BUPA Health Insurance - Pre Existing Conditions

[ThaiLife]

I have held BUPA health cover insurance in Thailand continually for over 10 years , and have never made a claim. On my original application I did truthfully answer that I did have two past pre existing conditions ( reflux acid and Spondylitis - back and neck pain ) .

Both past issues have long ago been resolved , So I'm now wondering as ive never made a claim for any thing , would BUPA now include and cover my past pre existing conditions on my current policy . I have not yet approached BUPA on this subject , as I thought I would try and gain some insight on the subject first .

Any comments / advice welcome.

[Satcommlee]

Is this BUPA Thailand or BUPA International?

[ThaiLife]

Is this BUPA Thailand or BUPA International?

Sorry I should have said , its Thailand

[FBN]

Spondylitis will probably not be considered by the insurer as a "curable" disease so claims, for related conditions such as a neck surgery will be queried and possibly declined.

Best to check with the insurer in case you aim to have treatment for anything that may result in a substantial claim that could be regarded as related to either of these conditions.

You can also request the treating physician for a letter stating that the condition you are or will be receiving treatment for, is not related to either of the declared conditions and submit that with the claim.

[wpcoe]

BUPA Thailand applies the pre-existing condition clause quite liberally. e.g. A couple years before I signed up for BUPA, I was treated for sinusitis (runny nose) at Bumrungrad and the doctor noted it as "chronic sinusitis" on my chart.

Several (four?) years later, BUPA denied my claim for surgery to correct a deviated septum due solely to having been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis.

FYI, I had never disclosed the sinusitis. BUPA found that medical claim all on their own.

Last month I upgraded my level of coverage and a BUPA nurse e-mailed me a document to sign which detailed which preexisting conditions would be covered at the old plan's levels and which preexisting conditions would not be covered at all. (When you upgrade a plan, anything covered at the previous plan level remains covered at that plan's level. It's treated as a preexisting condition for the new policy coverage, and therefore excluded under the new plan.)

Might be worth it to contact BUPA and ask for a written detail of conditions that BUPA will exclude. If you need help, PM me and I will share with you the e-mail address of the BUPA nurse who reviewed my medical history. From her name, I'm guessing she's farang.

[Sheryl]

BUPA Thailand applies the pre-existing condition clause quite liberally. e.g. A couple years before I signed up for BUPA, I was treated for sinusitis (runny nose) at Bumrungrad and the doctor noted it as "chronic sinusitis" on my chart.

Several (four?) years later, BUPA denied my claim for surgery to correct a deviated septum due solely to having been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis.

FYI, I had never disclosed the sinusitis. BUPA found that medical claim all on their own.

Last month I upgraded my level of coverage and a BUPA nurse e-mailed me a document to sign which detailed which preexisting conditions would be covered at the old plan's levels and which preexisting conditions would not be covered at all. (When you upgrade a plan, anything covered at the previous plan level remains covered at that plan's level. It's treated as a preexisting condition for the new policy coverage, and therefore excluded under the new plan.)

Might be worth it to contact BUPA and ask for a written detail of conditions that BUPA will exclude. If you need help, PM me and I will share with you the e-mail address of the BUPA nurse who reviewed my medical history. From her name, I'm guessing she's farang.

This is true (and a good reason to get a high level of cover at the very start, not later when you've racked up some health problems).

However sometimes they drop the exclusion after a period of time. I had carpal tunnel surgery maybe 10 years back and when I upgraded my plan they excluded anything related to carpal tunnel syndrome i.e. it remained covered at the old level. but this year they dropped the exclusion. Of course, I had no related claims in that interval.