Bupa Global has overhauled its range of international private medical insurance (IPMI) plans for individuals and families in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Five versions of the Global Health Plans are available – major medical, select, premier, elite and ultimate – with annual benefit limits ranging from £1m (€1.25m or $1.7m) to unlimited.
The major medical plan is a reduced version which does not include outpatient day-to-day care such as outpatient surgery, diagnostic tests, specialist consultations, mental health, preventative treatment and screening, dental and optical benefits.
“Major medical is our most cost-effective option, it’s ideal if you don’t need traditional health insurance but still want the peace of mind that you can access worldwide private treatment for serious illnesses and conditions such as cancer,” the insurer said.
Geographic and deductible options
More flexibility in geographic coverage and deductibles has been added to the range, limits have been increased across many benefits, repatriation has been included in all plans while assisted fertility is available on the top two tiers.
Certain pre-existing conditions can be covered subject to underwriting as can chronic and hereditary conditions if discovered after underwriting.
Discounts of 10% for two people and 15% for three or more people are available on the select and premier plans while children under 10 can be included for free on elite plans with this age rising to 16 on ultimate cover.
The insurer has included options to exclude the USA or exclude Europe including the UK from worldwide coverage, although the Europe exclusion is only available on select, premier and elite versions.
Deductible options have also been included to help reduce the premium cost.
For outpatient day-to-day care these are £250 (€330 or $425), £500 (€625 or $850), or £1,000 (€1,250 or $1,700).
For all other benefits the options are £500 (€625 or $850), £1,000 (€1,250 or $1,700), £2,000 (€2,500 or $3,400) or £5,000 (€6,250 or $8,500).
Other changes made in the plans include:
- Select tier customers will have access to a standard private room.
- More choice with increased benefits covering prosthetics, diagnostics, prescribed drugs, and dressings.
“We’ve listened to feedback and understand that healthcare needs are evolving,” Bupa said.
“That’s why we’ve designed a more flexible and sustainable approach to our new health plans which offer cost-effective cover, more geographical coverage options and increased limits across multiple benefits.”