Bupa cover 13 July 2022 at 7:37PM in Employment, jobseeking & training 9 replies 288 views

Hot_hi

Hello experts,
First post so please be easy on me.
Need some help with bupa cover. I get bupa cover from my employer who I started working for in 2018. I am going through a treatment with NHS which could be quicker with bupa. Contacted my employer and found out I never filled the form to join the scheme. I can't remember tbh as it would be over 4 years ago. Anything that can be done in this situation? Thanks for your help and advice in advance.

Sncjw

Do you pay into this cover through wages? 

JReacher1

Benefits like this tend to be optional work benefits which you need to opt in for. 

So I don’t think there is anything you can do here. If you never signed the form you’re not in the BUPA work policy so aren’t covered. If you sign up now what your currently having treatment for would be classed as a pre-existing  condition so probably not covered. 

Hopefully your current treatment is not too serious. 

I would fill the form in now though so you’ve got it in the future. 

diystarter7

No, nothing judging by what you said.
I thought I joined a pension scheme but then found out I had but several years later than I thought. They had the evidence that is what counts.

Sandtree

Hot_hi said:

Hello experts,
First post so please be easy on me.
Need some help with bupa cover. I get bupa cover from my employer who I started working for in 2018. I am going through a treatment with NHS which could be quicker with bupa. Contacted my employer and found out I never filled the form to join the scheme. I can't remember tbh as it would be over 4 years ago. Anything that can be done in this situation? Thanks for your help and advice in advance.

These schemes will almost always be optional because 1) you have to pay the BIK tax on them and some may not consider it value for money or 2) someone may hold a personal better policy in one way or another and so wont want to pay for a second inferior (to them) product.

First of all, what is your company's scheme rules on pre-existing conditions or any wait period before being able to claim? On the best quality policies you can claim from day 1 and they cover pre-existing conditions and so in theory you could fill in the form today and claim tomorrow.

If your policy is the most budget type then it wont cover pre-existing conditions at all in which case there is nothing you can do about this illness and its up to you to decide if you want to sign up to the scheme now for the future and start paying the BIK

I guess there is a very minor thing of checking your P11D to see if you've been charged BIK for the PMI in which case you may have an argument but it'd be a fairly big mess up for your employer to be charging you the tax without having added you to the cover.

Hot_hi

Sncjw said:

Do you pay into this cover through wages? 

No, it's offered as part of my grade. But I understand it would count as bik.

Hot_hi

JReacher1 said:

Benefits like this tend to be optional work benefits which you need to opt in for. 

So I don’t think there is anything you can do here. If you never signed the form you’re not in the BUPA work policy so aren’t covered. If you sign up now what your currently having treatment for would be classed as a pre-existing  condition so probably not covered. 

Hopefully your current treatment is not too serious. 

I would fill the form in now though so you’ve got it in the future. 

Yes, I'm planning to do this anyways in case something else comes up. 

Hot_hi

Sandtree said:

Hot_hi said:

Hello experts,
First post so please be easy on me.
Need some help with bupa cover. I get bupa cover from my employer who I started working for in 2018. I am going through a treatment with NHS which could be quicker with bupa. Contacted my employer and found out I never filled the form to join the scheme. I can't remember tbh as it would be over 4 years ago. Anything that can be done in this situation? Thanks for your help and advice in advance.

These schemes will almost always be optional because 1) you have to pay the BIK tax on them and some may not consider it value for money or 2) someone may hold a personal better policy in one way or another and so wont want to pay for a second inferior (to them) product.

First of all, what is your company's scheme rules on pre-existing conditions or any wait period before being able to claim? On the best quality policies you can claim from day 1 and they cover pre-existing conditions and so in theory you could fill in the form today and claim tomorrow.

If your policy is the most budget type then it wont cover pre-existing conditions at all in which case there is nothing you can do about this illness and its up to you to decide if you want to sign up to the scheme now for the future and start paying the BIK

I guess there is a very minor thing of checking your P11D to see if you've been charged BIK for the PMI in which case you may have an argument but it'd be a fairly big mess up for your employer to be charging you the tax without having added you to the cover.

Thanks for your reply. My employer has offered a premium cover as well if it takes care of the matter. Can you confirm which type of cover will be suitable for pre existing conditions? I think the wait period is completion of probation period which I completed over 3 years ago. I have not been charged bik for this.
My employer is very supportive and have offered private consultant to speed up the process although it's not covered through bupa.

Sandtree

Hot_hi said:

Sandtree said:

Hot_hi said:

Hello experts,
First post so please be easy on me.
Need some help with bupa cover. I get bupa cover from my employer who I started working for in 2018. I am going through a treatment with NHS which could be quicker with bupa. Contacted my employer and found out I never filled the form to join the scheme. I can't remember tbh as it would be over 4 years ago. Anything that can be done in this situation? Thanks for your help and advice in advance.

These schemes will almost always be optional because 1) you have to pay the BIK tax on them and some may not consider it value for money or 2) someone may hold a personal better policy in one way or another and so wont want to pay for a second inferior (to them) product.

First of all, what is your company's scheme rules on pre-existing conditions or any wait period before being able to claim? On the best quality policies you can claim from day 1 and they cover pre-existing conditions and so in theory you could fill in the form today and claim tomorrow.

If your policy is the most budget type then it wont cover pre-existing conditions at all in which case there is nothing you can do about this illness and its up to you to decide if you want to sign up to the scheme now for the future and start paying the BIK

I guess there is a very minor thing of checking your P11D to see if you've been charged BIK for the PMI in which case you may have an argument but it'd be a fairly big mess up for your employer to be charging you the tax without having added you to the cover.

Thanks for your reply. My employer has offered a premium cover as well if it takes care of the matter. Can you confirm which type of cover will be suitable for pre existing conditions? I think the wait period is completion of probation period which I completed over 3 years ago. I have not been charged bik for this.
My employer is very supportive and have offered private consultant to speed up the process although it's not covered through bupa.

When a company buys a corporate policy they have 4 choices:

• All pre-existing conditions covered
• Full underwriting - each employee's conditions considered when joining
• Moratorium - pre-existing conditions will be covered after 3-5 years of being symptom/treatment free
• All pre-existing conditions excluded

In theory they could offer tiers, senior managers gets the top one and the front line staff get the bottom but not come across that personally. Have seen cases where the Exec/SMT got a higher level of hospital cover -v- us plebs. 

It will all come down to what your company has bought but on the basis you are talking about having private consult paid by them rather than Bupa it sounds like its not the top one. 

Hot_hi

Sandtree said:

Hot_hi said:

Sandtree said:

Hot_hi said:

Hello experts,
First post so please be easy on me.
Need some help with bupa cover. I get bupa cover from my employer who I started working for in 2018. I am going through a treatment with NHS which could be quicker with bupa. Contacted my employer and found out I never filled the form to join the scheme. I can't remember tbh as it would be over 4 years ago. Anything that can be done in this situation? Thanks for your help and advice in advance.

These schemes will almost always be optional because 1) you have to pay the BIK tax on them and some may not consider it value for money or 2) someone may hold a personal better policy in one way or another and so wont want to pay for a second inferior (to them) product.

First of all, what is your company's scheme rules on pre-existing conditions or any wait period before being able to claim? On the best quality policies you can claim from day 1 and they cover pre-existing conditions and so in theory you could fill in the form today and claim tomorrow.

If your policy is the most budget type then it wont cover pre-existing conditions at all in which case there is nothing you can do about this illness and its up to you to decide if you want to sign up to the scheme now for the future and start paying the BIK

I guess there is a very minor thing of checking your P11D to see if you've been charged BIK for the PMI in which case you may have an argument but it'd be a fairly big mess up for your employer to be charging you the tax without having added you to the cover.

Thanks for your reply. My employer has offered a premium cover as well if it takes care of the matter. Can you confirm which type of cover will be suitable for pre existing conditions? I think the wait period is completion of probation period which I completed over 3 years ago. I have not been charged bik for this.
My employer is very supportive and have offered private consultant to speed up the process although it's not covered through bupa.

When a company buys a corporate policy they have 4 choices:

• All pre-existing conditions covered
• Full underwriting - each employee's conditions considered when joining
• Moratorium - pre-existing conditions will be covered after 3-5 years of being symptom/treatment free
• All pre-existing conditions excluded

In theory they could offer tiers, senior managers gets the top one and the front line staff get the bottom but not come across that personally. Have seen cases where the Exec/SMT got a higher level of hospital cover -v- us plebs. 

It will all come down to what your company has bought but on the basis you are talking about having private consult paid by them rather than Bupa it sounds like its not the top one. 

Thanks. I'll check with my HR. Let's see what can be done.