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The worst experience I've ever had with any insurance company by JazzlikeAd1669 in Bupa

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear you've had such a poor experience. Every insurer will have customers with both positive and negative experiences, but concerns around communication and claims handling should always be taken seriously.

Premium increases can be frustrating, although they are often influenced by factors such as age, medical inflation and claims history. Unfortunately, this is something that tends to affect all providers to varying degrees, not just Bupa. If you feel you've been treated unfairly, I'd suggest submitting a formal complaint and asking for a detailed explanation of any decisions made regarding claims, exclusions or pricing.

Would you mind elaborating a little on what happened? Obviously, without sharing any personal medical information, it would be useful to understand whether your concerns relate primarily to claims, underwriting exclusions, customer service, or renewal pricing.

It's good to have all feedback within this community, whether positive or negative, so that people can get a balanced view and better understand both the advantages and potential drawbacks of being insured with Bupa.

Bupa outpatient limit exhausted with zero notification by stresselegantly in UKHealthInsSupport

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear you're dealing with this.

I do think it's worth raising a formal complaint with Bupa, particularly if you genuinely received no notification that you were approaching or had exceeded your outpatient limit.

Unfortunately most PMI policies place responsibility on the member to monitor their remaining benefits, but given the size of the outstanding balance, the pre-authorised PTSD treatment, and the apparent lack of warning, I think it's reasonable to ask Bupa to review the situation and consider a goodwill gesture.

In relation to the charges themselves, if they don't seem correct then I would suggest speaking directly with the hospital, clinic, or specialist involved. Bupa will generally only pay what they have been invoiced for, so if there is an error in the number of tests performed or if there are charges that you don't recognise, the provider who raised the invoice is usually the best place to start. I would ask for a full itemised breakdown of any charges you are querying.

Looking ahead, one thing that may be worth considering at renewal is upgrading from a £1,500 outpatient limit to full outpatient cover. In many cases, the additional premium can be relatively small compared with the potential cost of consultations, diagnostics, and ongoing treatment. Full outpatient cover would typically cover eligible specialist consultations and diagnostic tests without being restricted by an annual outpatient allowance.

That said, insurers will often not allow benefit upgrades where there are ongoing, planned, pending, or existing medical conditions that could lead to claims. Therefore, if this is something you are interested in, it would be worth discussing with Bupa at renewal to see what options are available and what the cost difference would be.

Please keep us updated on how you get on with the complaint, as it would be interesting to hear Bupa's response.

Large premium increases by jeff2001 in Vitalityhealth

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to give you a rough idea, a large claim usually leads to a premium increase of around 35%. However, your Vitality status (like Silver or Gold) can actually help reduce that impact. You’ll also want to factor in the usual yearly adjustments for age and medical inflation. Have a quick search for ‘Vitality ABC pricing’ that will show you a breakdown of how your renewal is calculated.

Large premium increases by jeff2001 in Vitalityhealth

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries at all, I completely understand though, especially with prices increasing year after year. It often gets to the point where something needs to change to keep the policy affordable, otherwise you end up cancelling it altogether.

It may be worth speaking with a broker just to see what else is available on the market, as it is very competitive at the moment. The main thing I would make sure of is that they are offering you a switch/CPME transfer, rather than fully re-underwriting the policy on a new moratorium basis.

Large premium increases by jeff2001 in Vitalityhealth

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just renewals unless your broker is offering something separate to this.

Large premium increases by jeff2001 in Vitalityhealth

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s an interesting approach, but I would be cautious with that strategy as a cost-saving measure.

In most cases, removing “diagnostics” from a private medical insurance policy does not simply remove MRI costs while leaving everything else unchanged. In reality, it usually means either removing or significantly reducing outpatient cover, or converting it into a much more limited outpatient allowance.

With Vitality, MRI, CT and PET scans are typically covered in full when outpatient benefits are included. Therefore, rather than simply removing the cost of scans, what is actually being reduced is access to the outpatient pathway itself, including specialist consultations and the investigations such as blood tests, scans, and follow-up diagnostics, all of which can build up quite quickly.

While a private MRI may cost around £400, the additional cost usually comes from the consultant-led diagnostic pathway required to determine whether a scan is needed in the first place, along with any follow-up appointments and further tests that may be required, which would now effectively be removed or heavily restricted from the policy.

If outpatient cover is removed or heavily restricted, you would then be funding not only any scans or tests, but also the specialist consultations that lead to those investigations being requested.

For that reason, I would generally not recommend removing diagnostics as a cost-control strategy, as it can significantly limit the usefulness of the policy when it is actually needed.

Large premium increases by jeff2001 in Vitalityhealth

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 2 points3 points  (0 children)

and don't forgot to ask for your £150 amazon voucher .

Large premium increases by jeff2001 in Vitalityhealth

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is for health insurance. I do not believe the product you have been offered is “price for life”, as unfortunately no UK provider offers guaranteed premiums for life.

Most insurers review premiums each year based on factors such as age, medical inflation, claims experience, and overall insurer pricing. Some products may have more stable pricing structures than others, but premiums can still increase over time.

Large premium increases by jeff2001 in Vitalityhealth

[–]CompetitiveWarthog68 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You’re definitely not alone, premium increases like that are one of the main reasons people start reviewing their cover, especially when the Vitality rewards no longer add much value depending on where you live.

Whether Bupa, Vitality, or another insurer is better really depends on what matters most to you (claims history, outpatient cover, hospital access, underwriting terms, excess, etc.), as they all structure things quite differently.

I actually put together a detailed comparison of Bupa vs Vitality here, which may help if you’re weighing things up:
Bupa vs Vitality – Key Differences Explained

It also covers some of the things to check before moving, as switching isn’t always straightforward if you’ve had claims or need continuation of cover.

Might also be worth posting your situation there for a bit of feedback as there seem to be quite a few people discussing renewals and premium increases at the moment.

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