# Bupa



## joer (19 Oct 2006)

I am thinking of changing from VHI to Bupa.big difference in price . Would welcome any feedback.


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## ClubMan (19 Oct 2006)

Have you checked the _HIA _survey? 

[broken link removed]

I found _BUPA _to be a lot better from an admin point of view in the past. That and the lower charges were the reasons I switched from _VHI _to them years ago. However I'm with _VHI _again because my employer pays for it and, to be fair, have found them OK including last year when I needed assistance from our _VHI _rep on switching from _BUPA _to _VHI _in the middle of my wife's pregnancy and ante natal care. The claim for that care went smoothly.


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## joer (19 Oct 2006)

thanks for the reply. what is the HIA survey


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## bacchus (20 Oct 2006)

joer said:
			
		

> I am thinking of changing from VHI to Bupa.big difference in price . Would welcome any feedback.


 
I have contributed many years to VHI and change to BUPA 4 years ago..

I have found that dealing with VHI was a pain, I did not find them particularly helpfull, they tried in few occassions not to reimburse us for medical expenses while these expenses were compliants with their T&Cs and we had to argue our cases each time...

In the other hand, i have found BUPA (Health Manager cover) very good. I feel there is somebody listing when you call them, we never have had any issue with reimbursement. Their premium may be slighly higher than VHI, but their cover is better. Total peace of mind....

No way i would go back to VHI...


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## Dinky (20 Oct 2006)

I was with VHI for years before I switched to BUPA, and I found that BUPA were cheaper, more efficient, and far more pleasant. Never had any problems with them.

I switched to [broken link removed] last month, as they're cheaper than BUPA again, and my premium would be going up again with BUPA when they put up their prices next March. Have found Vivas to be very approachable and efficient so far...

Overall, I've had cheaper premiums, better customer service and better benefits from both BUPA and Vivas... would never go back to VHI.


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## ajapale (20 Oct 2006)

I was with VHI for years but swiched over to BUPA saving my self in the order of €300 per anumn. This pays for a very nice weekend away every November!

I considered going with VIVAS this year but costs were nearly the same so it was not worth the hassle.

Is it true that BUPA do not cover the same range of private hospitals as VIVAS?


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## Dinky (24 Oct 2006)

ajapale said:


> Is it true that BUPA do not cover the same range of private hospitals as VIVAS?


 
If you're on Health Manager Starter, you only have cover for 8 private hospitals.

From my new VIVAS brochure:

We cover 121 hospitals and treatment centres
We fully cover 26 MRI scan centres - our nearest competitor covers only 11
We fully cover 3 PET/CT scan centres - our nearest competitor covers only 2
We fully cover 5 CT scan centres - our nearest competitor covers only 1


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## ClubMan (24 Oct 2006)

joer said:


> thanks for the reply. what is the HIA survey


Uh - did you read my post and click on the link?


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## ajapale (24 Oct 2006)

Some people have difficulty reading pdf document links.



> Research carried out by The Health Insurance Authority (“the HIA”) indicates that Irish consumers have difficulty understanding and comparing health insurance products.


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## GJPC (24 Oct 2006)

I heard Bupa won't be around for long!


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## ajapale (24 Oct 2006)

GJPC said:


> I heard Bupa won't be around for long!




BUPA Ireland or the parent company?


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## Dinky (24 Oct 2006)

GJPC said:


> I heard Bupa won't be around for long!


 
BUPA Ireland are currently challenging the introduction of [broken link removed], and have threatened to pull out of the Irish market if it goes ahead.

VHI are, naturally, are [broken link removed]...


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## GJPC (25 Oct 2006)

As Dinky said - Bupa Ireland. My sister in law works there - its a shame really!


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## scuby (2 Nov 2006)

what i can't figure out is that Bupa, bought an insurance company in australia that benefits from the risk equalisation.... was in the paper a while back when they were taking the court case


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