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Bupa is the UK's largest health insurer. Originating in the UK in 1947, Bupa now has more than 50 million customers worldwide.
As well as offering health and dental insurance, it also runs a wide network of private hospitals.
Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.
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Bupa offers two levels of private medical insurance cover:
As standard, both levels of cover include hospital treatment, outpatient therapies such as physiotherapy, mental health cover, cancer cover, and post-treatment tests, scans and appointments. You'll also get a dental allowance, an NHS cash benefit (which pays money into your bank account if you choose to have treatment through the NHS rather than using your private cover), an 'Anytime Healthline', and access to GP services by phone or video call.
When you get a quote, you'll need to make a few choices that can affect your premium, including:
If you get a quote by phone, you can also choose to exclude cancer cover from your policy. Cancer cover is automatically included for policies purchased online.
Like all private medical insurance policies, Bupa's cover has some exclusions as standard. It usually won't cover pre-existing medical conditions. It also excludes conditions related to pregnancy, ageing, menopause and puberty, allergies and food intolerances, and most chronic conditions (with the exception of cancer and mental health conditions).
The cost of private health insurance can vary dramatically based on factors such as your age, where you live, and your smoking status. Older people or those that smoke, for example, are likely to pay significantly more than younger, non-smokers.
To give you an idea of Bupa's pricing, we used its website to get quotes for annual cover for two couples (aged 35 and 55) living in south London. We assumed that they were in good health, didn't smoke, and had no pre-existing medical issues.
| Provider | Policy name | Quote for a 35-year-old couple | Quote for a 55-year-old couple | Take out a policy |
| Bupa | Comprehensive | £1,841 | £3,272 | Use the service provided by Lifesearch |
Table note: These are illustrative quotes obtained from Bupa's website in January 2025. When getting quotes for all providers, we selected cover that provides full inpatient care and full outpatient care, comprehensive heart and cancer cover, diagnostic tests and scans, and some cover for complementary therapies (such as physiotherapy) for a non-smoking couple, in good health, living in south London. Where possible, we excluded mental health, dental and optical cover from our quotes, but this was not possible for Bupa so its quotes include some dental and mental health cover. We selected the standard hospital and specialist lists. We selected no excess, but did select a waiting time if offered. We opted not to protect our no-claims discount.
We also got equivalent quotes for five other leading private health insurance providers: Aviva, Axa Health, Saga, Vitality, and WPA. Premiums ranged from £1,129 to £2,698 for our 35-year-old couple, and £1,865 to £4,569 for our 55-year-old couple, putting Bupa's premiums in around the middle of these ranges.
Bear in mind that these quotes are illustrative; Bupa may offer better or worse value for other scenarios.
There are several ways to buy Bupa private health insurance, including:
Costs and cover levels can vary between providers, so – as with any insurance purchase – we recommend comparing quotes from other providers. If you know what cover you need, a price comparison site can be a quick and easy way to get a range of quotes – though not all comparison sites cover the whole market.
However, if you're not quite sure what cover you and your family need, speaking to a specialist broker can help you understand your options and ensure you're getting the right cover.
The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) and Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) have searchable directories of brokers that specialise in health and life insurance.
Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch. Find out more
If, after comparing providers, you're confident that Bupa is right for your needs, you can tweak your cover to keep your premiums down. Ways to cut costs include:
If you buy your policy online, you can also choose to exclude private cancer cover.
If you already have health insurance, be cautious about switching policy to get a better price.
New private health insurance policies usually don't cover pre-existing medical conditions, so if you developed a condition while you were covered by your previous policy, the new policy may not cover it. Read the terms and conditions carefully, and consider whether any cost saving is worth the possible reduction in cover.
If you have cancer symptoms, mental health concerns, or problems with your muscles, bones or joints, call Bupa directly as you may be able to get treatment without a GP referral.
For other symptoms, you'll need to follow these steps:
Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch.
Find out more