Switching health insurance — frequently asked questions

Yes. Most UK private medical insurers will accept new customers on Continued Personal Medical Exclusions (CPME) terms, which transfers your existing underwriting. Conditions covered by your current policy remain covered on the new one; previously excluded conditions remain excluded. Our partners' advisers confirm which insurers will offer CPME based on your specific medical history.

Most switches complete within 24 hours to 2 weeks. Quotes from our partners are typically returned within one working day, and the new policy can start the day your existing one ends so cover is continuous.

Savings depend on age, health history, location and the cover you choose. UK consumers who switch private medical insurance often reduce premiums by 20–40% by moving to a better-matched policy or insurer. Our partners benchmark your current cover against the wider market.

Yes. Submitting the form and receiving your comparison is free with no obligation to take out a new policy. Any policy you decide to take out is arranged directly between you and our recommended FCA-regulated partners.

The most efficient time is at your annual renewal, because it avoids cancellation fees and keeps your policy continuous. Mid-policy switches are possible — our recommended partners will calculate whether the savings outweigh any exit costs.

Yes. Your existing insurer will cancel the remaining policy and may apply a pro-rated refund or small cancellation charge. Our partners' advisers factor any costs into the comparison so you can see the net effect of switching now versus waiting until renewal.

No, provided the start date of the new policy is aligned with the end date of the old one. Our partners coordinate the dates so cover is continuous — which also protects CPME terms with the new insurer.

CPME is the standard UK mechanism for transferring your underwriting when you switch private medical insurance. Conditions covered on your current policy continue to be covered on the new one; conditions previously excluded remain excluded. You do not need to re-disclose your medical history or wait through fresh moratorium periods.

Moratorium underwriting automatically excludes any conditions you have had symptoms, treatment, medication or advice for in the last few years (typically five). Those conditions become eligible for cover once you have been symptom-free, treatment-free and advice-free for a continuous period (usually two years) under the new policy.

Full Medical Underwriting (FMU) means you disclose your full medical history to the new insurer upfront. The insurer sets out exactly which conditions are covered and which are excluded before the policy starts. FMU is slower than CPME but can sometimes unlock cover for conditions previously excluded.

Not necessarily. With CPME, your existing underwriting transfers and you do not need to re-disclose your medical history. With FMU you re-disclose, which can be worthwhile if it unlocks wider cover for previously excluded conditions.

With CPME, any pre-existing conditions covered on your current policy continue to be covered on the new one; conditions previously excluded remain excluded. With moratorium underwriting, recent conditions are temporarily excluded and become eligible for cover after a continuous symptom-free period.

If you are in the middle of active treatment, switching may complicate continuity of care even with CPME. Our partners' advisers flag this before any switch and may recommend completing treatment under your existing policy first.

Yes, in most cases — although UK private medical insurance typically does not cover ongoing management of chronic conditions, regardless of which insurer you are with. CPME ensures that any acute episodes that were covered on your current policy remain covered on the new one.

Often, yes. Policies that allow named-consultant or fee-paying referrals usually preserve your choice of consultant. Open-referral policies route you to a panel of consultants chosen by the insurer in exchange for a lower premium. Our partners flag which type of referral pathway each quote uses.

Each member's underwriting is reviewed individually. CPME can typically apply to each named member, but each person's cover history and conditions are assessed separately. Our partners' advisers handle this as part of the comparison.

Yes. Group SME health insurance can be switched at renewal or mid-term, and may use CPME, moratorium or Medical History Disregarded (MHD) underwriting depending on the insurer and group size. Our partners review group structures as part of the comparison.

No-claims discount (NCD) treatment varies by insurer. Some recognise NCD from another insurer at switch; others reset it. Our partners confirm each insurer's NCD treatment before you commit.

Most UK private medical insurance policies include a 14-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel the new policy for a full refund, provided you have not made a claim. This is set by the insurer rather than by us.

No. Switch Health Insurance is an online resource that helps UK consumers compare private medical insurance. Policies are arranged by our recommended FCA-regulated partners, not by us. We do not provide regulated financial advice.

No. Any advice you receive is provided by our recommended FCA-regulated partners' advisers, not by Switch Health Insurance. We are an introducer only — our role is limited to giving you a streamlined way to access partners who can prepare your comparison.

Our partners contact you in line with the preferences you set when you submit the form. Most comparisons are returned by email and there is no obligation to take out a policy.

If you decide to take out a policy through one of our recommended partners, the partner may pay us a commercial fee for the introduction. This never affects the premium you pay — the price you see is the price the insurer would charge you directly through that partner.

Only what is necessary to prepare your comparison — age band, postcode, cover type, current insurer (optional), name and contact details. Full details are in our privacy notice. We share your details only with the recommended partners building your comparison.