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.

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…

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…

London based insurance company Aviva is now the sixth largest insurance group worldwide and the largest provider of life and general insurance in the United Kingdom. Despite having a strong start to the year so far, Aviva will be undertaking a much needed strategic review of its businesses to aid the company in its recovery after the departure of Chief Executive Officer Andrew Moss. Moss, having…

In Saudi Arabia authorities are warning hosptials in Jeddah of a dengue fever outbreak, following floods which have provided a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. According to the Ministry of Health Saudia Arabia, since the January 26th floods in Jeddah, six cases of dengue fever and 4 cases of malaria…

  The Health Funds Association of New Zealand (HFANZ) has reported a significant decline in the numbers of individuals covered by private health insurance within the country. Approximately 10,000 policyholders have discontinued their health insurance policies during 2010. Given a number of financial pressures resulting…

The much-anticipated public consultation on "Healthcare Finance Reform" to be launched on the second half of this year is starting to generate attention towards some of the main issues to be addressed, among which is the possibility of the Hong Kong Government implementing a company to provide medical insurance for cases where private insurers may not be able to provide a "reasonable cover" to policyholders.

The federal government is trying to rally support behind a bill in the Australian Senate which would impact private medical insurance rebates for some Australians. The proposal seeks to rule out a 30% rebate on private medical insurance policies for any individuals earning over AUD$75,000 and families earning over AUD$150,000 annually. The Treasurer for the Labor government is saying this measure…