150 per employee or choose the pay-as-you-go option. Alternatively, employees can pay for appointments themselves at a discounted rate for medical advice, private prescriptions, sick or fit notes or diagnostic tests.

Employee Assistance Programme

Bupa's Employee Assistance Programme provides access to counselling 24/7, available in person, online, or by telephone. The service offers access to counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy or other mental health support as needed. Employees benefit from confidential third-party support for personal or workplace issues that they may be reluctant to discuss with their managers or colleagues.

Bupa has also partnered with JAAQ (Just Ask a Question) to offer an employee engagement platform with mental health advice and resources to promote good mental health in the workplace.

Health assessments

Health assessments can help detect potential issues early, enabling your staff to seek treatment quickly. Bupa's health assessments and ongoing support also empower your employees to improve their overall health and well-being, leading to fewer absences from work and better health outcomes in the future. Bupa can also provide your business with anonymised data to help you track health trends and create workplace wellness initiatives.

Women's health services

Supporting the women in your team can make a real difference to their performance, productivity and ability to remain in employment. Research suggests that one in ten women leaves employment due to a lack of adequate support during menopause. Bupa's menopause plan provides two GP consultations and a private prescription if needed. You can also extend coverage with their continuing care plan, which provides an additional 12 months of support after the initial year. Their period plan provides GP appointments and a private prescription for employees needing advice on menstrual symptoms or issues.

Musculoskeletal treatment

Bupa's musculoskeletal services option provides your team with extra support for bad backs and stiff or aching joints. The service offers a dedicated PhysioLine with advice from physiotherapists by phone or video call. They can arrange access to specialist care and physiotherapy treatment. Adding this option to your health insurance could ease the pressure on your out-patient cover if you've opted to include a financial limit.

Flu vaccinations

Minor illnesses, including flu, are the leading cause of sickness absence in the UK, accounting for 30% of all sick days. Preventive care could lessen the impact on your business. Bupa's flu vaccination programme gives you two options. You can book a nurse to come to your workplace and administer vaccines, or provide staff with a voucher to fund the vaccination at their chosen venue.

Corporate health insurance

Bupa's corporate health insurance includes everything you'll find on their small business plan, along with optional extras that reflect the needs and challenges your business may face with a larger team. Bupa's corporate policy covers firms with 250+ employees and provides additional mental health support. Your business can also access workplace well-being support that helps you create an effective wellness strategy.

Mind Matters

The Mind Matters programme includes many of the same services as Bupa's small business health insurance policy. It incorporates the standard employee assistance programme and provides you with anonymised employee health data via health assessments. With a corporate policy, you can add workplace resilience and stress management training, as well as major change and crisis counselling as needed. The stress management training includes resources for managers and employees, as well as an online platform to support employees in managing their mental well-being.

Health insurance excludes pre-existing conditions from coverage, along with other standard exclusions. However, with Mind Matters, Bupa has removed most of these exclusions to enable your team to access the support they need.

Private health insurance gives your employees quick access to medical care, but it doesn't cover everything. Every policy has exclusions, some of which are standard terms while others depend on each employee's medical history.

Bupa's standard exclusions include:

• Cosmetic and weight loss surgery
• Accident and emergency treatment
• Straightforward pregnancy and childbirth
• Intensive care
• Sleep disorders
• Chronic conditions

You can see a full list here.

What are chronic conditions?

Chronic illnesses include conditions like asthma and diabetes, which require long-term monitoring and management. Private medical insurance covers treatment for acute conditions that are typically curable with appropriate treatment, but not chronic conditions.

Pre-existing conditions

Health insurance providers define pre-existing conditions as medical issues for which an employee sought advice or treatment within the five years before joining the policy. They're excluded for the first two years of coverage but can be added later as long as the employee remains symptom-free. If not, the exclusion will stay in place.

Bupa provides comprehensive cover as part of its' core policies, with options to tailor your policy by adding optional extras or setting financial limits to suit your budget.

Here's my view on the highlights of Bupa's business health insurance.

Cancer cover

Bupa's cancer cover is excellent, offering unlimited coverage for a wide range of cancer treatments. There are options for treatment in hospital, at specialist cancer centres, or at home, allowing employees to choose the treatment that best suits their needs. Bupa also covers new drugs and cutting-edge treatments as standard. Your team can also access fast-track consultant appointments and tests without a GP referral.

Out-patient cover

Most health insurance plans provide some out-patient services as part of their core coverage, but Bupa goes further. If you choose the highest cover level, your employees benefit from unlimited access to specialist consultations, tests, scans and out-patient treatments such as physiotherapy, as well as alternative therapies.

Mental health cover

Bupa covers more mental health conditions than any other health insurer and doesn't reclassify mental health issues as chronic if an employee needs repeated treatment. They offer an employee assistance programme, and corporate customers can opt to extend their cover with the 'Mind Matters' programme, which provides mental health training and self-help resources.

There's also a dedicated family mental health helpline to offer parents advice on supporting their children's mental health.

Bupa's business health insurance is among the best on the market, offering core coverage that is typically only available as an optional extra elsewhere.

The only real disadvantages I found came from Bupa's health insurance reviews. In some cases, there appeared to be misunderstandings about which treatments and services the policy covered, suggesting that communication could be clearer in some respects. Others described difficulties in using the Bupa app, feeling it lacked the human touch. Your employee communication strategy and preferences are likely worth considering when choosing a policy.

Bupa's Trustpilot reviews give them an impressive 4.5* rating, based on over 38,000 reviews. 72% of reviews gave them a 5-star rating, noting helpful and caring customer service and a quick, easy claims process.

9% of reviewers were less impressed, awarding Bupa only one star. Some mention refused claims, while others describe difficulties in using the Bupa app or getting the correct information from call handlers.

The best health insurance provider for your business will depend on your needs and budget. Comparing health insurance policies and choosing the right coverage levels can be complex and time-consuming. Speaking with a health insurance broker helps you understand your options and make an informed choice. Contact us for a comparison quote and advice tailored to your needs.