A few months ago I finally took out private health cover. It had been on my to do list for some time and I am glad I finally did it. It’s not cheap, but I think it is necessary.
I checked out my different options, compared funds etc and selected what I thought was the right one for me, but after having issues with their customer service (and not just me, but my sister too) I started looking around. I had heard of Bupa, but when I got cover a few months ago, I didn’t find what I really wanted. My sister joined them though, so I decided to check them out a bit more.
In April/May they launched 3 new pacakges with families in mind. I particularly liked the budget family option, which is for families who want affordable cover with various options. It includes more than my old plan for virtually the same price. This means, over the course of the year I will be saving about $1,500 with things I can claim on the Budget Family Plan I couldn’t get on my old plan. That is a plane ticket to Paris! Also Bupa offer an annual top-up bonus for out of pocket expenses. How good is that?
Once I take into account the cash I can get back, the cost of the insurance and peace of mind is virtually nothing. My kids and I are covered should anything happen and Bupa offer gap free dental, optical and physio for kids at members choice places. I cannot imagine how much my parents spent on my for optical and physio alone, so I know this will come in handy.
BUPA has not been around as long as other funds, but it has proved itself fantastic already(I was wrong here, they have been around for 60 years, but have changed their name. Sorry). Also, many of the ‘established funds’ charge more due to the fact they can. People know them and are willing to pay more because of this, but that comes at a cost, as does their extensive advertising.
BUPA has families in mind with their different levels of cover and I was quite impressed when I looked into it further. There are options for everyone, no matter what stage of life you are at.
I never used to think health insurance was that important because hospitals and things are free in Australia. Fact is, if you have something major happen you will wait a long, long time for treatment if you are not a private patient. I am not willing to wait if I don’t have to. Also, discovering my daughter needs extra help this year made me realize that you never know what is around the corner. Personally, I prefer to be insured.
I mentioned I am on the budget family plan, but there are other plans too if you are planning more children, or plans for no more kids, single, older couples etc… Everything. I have only recently switched, but already I prefer them to my old provider. They have been easier to contact and really helpful. I don’t feel like just another statistic with them and it’s clear through the options they have, they want to help out Australian families.
I will note that Bupa is an advertising partner on my website; however I had already switched to BUPA prior to the partnership and this article is based on personal experience.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
BUPA do have some attractive options. I recently compared them to my current insurer though and decided to stick with the current provider as they are cheaper and offer more than BUPA. My current insurer is a restricted one, so not everybody can join. I’d definitely recommend people use privatehealth.gov.au to compare prviate health insurers.
If you can access restrictive funds such as ones for teachers etc. Then you can get really good deals. On privatehealth.gov.au the cheapest option for me was still Bupa as I am not eligible for the restrictive funds.
Kylie recently posted..Spend money to save money
BUPA have been around for ages just had a name change…..I am with them great for my needs