Bupa UK has confirmed that customers who have medical treatment cancelled as a result of the Covid crisis will be in line for potential rebates.
As a mutual organisation the health insurer said it was ensuring that any “exceptional financial benefits” will be passed on to its UK health insurance customers. This will include those insured under corporate and individual schemes.
In a letter to customers, chief executive Alex Perry said Bupa’s own hospital and healthcare staff are focused on addressing the coronavirus pandemic at present. Urgent care — such as cancer treatment — will continue, but other non-urgent hospital treatments are being postponed.
Perry says it is expected there will be a reduction in the overall number of treatments undertaken.
Perry says: “At this point, no one can predict the full impact of this national crisis and we do not have all the answers yet. But we want to reassure our customers that we will do the right thing for them, and that any exceptional financial benefit ultimately arising from Covid-19 will be passed back to our health insurance customers. This will be by rebate or other appropriate means.”
Bupa says it will commission a third-party review to ensure that what it does is fair and reasonable across its different customer groups.
Bupa has also expanded its range of health support services and resources that customers can access from home to support them through the current crisis. Services include telephone and video consultations with nurses, GPs and consultants, as well as specialist help for physiotherapy and mental health, right through to chemotherapy at home for cancer patients.
Bupa confirmed that it has already seen calls to its AnyTime HealthLine more than double.
The Digital GP service that Bupa provides in partnership with Babylon is also being made available to all insurance customers with a new Covid care assistant feature.
A dedicated Bupa Covid-19 online hub has also been developed to provide regular updates and health advice to help customers manage both their physical and emotional wellbeing.
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