Impartial reviews on the latest products and how they can impact consumers.
August 2012 Bupa: iPMI
Bupa International has launched Bupa Flex, which is a short-term international private medical insurance (iPMI) available for a 3-11 month period but can then be extended if necessary. The plan is aimed at people who are only going to be working abroad for a relatively short period of time. The plan is available in two versions—Flex and Flex Plus. The basic Flex plan excludes all out-patient treatment apart from surgical operations. Both plans cover in-patient and day-case treatment plus advanced imaging, healthcare services, ambulances and assistance cover (evacuation and repatriation). The maximum annual benefit is £1m (or $1.7m or €1.2m).…
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August 2012 Bupa: PMI
Bupa Select is a community rated SME private medical insurance (PMI) plan that has now been updated to simplify and enhance it, and with a new range of additional options added. Three tiers are available – Key, Enhanced and Complete. Maximum annual benefits are: Benefit Key Enhanced Complete In/day-patient treatment Full Full Full Out-patient cover £1,000 £1,500 Full Complementary therapies £250* £1,500* Full Hospital access Partnership Partnership Participating Mental health 45 days in/out-patient all plans * Within the annual out-patient limit All three versions of the plans also include: • Cancer cover at every stage with no financial limits. •…
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August 2012 Beagle Street: CI
Beagle Street is a new provider, launched on 24 July 2012, that ‘aims to modernise the way people buy life insurance, making it cheaper, simpler and more accessible’. Part of BGL Group (which has over 4m customers and was founded in 1992), policies are underwritten by Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Ltd. Where this plan is different is that business is transacted entirely online, with an average time to go on risk of 11 minutes. Customers can choose Life Insurance (level or ‘decreasing value’ term of 5-30 years [or to age 70 if less]) with or without critical illness cover. The…
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August 2012 Aviva: CI
Aviva has introduced a number of changes to its existing life and CI plan, including: • Five new ABI+ definitions. These are cancer; Alzheimer’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; major organ transplant, and motor neurone disease. Aviva says that the top four conditions, accounting for 90% of all CI claims, now have ABI+ definitions under its plan. • Three new conditions added. These are significant visual impairment, Crohn’s disease treated with intestinal restriction and removal of an eyeball. Each of the three has a payout of the lower of 20% of the full sum insured and £20,000 and the plan continues after…
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July 2012 Scottish Provident: CI
Scottish Provident, part of the Royal London group along with fellow protection office Bright Grey, celebrated its 175th birthday in May and has introduced a number of changes to coincide with that. The main changes are: • Accident hospitalisation cover has been added as a new critical illness benefit. • Third degree burns, covering 10-20% of the body’s surface area or 25-50% of the surface area of the face, has also been added as a new critical illness. • The definition for multiple sclerosis has been improved to ABI+ level. • Scottish Provident now has ten CI definitions that are…
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