It’s legal to deny insurance on mental health grounds, but Belle wants that changed

As it stands, insurers can legally deny coverage altogether on mental health grounds, like they did with Belle, or deny coverage for claims resulting from a certain condition.

They can also charge higher premiums for people with existing mental health conditions.

Lawyer Ellen Tilbury from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre published a report on mental health discrimination in insurance in 2021.

She said the research found ‘insurers lump all of the different types of mental illness in together.’

This story was also covered on triple j’s Hack (from 0:49).