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Both Bupa By You plans cover in-patient and day-patient hospital treatment, full cancer cover, in-patient and day-patient mental health treatment, a yearly dental appointment plus a £300 restorative allowance, the 24-hour Anytime HealthLine and digital GP access through Bupa Blua. The Comprehensive plan adds out-patient consultations, tests and scans before treatment, plus out-patient mental health therapy with no annual session cap.

Private diagnosis. Comprehensive covers the out-patient consultations, tests and scans needed to work out what's wrong. Treatment and Care picks up once a diagnosis exists, so you'd use the NHS or self-fund that stage. Treatment and Care costs less, but NHS diagnostic waits are often the longest part of the journey, so it's worth pricing Comprehensive with a higher excess before dropping down.

Yes, and more generously than most. Both plans include in-patient and day-patient mental health treatment. Comprehensive adds out-patient therapy as standard with no cap on the number of sessions a year. Independent 2026 analysis identified Bupa as the only major UK insurer committing not to reclassify recurring mental health conditions as chronic, which is the point at which most insurers stop paying. Bupa also covers addiction treatment, which most UK insurers exclude.

It lets you self-refer to a specialist for eligible conditions without a GP referral letter. You request it through the My Bupa app or webchat, a clinical navigator assesses the request, and you're connected to a specialist from Bupa's network. It expanded in January 2026 and covers areas including musculoskeletal problems, mental health, physiotherapy and cancer. Conditions outside that scope still need a GP referral.

Yes, unusually for a UK insurer it's included as standard rather than an add-on. Everyone on a Bupa By You policy, including children, gets one appointment at a Bupa Dental Care practice each policy year plus a £300 allowance towards restorative work like fillings and crowns. Note this comes with Bupa By You policies specifically and not with cover arranged through an employer. See how it stacks up in our dental cover comparison.

Younger children are. If you add more than one child under 20 to your policy, you pay only for the eldest no matter how many more you add. Your cover has to include at least two children aged 19 or under, and children aged 20 or over don't qualify. A 10% family discount applies alongside it, and children don't need to live at the same address as the main member.

A Bupa-recognised consultant whose fees Bupa has agreed in advance. Use one and your hospital and consultant costs are paid in full for eligible treatment on your network. Use a recognised consultant who isn't fee assured and you may face a shortfall to settle yourself, so it's worth confirming status before you book rather than afterwards.

There's no single best provider for everyone. Bupa is a strong all-rounder with a 5-star Defaqto rating on Comprehensive, the broadest mental health cover on the market and dental included as standard, but it isn't the cheapest. If price is your main constraint, or you want out-patient diagnostics without paying for the wider package, other insurers may suit you better.