Are You Affected by Bupa’s Policy Cuts?

• Bupa are making significant cutbacks to two main policies

• This will affect customers with Budget Hospital Cover, and Standard Hospital Cover

• If you have these policies you’ll no longer be covered for 8+ procedures

• Bupa customers can either upgrade policies with Bupa (and pay a higher premium), drop the cover altogether, or compare and find a policy that will continue to give cover for these 8+ services

• If you decide to switch providers, you have until August 1st to do so and avoid re-serving waiting periods if you switch to a policy with the same or better level of cover

What Policies Are Affected By Bupa’s Changes?

From July 1st 2018*, Bupa is making significant changes to a number of policies. The policies affected are Budget Hospital Cover, and Standard Hospital Cover.

If you have either of these two policies, then you’ll no longer be covered for a range of procedures. This includes:

• Hip and knee replacements
• Cataract and eye lens procedures
• Renal dialysis for chronic renal failure
• Pregnancy and birth related services
• IVF and assisted reproductive services
• Obesity related procedures and surgeries
• Abdominoplasty and lipectomy
• Cardiac and cardiac related services

What This Means For You As A Bupa Customer

According to a report by the Australian newspaper*, these policy changes will only affect you if you’re a Bupa customer with Budget Hospital Cover, or Standard Hospital Cover. If this is you, then you’ll no longer be covered for these procedures from July 1st*. However, Bupa has given you until September 1st* to upgrade your policy with them, without having to re-serve 12 month waiting periods.

Should You Consider Switching Providers?

If you’d prefer to compare and switch policies and providers, instead of upgrading with Bupa, here’s what you need to know.

As mentioned earlier, you’ll no longer be covered for the above range of benefits from July 1st*. You then have until August 1st to switch to another provider without having to re-serve waiting periods.

This means if you switch providers on August 2nd, you’ll have to re-serve 12 month waiting periods on the above range of benefits. We recommend switching providers before this date so that you don’t miss out.

What Can You Do About It?

You should consider comparing health insurance policies. To avoid re-serving 12 month waiting periods on the eight benefits listed above, you’ll need to either upgrade your policy with Bupa (and pay more) before September 1st, or switch health providers.

You can compare health funds with iSelect today to find a policy that suits your needs. This will ensure you’re on the right cover, at the right price, and avoid having to re-serve any waiting periods if you switch to a policy with the same or better level of cover.

You’ll have peace of mind that you, and your family, are protected with the right level of health cover.

Ready To Find A Policy That Meets Your Needs?

Compare health insurance policies the easy way with iSelect. By doing a comparison you can review policies side by side, and find the one that best suits your needs. Prefer to speak to a person? Feel free to call us on 13 19 20, and speak to one of our friendly expert advisors.

Sources:

*The Australian
“Bupa in reverse on costs overhaul,” by Sean Parnell. Published 07 June 2018.

**Bupa

https://media.bupa.com.au/explaining-the-policy-changes-for-those-with-minimum-benefits

iSelect does not compare all products in the market. Not all products are available at all times.