How to Switch Your Private Health Insurance Without Losing Cover

If your renewal premium has jumped, your benefits no longer fit, or another insurer is now offering better cover, you can usually switch without losing the cover you already have for any conditions your current insurer has accepted. The mechanism is called CPME; Continued Personal Medical Exclusions.

This guide walks you through how it works and how to do it safely.

When to consider switching

The most common triggers:

• Renewal premium has risen sharply (more than 15-20%)
• Your current insurer has changed terms or downgraded benefits
• Another insurer now offers cover better suited to you (mental health, virtual GP, family extras)
• You’ve had a slow or difficult claims experience
• Your circumstances have changed; new postcode, new family member, business structure change

What CPME actually does

When you take out a new policy, the new insurer needs to know what to cover and what to exclude. Without CPME, you’d start fresh; meaning everything you’ve ever had treatment for under your old policy could become a new exclusion.

With CPME, the new insurer agrees to inherit the same underwriting terms your existing insurer applied. Conditions already accepted on your current policy stay accepted. Conditions excluded on your current policy stay excluded.

In effect, you’re moving the contract, not starting over.

Step-by-step: how to switch safely

1. Get a like-for-like quote

A broker can quote multiple insurers on a CPME basis. Match the level of cover, hospital list, and excess to your current policy so you can compare like-for-like premiums and benefits.

2. Confirm the new insurer accepts CPME

Most major UK insurers do, but the exact terms vary. Some insurers won’t accept CPME if the previous policy is more than a few months old at switch.

3. Don’t cancel your existing policy yet

The most important rule. Keep your current cover active until the new policy is fully in place and you’ve received the documentation. A single day’s gap can reset the underwriting.

4. Confirm conditions on the new policy schedule

When the new insurer issues your policy, check the schedule lists the same accepted conditions and exclusions as your old one. If anything is missing, query it before you accept.

5. Cancel the old policy

Once the new cover is confirmed and aligned, cancel your old policy with effect from the day before the new one starts (or whatever specific date works best for continuity).

6. Tell your broker the date

We coordinate the cancellation date with the new policy start date so there’s never a gap.

Things that can go wrong (and how to avoid them)

Gaps in cover. Always overlap your old and new policies by at least a day. Never cancel before new cover is active.

Inherited exclusions you didn’t know about. Some old conditions might have been quietly added to your old policy. Ask your existing insurer for a written list of exclusions before you switch.

New waiting periods. Some benefits; mental health, maternity-related cover; can have waiting periods that reset on a new policy. Check whether your new insurer waives these for CPME switchers.

No-claims discount. Most insurers honour your accumulated NCD when you switch. Always confirm.

Pre-existing conditions you’ve claimed for under Moratorium. If you switch off a Moratorium policy, the new insurer may want full disclosure. CPME generally protects you, but the mechanics differ insurer to insurer.

Is switching always worth it?

Not always. Sometimes the right answer is to negotiate with your current insurer at renewal, not switch. Other times the savings are large enough to be a clear win. We re-quote the market every year for our clients and only recommend switching when it’s genuinely better; not for the sake of it.

Frequently asked questions

Will I lose cover for conditions I’ve claimed for? Not under CPME. Conditions accepted on your current policy stay accepted on the new one.

Is there a fee to switch? Brokers don’t charge for switches. Some insurers have a cancellation fee on policies cancelled mid-year; check your existing policy.

Can I switch mid-year? Yes, though most people switch at renewal. Mid-year switches make sense if your premium has changed dramatically or your needs have shifted.

Will my new insurer count my no-claims discount? Most do. The exact transfer rules vary by insurer.

Want a free CPME-basis switch quote? Call 0800 131 0400 or email info@insuredhealth.co.uk.