BUPA to create 40 jobs in €1m investment

HEALTH insurer BUPA, which is currently resisting attempts to force it to subsidise rivals VHI, has announced a €1 million investment and the creation of 40 jobs at its Irish headquarters in Fermoy, Co Cork.

The announcement made yesterday came as a welcome shock to the people of the north Cork town, especially as only days ago the company threatened it might pull the plug on its Irish operations because of the Government’s plans to implement risk equalisation in the industry.

Risk equalisation would mean health insurers with predominantly younger clients, like BUPA, would have to subsidise VHI, whose client-base would be older and therefore a greater risk.