Bupa Health Insurance Cost UK - 2023 Pricing Guide (2023)

Disclaimer

Health insurance is a complicated financial product with many options and variables; therefore, the cost of your Bupa health insurance will differ from what we share here. The costs of Bupa Health Insurance included in this article are only meant as examples. While we've received hundreds of quotes from Bupa in 2023, they were all based on fictitious people.

Why you should always compare health insurance providers

While Bupa is undoubtedly one of the best health insurers in the UK, they're one of many, and there's a high probability that another provider may be a better fit for you.Comparing health insuranceis quick and easy and is a surefire way to ensure that you get the best policy and price for your circumstances.

Introduction to Bupa

Bupa Insurance Limited is an international health insurance and healthcare group that began in the UK. Today they have a presence in numerous countries and provide services to some 38 million customers worldwide. Bupa is perhaps the best-knownhealth insurance provider in the UKand maybe unsurprisingly has one of the biggest customer bases, at around2.3 million people. The company is limited by a guarantee, meaning it doesn't have shareholders and can reinvest profits.

Bupa Health Insurance

Bupa offers two core policy types, "Treatment and Care", their entry-level option, and "Comprehensive", which gives you access to a broader range of care. The independent rating agencyDefaqtoscored Treatment and Care three stars in 2023 and Comprehensive their maximum rating of five stars. At the time of writing, Bupa boasts an impressiveTrustpilotrating of 4.3 from nearly 15,000 reviews.

If you'd like to learn more aboutBupa's private health insurance cover, please read our recent review.

Key benefits of Bupa health insurance

Here are some of the most prominent benefits of Bupa health insurance:

• Treatment in private hospitals as an inpatient or day-patient (all policies)
• Outpatient treatment and diagnostic tests (comprehensive policies, limits may apply)
• You can go direct to Bupa for certain conditions without seeing a GP first (Direct Access)
• Bupa provides mental health insurance as standard, which is rare.
• You get 24/7 access to a Digital GP service
• 24/7 Nurse helpline
• Access to breakthrough drugs and cancer drugs
• Full Cancer Cover promise
• Rewards and discounts from top brands

There are a vast number of things which will affect the cost of private health insurance, be that with Bupa or another insurer. You'll have control over some of them, such as the level of cover you opt for and the excess you set on the policy, but for others, such as where you live or your age, you won't.

Here are just some of the factors that will affect the ultimate cost of your Bupa insurance:

• Your age- health insurance costs more as we age and considerably more as we enter retirement and later life.
• Where you live- if you live in a major city, the cost of private medical treatments is likely to be higher, and therefore you can expect to pay more for your health insurance. London is usually the most expensive; however, we've also seen high premiums in Manchester and other major cities.
• Cover level- what you want your policy to cover is the most significant factor you have control over. Go for a basic policy, and you'll pay less. Opt for a comprehensive policy with many additional options, and you'll pay more.
• Your excess- the higher your excess, the lower your premiums will be, however, please ensure that it remains affordable, as the last thing you want is a big bill that you can't afford when you're unwell.
• Consultant access- the leading insurers, Bupa included, typically give you two choices regarding medical consultant access. You can opt for their "Guided Care", which limits you to a pre-approved list they have favourable terms with, or you can choose unrestricted consultant access. Based on our research of all leading providers, opting for restricted consultant access will typically reduce the cost of your health insurance policy by 20%.
• Hospital list- some private hospitals charge more than others, especially those in central London, often operated by HCA. If you want to include high-end hospitals, you can expect your premiums to increase.
• No claims discount-Bupa offers a no claims discount(NCD) which increases from 10% for two years to 70% for 14 years of no claims. The only claims that won't affect your NCD are for Dental Cover (if you've opted for it) and their NHS Cash Benefit.
• Therapies cover- with access to NHS physiotherapists and other alternative therapists becoming increasingly more complex, many people that take out health insurance will opt for the addon of "Therapies Cover". Doing so will, of course, increase your premiums.
• Dental cover- If you want to cover the cost of routine dental appointments, such as checkups and trips to the hygenist, you can take out the optional Dental Cover.
• Mental health cover- uniquely to Bupa, they include Mental Health Cover in their base policies up to certain limits. Therefore, there's no additional cost to protect your mental health unless you want to extend those limits.
• The cost of private medical treatment- inflation affects all products and services in the UK, and thecost of private medical treatmentis no different. Prices tend to rise and contribute to the increasing cost of private health insurance cover year on year.
• Your medical history- if you opt for Moratorium Underwriting, your medical history won't affect the cost of your Bupa health insurance, as anypre-existing medical conditionswill be automatically excluded. However, if you choose Full Medical Underwriting, your medical history may come into play.
• Your smoker status- we all know that smoking is bad for us, and insurers know it too. You'll likely pay more for private health insurance if you're a smoker or using nicotine replacement products.

As we mentioned at the start of this section, these are just some factors that'll affect the cost of your Bupa private medical insurance. There's more, which we don't want to get into now, but suffice to say, getting advice from an independent broker before buying is vital.

While this post focuses on Bupa, we hope it illustrates how complicated health insurance can be. If you multiply that by 7-8 of the top providers, each with subtle differences, it's a minefield. The only way you can truly ensure you get the best price and private health insurance policy is to get a comparison quote and speak to a health insurance broker. Health insurance brokers compare policies every day and therefore are in the perfect position to find the best private medical insurance provider for you. Health insurance brokers work for you, the customer, not the insurers, yet the service is completely free. Yes, they earn a commission if you buy a policy, but under their obligations with theFinancial Conduct Authority, they have to work in your interests, not theirs.

Here are our findings based on many quotes from Bupa obtained in 2023. We examined how much they charge for seven age groups in ten major towns and cities across the UK.

Bupa policy configuration

To find a meaningful average, we needed to select policy terms that were typical for most people looking at health insurance. We must reiterate that these terms and, therefore, the prices are just examples. You could opt for more coverage and pay a higher premium, or vice-versa.

Here is a summary of how we configured our Bupa cover:

• Pricing is based on an individual applying as a new Bupa customer
• Prices are based on quotes in 10 major towns and cities across the UK
• We opted for a Comprehensive policy, including private outpatient treatment, limited to £1,000 per policy year
• We included cover for therapies such as physiotherapy
• The pricing is based on an average of Guided Care and Unrestricted Consultant access
• We didn't opt for routine dental cover
• The individual wasn't a smoker
• We opted for Bupa's standard hospital list
• We set an excess on the policy of £250
• The applicant didn't have a no-claims discount
• The policy was underwritten on a Moratorium basis
• Pricing was obtained in January 2023 via Bupa's website

Average Bupa health insurance costs in 2023

Based on hundreds of private health insurance quotes received from Bupa earlier this year, we can reveal the average cost of their Comprehensive policies.

Please note that the cost of your private health insurance will differ from the prices listed on this page.

We don't have as much data for both couples and families, but if we hear that there is demand for it, we may expand this post in the future. For the time being, we can provide you with example pricing based on a single location in the UK chosen randomly. Families also benefit from a 10% discount in comparison to applying individually.

Couples and family health insurance policy configuration:

• All prices were received in 2023 via the Bupa website
• We used a St Albans, Hertfordshire postcode
• We set the health insurance policy excess to £250 per policy year
• The policy used Moratorium underwriting
• We opted for their Guided Care (restricting consultant access)
• We included £1000 of outpatient cover
• We defaulted to their standard hospital list
• Any children on the policy were ten years old
• We didn't opt for dental cover
• All applicants we non-smokers
• Where more than one adult was on the policy, they were the same age, precisely

As you can see, this methodology is far from perfect, and it's improbable that you and your partner are the identical age and have kids the same age too! So, to reiterate, please take the following with a large pinch of salt and compare health insurance costs and providers before you buy a policy.

How much does Bupa health insurance cost for couples?

In this section, we share the price of a comprehensive Bupa medical insurance policy for a couple. Please note that couples save 5% compared to two individuals taking out a health insurance policy. This pricing research also has subtle differences from the research for individuals, so the two are not comparable.

‍Disclaimer:The pricing is merely an example based on many factors, and your premiums will undoubtedly differ. Please request a comparison quote to get a valid quotation based on your personal circumstances.

In this section, we've obtained health insurance quotes from Bupa for a family of 3. Both adults were the same age, and the child was ten years old.

This section of our article shares examples of Bupa private health insurance prices for a family of 4. Both adults were the same age, and the children were both ten-years-old.

‍

Disclaimer:The health insurance pricing provided in this article is meant only as an example and, while accurate, is based on many factors; therefore, the cost of your policy will be different. Please consult with a health insurance specialist before making a purchasing decision.

Finally, we looked at the cost of Bupa health insurance for a family of 5, with both adults sharing the same birthday and the children all being 10.

‍

Disclaimer:This article's private health insurance pricing will not be the same as what your private health insurance will cost.

Compare health insurance

Please compare policies before deciding on health insurance policies. Each provider has numerous options, and what is best for one person will certainly not be for someone else. Your personal circumstances play a significant role in the cost of private health insurance and the cover level you would like. By comparing health insurance policies, you ensure you get the best policy at the best price.