Running up (and down) the CMA private hospital hill

clock • 3 min read

The CMA's private hospital market debacle leaves it with a Sisyphean task, says Richard Walsh

In ancient mythology, King Sisyphus was made to endlessly roll a huge boulder up a steep hill by Zeus. As soon as he got the boulder to the top, Zeus enchanted it to roll back down again. The result was that Sisyphus was consigned to an eternity of useless effort and unending frustration.   I have written about the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into the private hospital market in London before: in particular, the dominance of one provider (HCA) which insurers allege means that the market is not competitive, the result being that insurers have to pay higher costs t...

To continue reading this article...

Join COVER for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, key trend analysis and industry insights.
  • Stay on top of the latest developments around health and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion and the cost of living crisis.
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletter.
  • Members only access to monthly programme 'The COVER Review'
  • Be the first to hear about our CPD accredited events and awards programmes.

Join now

 

Already a Cover member?

Login

More on Individual Protection

Most homeowners want mortgage advisers to discuss redundancy

Most homeowners want mortgage advisers to discuss redundancy

58% expect redundancy risk to increase in the next five years

Jaskeet Briah
clock 05 November 2026 • 2 min read
Protection applicants see rise in disclosure of weight loss treatment: UnderwriteMe

Protection applicants see rise in disclosure of weight loss treatment: UnderwriteMe

Buy-now outcomes "remain strong"

Jaskeet Briah
clock 04 November 2026 • 2 min read
£73.14m paid out in life and CI claims to Reassured customers

£73.14m paid out in life and CI claims to Reassured customers

Most CI claimants used the pay out for living costs

Jaskeet Briah
clock 03 November 2026 • 2 min read