Margaret on board the Zaandam cruise ship on the 29th of August 2016.
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Canadian Rocky Mountains, 19th of August 2016
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Initial Contact By ACCC: 19 to 29 April 2022
Receiving the 8 April 2022 letter from the Treasurer saying that the ACCC would contact me, gave me a reason to keep writing to the ACCC.
My first letter to the ACCC was dated 13 April 2022.
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This Table summarises my contact with the ACCC in April 2022. Starting in December 2021, I sought help from multiple government agencies and ACCC was the only one interested in the serious issues I was raising.
The ACCC responded to each of my contacts and every response was prompt.
Communication Details | Length of Correspondence | How Sent | Date of Response | Length of Response | What Did Response Say? |
Letter dated 13 April 2022 | 3 pages | Mailed to Marcus Bezzi ACCC GPO Box 3131
Canberra ACT 2601 | 19 April 2022 | 1 page | Investigation team to consider my complaint. Want to arrange one hour phone call to discuss. Provide relevant insurance documents |
Email received 19 April 2022 from ACCC | 1 page | Email from Sita McTavish, ACCC Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au received 9:05 am 19 April 2022 | I replied on 19 April 2022 | 1 page plus attached documents | I provided health insurance documents as requested |
Email sent 19 April 2022 | 1 page | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 12:55 pm 19 April 2022 | 20 April 2022 | 1 page | Thanks for providing documents |
HCF letter 31 December 2013 re health insurance with HCF | 1 page | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 12:55 pm 19 April 2022 | 20 April 2022 | 1 page | Thanks for providing documents |
HCF letter 22 January 2014 confirming HCF health insurance | 1 page | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 12:55 pm 19 April 2022 | 20 April 2022 | 1 page | Thanks for providing documents |
HCF letter 23 January 2014 confirming HCF health insurance | 1 page | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 12:55 pm 19 April 2022 | 20 April 2022 | 1 page | Thanks for providing documents |
Summary of Fit and Free Nil Excess HCF Insurance Policy | 2 pages | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 12:55 pm 19 April 2022 | 20 April 2022 | 1 page | Thanks for providing documents |
Email received 20 April 2022 from ACCC | 3 lines | Email from Sita McTavish, ACCC Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au received 9:17 am 20 April 2022 | I replied on 20 April 2022 | 1 line | Advised our availability for telephone interview |
Email sent 20 April 2022 | 1 line | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 2:14 pm 20 April 2022 | 21 April 2022 | 4 lines | Confirming arrangements for telephone interview |
Email received 20 April 2022 from ACCC | 4 lines | Email from Sita McTavish, ACCC Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au received at 10:20 am 21 April 2022 | 21 April 2022 | 1 line | Confirming arrangements for telephone interview |
Email sent 20 April 2022 | 1 line | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 12:05 pm 21 April 2022 | 21 April 2022 | 3 lines | Confirming arrangements for telephone interview |
Email received 20 April 2022 from ACCC | 4 lines | Email from Sita McTavish, ACCC Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au received 12:16 pm 21 April 2022 | Reply not necessary | Reply not necessary | Reply unnecessary |
Email received 20 April 2022 from ACCC | 2 lines | Email from Sita McTavish, ACCC Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au received 12:21 pm 21 April 2022 | Reply not necessary | Reply not necessary | Reply unnecessary |
Email received 27 April 2022 from ACCC | 6 lines | Email from Sita McTavish, ACCC Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au received 11:56 am 27 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 4 lines | Providing documents requested in ACCC email received on 27 April 2022 |
Email sent 29 April 2022 | 4 lines | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 10:45 am 29 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 3 lines | Thanks for providing documents |
Letter from HCF 6 March 2020 re health insurance cover | 2 pages | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 10:45 am 29 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 3 lines | Thanks for providing documents |
Letter from HCF 27 March 2020 re health | 2 pages | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 10:45 am 29 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 3 lines | Thanks for providing documents |
HCF Information Statement 1 April 2021 | 2 pages | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 10:45 am 29 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 3 lines | Thanks for providing documents |
HCF Private Hospital Information Statement 1 April 2021 | 2 pages | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 10:45 am 29 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 3 lines | Thanks for providing documents |
HCF Information Statement 6 October 2020 | 2 pages | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 10:45 am 29 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 3 lines | Thanks for providing documents |
HCF Private Hospital Information Statement 6 October 2020 | 2 pages | Sent by email to Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au 10:45 am 29 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | 3 lines | Thanks for providing documents |
Email received 27 April 2022 from ACCC | 3 lines | Email from Sita McTavish, ACCC Sita.McTavish@accc.gov.au received 5:34 pm 27 April 2022 | 29 April 2022 | Reply not necessary | Reply unnecessary |
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I received this email from the ACCC on 19 April 2022.
OFFICIAL Dear John We are writing to you from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in relation to your complaint regarding HCF and other private health insurers. We are a part of the ACCC’s investigation team being tasked to consider your complaint and we have read your very helpful letter. We were hoping to set up a phone call with you and Margaret, if she is able to join, to discuss your complaint further. If possible, could you please let us know your availabilities for a one-hour call in the week commencing Monday 2 May. Once we have confirmed a suitable time, we will circulate a calendar invitation for the call. We would also appreciate it if you could provide us by reply email with a copy of Margaret’s HCF policy document, if you are comfortable doing so. This will assist us in our initial assessment of your complaint. We will be in touch if we require any further information at this stage. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email. Kind regards Sita
Sita McTavish Senior Investigator | Enforcement - Southern | Consumer and Fair Trading Division Australian Competition & Consumer Commission King Street Sydney NSW | GPO Box 3131 Canberra ACT 2601 |
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At 12:55 pm on 19 April 2022, I sent the ACCC copies of the documents it sought. After the complete lack of interest by the Ombudsman, the ACCC was examining the issues I had been complaining about.
The ACCC confirmed it received the documents I sent and I confirmed our availability for a one hour telephone interview on Monday 2 May 2022.
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The ACCC asked for more documents on Wednesday 27 April 2022. I sent these by email at 10:45 am on Friday 29 April.
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At last, someone was interested in investigating the appalling behaviour of the health insurers.
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I believe Sita McTavish and her colleagues were ordered by the new Australian government to stop all health insurance investigations. The ACCC investigations stopped abruptly in July 2022.
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