BUPA joins Paradigm panel

Bupa joins the panel with immediate effect allowing Paradigm Partner and Paradigm Mortgage Services members to access its suite of protection products which includes income protection, life cover and critical illness cover.

In 2010 both the critical illness and income protection products were re-accredited with a 5-star rating from Defaqto.

Bupa also offer a number of added-value features to clients including:

• Bupa Healthline – clients can call confidentially for researched health information 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

• Best Doctors – offers clients access to independent medical advice.

• Fracture Option – gives clients the additional reassurance that, should they suffer one of 18 specified fractures, a cash lump sum may be paid.

• Reinstatement Option – gives clients the choice of applying for additional cover that will enable them to take out a new membership to provide limited cover following a claim.

Those protection providers accepted on to the Paradigm Elite Panel pay enhanced commission terms to intermediaries that agree to only select products from the providers in question. For Paradigm members access to the panel is granted once an appropriate agreement has been signed.

Commenting, Bob Hunt, chief executive of Paradigm Mortgage Services, said: “At Paradigm, we continue to develop our stand-alone protection proposition and the addition of Bupa to our Elite panel of providers adds a further range of products for advisers using the panel to choose from.

“The addition of Bupa is just the first step for Paradigm in providing a much more significant and substantial protection proposition which offers a variety of products and services to advisers. We will be making further announcements in the very near future.”