Bupa expands SME health insurance offering amid absence concerns

Bupa UK has revamped its small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) health insurance proposition with a new range of new healthcare benefits.

The updated offering includes dental care, face-to-face GP appointments, preventative health support and enhanced mental health services, as well as HR advice, as the insurer looks to strengthen its position within the SME market.

The launch comes as sickness absence levels remain elevated across the UK workforce. Bupa cited figures estimating around 150 million working days are lost annually due to illness, with smaller businesses often less able to absorb the operational impact of staff absences.

Under the changes, eligible customers will gain access to annual dental and hygiene appointments through Bupa Dental Care practices, alongside in-person GP appointments at Bupa health centres and digital GP services.

The insurer is also expanding preventative healthcare support through DNA testing linked to breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes risks, as well as medication review services designed to personalise treatment plans.

Mental health support has also been enhanced through access to talking therapies that will not impact outpatient limits or require excess payments.

Additionally, all SME customers will now have access to employment law support and to a workplace management specialist through WorkNest.

Productivity and retention

Dan Sullivan, director of product and proposition at Bupa UK Insurance, said SMEs were increasingly looking for benefits packages that could help them compete with larger employers while supporting workforce wellbeing.

He said: “With sickness absence at record levels, even one person being off can have a big impact.”

Sullivan added that employers needed healthcare support that helped staff “stay well, get support earlier and return to full health sooner”.

The move reflects growing competition within the private medical insurance market, with insurers increasingly positioning health cover as part of wider employee wellbeing and retention strategies rather than solely a claims-based product.