Bupa’s DNA-led preventative care services, which aim to help people understand their genetic risk of serious disease, are set to go live next week.
The insurer expects 200,000 people will benefit from the overall preventative pathway service by the end of 2027.
The launch, first announced in May, sees prevention pathways for breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes being offered from 1 September.
These will be available to all Bupa UK Insurance consumer and SME renewing customers and new customers after a 12-month waiting period. They are available as an optional benefit to corporate customers.
Where someone is deemed high-risk, the service includes access to specialist support, preventive treatment and potentially life-saving surgeries.
The insurer added its launch marks a “crucial” first step towards more personalised healthcare, moving beyond a treatment-led, one-size-fits-all approach where action is taken after illness has developed, towards personalised prevention for every individual that intervenes before a condition develops.
Expected to benefit more than 95,000 people by the end of 2027, the diabetes and cardiovascular disease pathways, use genetic and metabolic testing to identify risks and inform personalised next steps and risk-reducing treatments based on results.
For those at increased risk, this can include appointments with the insurer’s GPs, lifestyle coaching, and £400 of funding to support to access its weight management plan including GLP-1 weight loss medication.
Meanwhile, around 36,000 people are expected to use the breast cancer pathway by the end of 2027.
Medication check
In June, the insurer launched its medication check service for customers taking regular medication, determining which medications are most likely to be effective, ineffective or cause side effects based on a person’s genomic makeup.
Around 10,000 tests have already been ordered with an estimated 70,000 people expected to benefit by the end of 2027, and 28% anticipated to make long-term medication changes based on results.
The pathways build on Bupa’s investment in a growing range of genomics-led services, including its DNA Health Check.
Early preventative action
Dr Rebecca Rohrer, clinical innovation and genomics director at Bupa, said: “By using modern innovation to truly understand a person’s DNA, these pathways fundamentally change how we approach healthcare.
“Where someone is at a genetically increased risk of serious disease, we’re now able to support them in taking early, informed action, potentially years before symptoms appear.
“By helping people get ahead of serious diseases like breast cancer, we also help to reduce the likelihood of needing intensive treatments later, and spare people the shock of a life-changing diagnosis that often comes without warning.”
Dr Rohrer continued: “With the number of people diagnosed with cancers such as breast cancer continuing to grow, it has never been more important for people to understand their individual health risks earlier in life, enabling informed decisions about prevention, screening and long-term health.”
Dan Sullivan, product and proposition director for Bupa Insurance, added: “The opening of our Prevention Pathways marks a significant milestone for healthcare, as Bupa becomes the first major private medical insurer to offer fully integrated, personalised genomics-led care and preventive treatment as part of its standard cover.
“Good health today is no guarantee against future illness, and DNA can reveal inherited risks long before signs or symptoms appear. Now, for the first time, an insurer is providing health cover to support people in understanding health risks in advance and proactively accessing treatment to prevent disease.”
