Overview

• Bupa and the ACCC will jointly ask the Federal Court to impose a proposed A$35 million penalty for the insurer’s conduct between May 2018 and August 2023
• The company admitted to misleading or deceptive conduct by incorrectly rejecting more than 4,100 mixed coverage and uncategorised item claims
• Bupa has paid A$14.3 million in compensation to affected members, medical providers and hospitals
• ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the wrongful rejections led some customers to delay, cancel or forgo necessary treatments and incur significant out-of-pocket costs
• The insurer is overhauling staff training, clarifying claims guidance and updating automated processing systems to prevent similar errors