Bupa Dental Insurance (Protection Review: Gold, Adviser Score 7.7)
From 1 September 2022, Bupa has introduced a range of improvements to its group dental insurance schemes including:
Access to oral cancer care from the start of the policy with no wait period, cover for hospital dental treatment, and unlimited oral cancer treatment when using a fee-assured consultant in a partnership facility. Bupa says it is the only UK insurer to currently offer this.
Covering all clinically necessary restorative dental treatment up to benefit limits.
Covering hospital dental treatment up to benefit limits.
A separate fillings and root canal benefit on Dental Plan so employees can now claim more cash-back towards a filling and a root canal.
New top level of cover for Dental Choice with 32 increases to benefit limits.
Simplified membership guides making it easier for customers to understand their policy.
Bupa adds that its dental insurance customers continue to benefit from digital services to support their oral health and to help prevent future problems. This includes access to Instant Dentist, which provides digital dental screenings and personalised reports from the comfort of home.
Comment: Bupa says that, post-pandemic, one in four (25%) people believe their dental health has declined, exacerbated by lockdowns and missed or cancelled appointments. In addition, the current cost of living crisis is likely to mean even more missed dental appointments and/or problems paying for dental care – even for NHS dental care.
For employers, dental insurance is an increasingly popular benefit to offer, and a practical one too. Taking a wider view, we also know that gum disease is associated with a higher risk of some other medical conditions, so providing dental help goes far beyond the immediate oral benefits too.
These changes add up to a more attractive package and should help encourage more employers to offer some level of dental health cover for all or more of their employees.
Plus points: No waiting list for oral cancer care; A range of other changes; Improvements to 32 benefits on the Dental Choice plan; Improved membership guides help get the messages across.
Not so plus points: Many benefits will cover only part of the total cost; Some benefit limitations.
Website: http://www.bupa.com.
Rating (max 10): Overall: 8. Gold
Tags: Dental; Bupa
I Mark: No