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Fri 12 Dec 2006Where now for Bupa?Bupa has announced that it is acting on its often voiced threat to withdraw from the Irish market rather than submit to regulation aimed at ensuring a level playing field between health insurers.Or has it? Yesterday's statement and subsequent comments contained enough ambiguity to arouse suspicions that Bupa may yet be trying to bluff the Government into amending the Risk Equalisation Scheme. Such an approach, if it was the case, would be foolhardy and reckless for a company which provides a service as vital as health insurance to 475,000 people.