The changing face of IPMI
For 50 years, Bupa Global has specialised in premium healthcare solutions via our range of health plans. As the needs of our clients grow and change, so has our offering. Our newest service, Private Client by Bupa, offers an exceptional range of cover and benefits, designed to meet the specific needs of ultra high net worth individuals (uHNWIs), as they shift towards prioritising prevention and holistic wellbeing in a post-pandemic world.
Then and now
IPMI has evolved.
Originally created with expats in mind, IPMI products allowed those living overseas to choose to return to their home country for treatment. It provided an end-to-end private healthcare experience for them in their new country of residence, which was often needed as they were not covered by the locally (state) provided system. Customers who travelled frequently, or lived for long periods of time away from home, could take their IPMI policy with them, which domestic private medical insurance plans didn’t traditionally allow for.
This remains the case for many IPMI customers, however at Bupa Global we have seen the needs of our customers change in some markets – particularly for our individual high net worth (HNWI) customers. For many HNWIs, global cover and travel is not the primary driving factor when selecting a healthcare policy. Now, domestic individual customers are seeking cover that gives them access to a richness of benefits. We see this shift reflected in the claim trends of our customers around the world, as a large percentage of customers seek treatment in their home country.
The expectations of what a health plan should deliver has also changed. Of course, our HNWI customers want direct access to private specialists – enjoying a truly private patient journey without the need for referrals. They want access to the world’s best specialists and first-class facilities. However, they don’t just want access to treatment services. They have an appetite for increased personalised service and greater tailoring to individual needs; they want preventive, holistic, wellbeing-led services, with health plans that fit with their lifestyles.