The Insurance Complaints Bureau (ICB) in Hong Kong recorded 857 complaint cases last year, marking a 32.7% increase compared with the previous year.
Most disputes were related to hospitalisation, medical and travel insurance policies.
According to the ICB’s Insurance Claims Complaints Panel, a total of 447 cases were resolved during the period. Of these, 124 complainants were awarded compensation by their insurers, with total payouts amounting to HK$13.6m ($1.73m).
A member of the Complaints Panel said the rise in complaints is likely due to increased public awareness of the panel’s functions, with more people now using it to settle insurance disputes.
The number of withdrawn and rejected applications had also seen a significant increase.