BUPA is one of the leading health insurance providers in the UK and can trace its origins back to 1947. Unlike public limited companies, BUPA is a provident association and therefore does not have shareholders to answer to.

In addition to the provision of health insurance products, BUPA also operates private hospitals and care homes. Other business activities include providing health assessments, healthcare at work services, childcare services and international healthcare. This is demonstrated in Australia, Ireland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malta and Saudi Arabia. In Spain the company is known as Sanitas which has a customer base of around one million.

With regard to UK health insurance plans BUPA offer a range of products to both individuals and businesses. For the individual two products are offered, localcare direct and heartbeat. One of the key differences between the two is that a moratorium is applicable for localcare direct which means that no pre-existing medical conditions that existed in the five years before the health insurance policy is taken out are covered. If, however, in the following two years after the healthcare policy is taken out there is no reoccurrence of the pre-existing medical condition, cover may be offered. There is no moratorium for heartbeat health plans, instead BUPA provide a medical underwriting service that includes cover for pre existing medical conditions. Another feature of the heartbeat suite of health insurance products is the ability to mix and match benefits such as nursing at home cover or including the private ambulance option.

In the UK, BUPA claims to insure half of all of the top companies. A wide variety of products are offered to businesses, including corporate and company private health insurance schemes, absence management, international healthcare cover, health assessments, flu vaccinations, travel cover, stress management and on-site health services.