Shame on Bupa !?!?

AH9999

Via my employer, my family (wife and son aged 4) and I have been covered by Bupa for health insurance for about the last 5 years - no major claims during that period.

The cost of this cover to my employer was £879.84 per annum including Insurance Premium Tax (this was taxed as a benefit in kind)

I decided to help start a new company in the UK and left my old employer at the end of December 2013.

I thought I'd continue the Bupa policy and pay for this myself - just got of the phone to Bupa......exactly the same policy, exactly the same risk/cover, no changes at all......if I pay it myself will now cost £3,185 per annum !?!?

Crazy, crazy, crazy......didn't matter what I said, the prices are the prices

Shame on you Bupa, you've now lost a loyal and happy customer due to employing a crazy pricing policy......yes I exepcted a slight increase due to extra administration (individual vs company collective).

I am now a new name customer to AXA PPP with a total cost per annum of £1,283 including Insurance Premium Tax.........exactly the same cover level.

Pru Health were similar to AXA PPP in terms of price/cover level.

Time to wake up Bupa !

InsideInsurance

Yes, corporate clients get massive discounts.

You need to check things like if preexisting conditions are covered by both or not etc. Was the quote for you personally or via your own company?

My last employer's Bupa for + spouse was around 750, a quote to do the same via my business was about 3,000 but a private quote inc covering our preexisting conditions was 1,680

Initially they refused to do pre-existing on personal lines which is why I explored going via my own company. They would do it but at a silly premium which is why I went back to the personal lines guys to complain about the disparity and they then agreed with a premium that was still double what I'd been charged by my former employers but half the SME rate

dizzie

On the plus side, you've probably got much better cover with AXA PPP than you ever had with BUPA.

BUPA may offer cheap corporate policies, but they really restrict who you can see and where you can go. Some company schemes operate on a system of "Open Referral" where BUPA alone tell you who you can see.

Essentially, this involves a person in a call centre with no clinical training trying to match you up to a low cost provider using BUPA's computer system. I can assure you that their recommendations are NOT always the most appropriate!

So, if it was me....I'd be counting my blessings that you didn't have to make a claim in those 5 years. BUPA are an expensive provider - and even at their normal expensive rates, they have lousy reviews and restrict your access to private healthcare.....If they offer you a cheap policy, you'd better read the small print to find out what other restraints they're putting on your policy!

22johnny22

AH9999 wrote: »

Via my employer, my family (wife and son aged 4) and I have been covered by Bupa for health insurance for about the last 5 years - no major claims during that period.

The cost of this cover to my employer was £879.84 per annum including Insurance Premium Tax (this was taxed as a benefit in kind)

I decided to help start a new company in the UK and left my old employer at the end of December 2013.

I thought I'd continue the Bupa policy and pay for this myself - just got of the phone to Bupa......exactly the same policy, exactly the same risk/cover, no changes at all......if I pay it myself will now cost £3,185 per annum !?!?

Crazy, crazy, crazy......didn't matter what I said, the prices are the prices

Shame on you Bupa, you've now lost a loyal and happy customer due to employing a crazy pricing policy......yes I exepcted a slight increase due to extra administration (individual vs company collective).

I am now a new name customer to AXA PPP with a total cost per annum of £1,283 including Insurance Premium Tax.........exactly the same cover level.

Pru Health were similar to AXA PPP in terms of price/cover level.

Time to wake up Bupa !

Best of luck with your new provider.