Insurance
Are you due a refund from Bupa?
Guest Author:
Emma LunnThe health insurer is Bupa to refund health insurance customers a month’s premium after disruption to some medical treatments during lockdown.
A total of £125m will be dished out from April 2021, following a pledge made last year. The money will be automatically repaid into the account used to pay Bupa.
For the vast majority of customers, payment is expected to be roughly the equivalent of one month’s premium. It may be more or less depending on the final outcome of the calculations and whether premiums were paid in full or for part of the time when private treatment was most disrupted.
Although treatment for critical conditions like cancer and heart disease continued throughout the pandemic, some treatments in independent hospitals were delayed as they supported the NHS.
In recognition of this, Bupa pledged to pass back any exceptional financial benefit ultimately arising as a result of the impact of Covid-19 to its customers.
Alex Perry, CEO of Bupa UK Insurance, said: “We are determined to do the right thing for our customers. From the start of the pandemic we invested heavily in providing new and additional healthcare services from home, such as our Digital GP service, to help people access the care they need.
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“Thankfully many of the face-to-face services that were impacted were delayed rather than cancelled. More and more customers have been accessing health services as they resumed.
“We were the first major health insurer to commit to a customer rebate and are now acting on this pledge. As an organisation without shareholders our customers come first, and we continue to support them throughout these times.”
Bupa also invested in a range of ‘at-home’ health services during the pandemic. These included:
- Access to GP care through mobile devices, 24/7 for all customers
- Video and telephone access to Bupa recognised therapists and consultants
- Fast-track diagnosis at home for skin and cardiac issues
- Expanding chemotherapy at home for cancer patients
- Mental health support, including support for carers through Bupa’s Family Mental Health Helpline.