Migration from existing Bupa schemes

The following plans are eligible for migration to a VHIS Plan (see Remarks 2, 3).

• Bupa Gold
• Bupa Crystal
• Bupa HealthPlus
• Bupa Together
• Bupa CarePro
• Bupa Care Kid
• Bupa Transfer Care (see Remark 4)
• Bupa Care
• Bupa Care Child
• Bupa Care HealthNet
• Bupa Wise Choice

Before you change your existing scheme to a VHIS plan, think about:

• Benefits and coverage offered
• Pricing
• Differences in exclusions or loading
• Underwriting may be required for migration to a Flexi Plan with a room level upgrade (see Question 8 below) or to add some enhanced or optional benefits (see Questions 9 and 10 below)

1. How many individual schemes can I buy from Bupa? If I migrate my existing health insurance scheme to Bupa MyBasic or MyFlexi VHIS Plan, can I buy another Bupa VHIS plan or other Bupa scheme later?

   There's no limit on the number of plans you can purchase as a policy holder for your family members. In general, you can also be covered as an insured person by more than 1 individual policy, as long as the plans are different. However, some restrictions may apply to certain Bupa products.

2. Will the exclusions and/or loading that apply to an existing scheme be carried over to my new VHIS plan?

   Yes, the medical conditions which are excluded and/or covered with an extra premium under your existing policy will remain the same after the transfer.

3. How will the waiting period for unknown pre-existing conditions be counted after migration?

   For VHIS plans, the waiting period and reimbursement percentage for unknown pre-existing conditions are as follows:

   1^st policy year: no coverage
   2^nd policy year: 25%
   3^rd policy year: 50%
   4^th policy year onwards: 100%
   
   

   When you transfer from an existing scheme to a VHIS plan, we’ll count the waiting period above based on the coverage commencement date of your existing scheme, except for the “Push the Limit Benefit” of Bupa MyFlexi VHIS Plan in certain scenarios (see Question 9 below).

   For example, you purchased Bupa CarePro in June 2017. During renewal in June 2019, you switch to Bupa MyBasic VHIS Plan. Claim reimbursement related to unknown pre-existing conditions will be counted from the third policy year. That means you’ll be reimbursed at least 50% of the benefit limit.

   The conditions applied to your policy after migration are set out in the Application Form (for Transfer Case only) and the endorsement(s) attached to your policy.

   
   
   
   
4. What tax deduction can I receive after migration?

   You can purchase a VHIS certified plan for yourself or your family members and claim a tax deduction on the qualifying premiums paid. Each policy holder can claim a tax deduction on qualifying premiums up to HK$8,000 per insured person each year (excluding premium levy and premiums of optional benefits). There's no limit on the number of insured persons and/or policies claimed. For more details, please visit our tax deduction FAQs (PDF, 897KB).

5. I enrolled in a Bupa scheme when I was 59 years old. If I migrate my policy to a VHIS plan at age 60, do I need to pay the overage premium (applicable to new insured persons joining at age 60 or above) under the VHIS plan?

   No. Your premium will be based on the date your first Bupa plan started. In this case, you joined before age 60 and there’s no underwriting required for migration. So, you only need to pay the renewal premium shown in the Standard Premium Schedule of the VHIS plan under "For Insured Persons from Age 0 to 59 years at Policy commencement".

   However, if you enrolled in your first Bupa plan at age 61 and migrated after that, you would need to pay the renewal premium under "For Insured Persons from Age 60 to 69 years at Policy commencement".

6. I decided not to migrate my existing scheme to a VHIS plan after consideration, but my existing scheme has lapsed because of unpaid premium. What can I do?

   You can complete and return the Reinstatement Application Form together with outstanding premium within 3 months from the premium due date (contract termination date). Your application is subject to underwriting and the terms shown on the Reinstatement Application Form. You can download the Reinstatement Application Form (PDF, 305KB) from our website.

7. If I've migrated my existing plan to a VHIS plan, can I switch it back to my previous plan or to other individual Bupa plans?

   Not necessarily. Any migration request is subject to approval according to Bupa's prevailing practice.

8. Can I migrate my existing plan to a Flexi Plan and also upgrade my room level?

   Yes, you can but some exceptions apply (for example, Bupa HealthPlus with a deductible option). However, all applications are subject to medical underwriting.

   If migration is allowed after underwriting, benefits paid for any Previous Conditions (see Remark 5) will be subject to the lower benefit conditions shown below:

   Room level of existing plan	MyFlexi plan after migration	Benefit level payable for Previous Conditions
   Ward Room	Advance / Advance Plus	Standard / Standard Plus
   Ward Room	Deluxe / Deluxe Plus	Standard / Standard Plus
   Semi-private Room	Deluxe / Deluxe Plus	Advance / Advance Plus

   
   
9. Push the Limit Benefit is a new feature under Bupa MyFlexi VHIS Plan. Can I migrate similar benefits under my existing scheme to MyFlexi?

   If you purchased Bupa Gold, Bupa HealthPlus without a deductible, or Bupa CarePro/Bupa Together with optional Supplementary Major Medical Benefit, you can migrate to any MyFlexi plan with Push the Limit Benefit at the same or lower room level without medical underwriting.

   For all other migration scenarios, medical underwriting is required. If migration is accepted after underwriting, only medical condition(s) or disability(ies) that began after adding Push the Limit Benefit can be reimbursed under Push the Limit Benefit. In addition, the waiting period for unknown pre-existing conditions will be counted from the date of joining Push the Limit Benefit.

10. Can I migrate optional benefits such as Clinical Benefit or Maternity Benefit to a VHIS plan?

    Bupa MyBasic VHIS Plan doesn’t provide any optional benefits. So, you can’t migrate these benefits from your existing policy.

    Bupa MyFlexi VHIS Plan includes optional benefits. However, underwriting may be required to migrate your existing optional benefits or add optional benefits during migration. Additionally, clinical benefit is only available for enrolment when adding Push the Limit Benefit under Bupa MyFlexi VHIS Plan.

1. Subject to the eligibility requirements of the Bupa VHIS plan.
2. For all existing plans, the renewal date must be 1 May 2019 or later and the policy must be in force at the time of migration. All migration arrangements will be subject to Bupa’s prevailing policies at the time of transfer. Migration is not available for any Bupa plans not listed above. Policy holders will need to purchase a new VHIS plan separately, which is subject to underwriting.
3. All plans listed here are eligible for migration to Bupa MyBasic VHIS Plan and Bupa MyFlexi VHIS Plan (Standard) without underwriting.
4. Migration from some Bupa Transfer Care plans is not available at this time. More information will be available at a later date during renewal.
5. Previous Condition means all medical conditions(s) that were directly or indirectly caused by or resulting from any disability that began in the period between the commencement date of your existing plan and the Policy Effective Date of a VHIS Flexi Plan. Except for the scenarios outlined in Question 9, Previous Conditions won’t be reimbursed under Push the Limit Benefit after migration.