How to switch health insurance in the UK

Switching private medical insurance is rarely as complicated as people expect. Most of the work is done by our partners — your part takes about a minute. Here's exactly what happens, from comparison to start date.

Step 1 — Share a few details

Fill in the 60-second form on the homepage. It asks for the minimum we need to put together a useful comparison: your age band, postcode, who needs cover (just you, a couple, a family or an SME scheme), and your current insurer if you have one. There's no need to upload anything or list every health condition at this stage.

Step 2 — Our partners build your comparison

When you submit the form, your details are passed to our recommended FCA-regulated partners. Their advisers benchmark you against leading UK private medical insurers and prepare a side-by-side comparison covering:

• Monthly and annual premium with each insurer
• Hospital list / network options
• Outpatient diagnostics and consultation limits
• Mental health, therapy and physiotherapy cover
• Cancer cover, including newer drugs
• Excess and co-pay options that affect price
• Whether CPME is available to transfer your existing underwriting

This is also where our partners flag situations where switching might not be in your interest — for example, mid-treatment, or where your current policy has grandfathered terms a newer policy can't replicate.

Step 3 — Understand CPME (Continued Personal Medical Exclusions)

CPME is the single most important concept when switching UK health insurance. In plain English:

CPME transfers your existing underwriting from your old insurer to the new one. Conditions covered on your current policy stay covered. Conditions previously excluded stay excluded. You don't have to re-disclose your medical history or wait through fresh moratorium periods.

Most leading UK insurers offer CPME to new customers, but the precise terms vary:

• Some insurers want you to have been continuously insured for a minimum period
• Some apply CPME automatically; others require it to be requested at quote stage
• Complex medical histories may need additional review before CPME is confirmed

Our partners' advisers identify which insurers will accept your CPME before you commit to anything, so there are no surprises.

Other underwriting routes

CPME isn't the only option. Depending on your circumstances, you may consider:

• Full Medical Underwriting (FMU): you re-disclose your medical history. Slower, but can unlock cover for conditions previously excluded.
• Moratorium: conditions from the last few years are temporarily excluded, then automatically reviewed if you stay symptom-free for a defined period.
• Medical History Disregarded (MHD): typically only available on larger group/corporate schemes — your history isn't reviewed at all.

Step 4 — Time the switch right

The most efficient point to switch is at your annual renewal, because:

• You avoid any cancellation fees on your current policy
• Cover is continuous — your new policy starts the day your old one ends
• CPME is straightforward because there's no overlap

Mid-policy switches are possible but should be reviewed carefully. Our partners' advisers will calculate whether the savings on offer outweigh any exit costs or pro-rated refunds.

Step 5 — Decide on your own terms

You receive the comparison by email. There's no phone follow-up unless you ask for one. Three possible outcomes:

1. You proceed — our partners arrange the new policy directly with you, confirm CPME with the chosen insurer, and align your start date with the end of your current policy.
2. You stay put — perhaps your existing policy is genuinely competitive, or now isn't the right time. There's no cost and no follow-up obligation.
3. You renegotiate — some people use the comparison as a reference point when speaking to their existing insurer. That's a legitimate use of the service.

What happens to my existing policy?

If you decide to switch at renewal, you simply don't renew your existing policy — there's no need to "cancel" anything. The new policy starts and the old one ends.

If you switch mid-term, your existing insurer cancels the remaining policy. Depending on their terms, you may be entitled to a pro-rated refund, or there may be a small cancellation charge — our partners will factor this into the comparison.