When Jaswinder Singh’s 70-year-old mother arrived in Melbourne on 22 May on a tourist visa, she was healthy and active. A regular yoga practitioner, she walked kilometres daily, attended the Gurdwara at 3 a.m., lived a vegetarian, tea-free life, and had clean blood tests done in India just before her journey.
“She was fit and fine when she arrived,” Jaswinder says. “We were planning for her to go back to India in August. My daughter wanted to celebrate her birthday with her Nani (grandmother). But before all that, everything happened.”
In mid-June, her mother began experiencing mild stomach pain, which worsened quickly. A CT scan at the end of June revealed a shadow. On 30 June, doctors diagnosed metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive liver cancer, and estimated she had about 12 months to live.
Holding back tears, Jaswinder says, “I can’t cry in front of my mum. She doesn’t know the truth—we’ve only told her it’s an ulcer and that she needs chemotherapy.”
Visitors to Australia are not eligible for Medicare, and her mother initially had no health insurance. Jaswinder purchased a policy with HCF on 17 June, then called Bupa/Buy Insurance on June 28 to add extra coverage. The representative assured her that coverage would start immediately and there was no 12-month waiting period.
However, when she submitted the claim, Bupa denied it, calling her mother’s earlier stomach pain a “pre-existing condition.” Jaswinder disputes this decision, saying, “Just simple stomach pain. You can’t assume someone has cancer from that.”
According to a copy of the complaint Jaswinder shared with The Indian Sun, Bupa first processed forms to assess her mother’s condition under the pre-existing condition rule. After the assessment, her current complaint, disputing that decision, was opened as a new case for review.
In their response, Bupa confirmed the condition was deemed pre-existing because signs or symptoms occurred within six months before purchasing private insurance. They stated that no assurances were given that treatment would be covered once the HCF clearance certificate was processed. Bupa upheld the denial, saying their assessment follows legal and policy rules, and advised Jaswinder to explore hospital payment plans. They also said she could escalate the matter to a Senior Relations Officer or provide additional clinical information for further review.
Jaswinder has paid for two rounds of chemotherapy, partly supported by a GoFundMe campaign. Her mother is responding well, but medical costs remain high. The stress has affected Jaswinder’s mental health, and she has been prescribed antidepressants.
“I will pay. If I promise, I will pay,” she says. “I just need them to start treatment without demanding everything upfront.”
An email has been sent to Bupa for further comment.
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