As Ireland considers how to encourage younger people to join the private insurance marketplace, the nation’s two-tier public and private medical system receives national scrutiny.

Most news stories which address private healthcare in England only serve to accentuate the difference between the private and public health systems - and more often than not, celebrate the quality of services available at privately- run facilities. But a story last week painted a less than perfect picture of one privately- run hospital. The Lister Surgicentre, a private…

After the long awaited arrival of Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal baby, the first few days of baby George's life were rather slow and somewhat unsensational time for the British media. There were no statements, no photographs and few updates which meant there was very little to comment on in news columns and live reports. One story about the royal birth which…

At the start of July, USA Today published a news story entitled, Consumers Choose Cheaper Insurance. The story went on to detail the results of a recent survey in which more…

Cosmetic surgery is big business in the UK. According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the number of facelifts, liposuction procedures, nose jobs and other surgical cosmetic operations in the UK totaled 43,172 last year, and the industry is predicted to be worth £3.6 billion in the UK by 2015. As cosmetic…

As the United Kingdom copes with an aging workforce, employers are becoming more aware of the needs of older workers - especially in terms of health and insurance. According to a 2012 Health of the Workplace report by insurance provider Aviva, 29 percent of UK employers have seen…

Providing cost-effective, yet comprehensive international health insurance solutions remains a major issue for providers, according to Jelf Employee Benefits. Some of the factors affecting private international insurance providers include the expanding number of destinations where customers are requiring coverage, the increasing…

Globalsurance has learnt that Bupa is launching a new product for the Chinese market. Bupa has teamed up with China based Alltrust Insurance Company to provide Bupa Premier Worldwide Health Options (PHWO), which becomes available from the 1st of October. PWHO is unique in that it will consider covering pre-existing medical conditions, a first for international private medical insurance plans…

During his inaugural speech of the 6th FICCI HEAL (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry - Health Enterprise and Learning) 2012 annual international conference in Delhi this week, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee noted that there is a "high variance" in the quality of service available in public and private sector hospitals, and that the country's healthcare system should be…

The rise of the middle class in East Asia is proving to be a boon for private healthcare providers. Kuala Lumpur based IHH illustrates this nicely. In their recent IPO, which was 132 times oversubscribed, IHH raised more than USD 2 billion and the shares climbed by more than 10% in the first few days of trading. The value of the company stands at around USD 8 billion. IHH is now the second largest…