1 September 2023 - In a dimly lit room, a masseur performs an incantation in a baritone voice, slapping fish on the back of a whimpering patient in an attempt to remedy an ailment.

If this sounds familiar, you probably remember the television commercial from health insurer HBA – since taken over by Bupa – which aired in 1998 and into the 2000s.

An exaggeration, clearly. But its message was clear: HBA, like other health insurers, was funding natural therapies in a move to create more value for policyholders.

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