CPME lets you change your health insurance provider whilst keeping the terms you had with your previous insurer. It’s only available with full medical underwriting. If you have moratorium underwriting, Switch underwriting will be a better option for you. Here’s how it works.
Why you might need CPME underwriting due to your medical history
CPME underwriting allows you to switch your private health insurance policy to a new insurer without losing the policy terms that suit you. You might decide to do this because you’ve had a renewal quote after the first year of your policy and found that you can save money or receive better benefits by changing to a new provider. At the same time, you may need to keep some of the terms the same.
For example, you might already have had treatment for a particular condition and want that cover moving forward. Without CPME underwriting, a new insurer will treat this as a pre-existing medical condition and exclude it from cover. With CPME, you can transfer to a new insurer and carry on getting the treatment you need. This will only apply if you’re being treated for an acute condition, something that a course can cure of treatment. If you have a chronic condition that needs ongoing management, that will be excluded by all health insurers, and the same applies to CPME.
CPME underwriting means that your new insurer won’t have to reassess all your personal medical exclusions when you move your policy. They’ll simply carry on using the same information you provided to your current provider. Your personal medical exclusions will remain the same.
How does Continued Personal Medical Exclusions Underwriting (CPME) work?
If you’ve decided to switch to a new private health insurance provider using CPME underwriting, you’ll need to provide your new insurance company with information about your existing policy. This includes:
- A copy of your most recent insurance certificate.
- Details of any claims you’ve made on your current health insurance policy.
- Some basic information about your medical history and personal medical exclusions.
The medical information you provide won’t be as detailed as the health questionnaire you completed when you took out the original policy, as your insurer won’t use it as part of the underwriting process. However, it will allow them to decide whether they can offer you a new policy with the same terms as your existing one. If they’re willing to provide you with health insurance, they’ll use your current policy certificate to apply the same exclusions to your new policy.
When you receive your new documents, it’s also essential to check the terms and conditions carefully. While the insurance terms may be the same, some terms and conditions may be different.
“I saved £600 per month”
A knowledgeable and competent agent dealt with my health insurance needs. She saved me £600 per month by finding a quote more suited to my needs and budget than my previous company.
Stuart Turner
Rated Excellent 5/5 on Google Review
Compare Quotes
What are the benefits of CPME underwriting?
When you switch health insurance policies using CPME underwriting, you can keep the same level of health insurance cover even though your insurer has changed. It’s sometimes known as ‘protected underwriting’, and it’s designed to ensure that your new terms aren’t any worse than the old ones. The idea is that your new private medical insurance company will transfer the exclusions that you already had on the old policy over to the new one. This should also mean that they don’t add any further exclusions.
However, it’s essential to check whether your new insurance provider has any exclusions that the old one didn’t. There are always standard exclusions on any health insurance plan, but some insurers have a longer list than others.
One of the other advantages of CPME underwriting is that you’ll only have to supply basic information rather than your full medical history. If you move to a new insurer using full medical underwriting, you’ll have to undergo a whole new medical questionnaire.
If you’re already receiving treatment and need this to continue with the new health insurance policy, the last thing you want is for treatment to stop because it’s excluded from your new policy suddenly. CPME will allow your treatment to continue as it won’t be excluded from the policy as a pre-existing condition.
What is “Switch Underwriting” (Continued Moratorium Underwriting)?
If your current health insurance uses moratorium underwriting, you can still change your provider, but you’ll need to use “Switch underwriting” instead of CPME. The clue is in its proper name; Continued Moratorium underwriting (or CMORI) allows you to transfer the moratorium you’ve already earned on your previous health insurance policy over to the new one. It’s a bit like transferring the no claims bonus on your car insurance over to a new provider.
Health insurance using moratorium underwriting allows you to add cover for a pre-existing condition if you haven’t needed treatment during an unbroken two year period at the start of your policy. If you stay with the same private medical insurance provider, this is straightforward as your insurer will simply review your policy and adjust the cover. If you switch insurers without switch moratorium underwriting, you’ll need to start your qualifying period from scratch.
By contrast, if you decide to switch to a new insurer using switch underwriting, you’ll be able to transfer the moratorium you’ve already earned over to the new policy.
Say, for example, you’ve had treatment for a musculoskeletal condition in the past five years. It’s a pre-existing condition, so your current insurance providers won’t cover it, but it’s resolved with treatment. However, it’s the kind of thing that might need further treatment in the future, especially as you get older. You’ve had your insurance policy for a year, and the condition hasn’t recurred. Then you decide to transfer to new insurance providers to save money or get better benefits. You’re covered if you use switch underwriting and need treatment 18 months into the new policy. If you started the two years again, you wouldn’t be.
Health insurance information you can trust!
“Clear and concise information. Very helpfulI in helping us find an affordable health insurance premium for our family”
Joey Mort
Rated Excellent 5/5 on Google Review
Very thorough service and reliable information…
Dr Lynne Jordan
Rated Excellent 5/5 on Google Review
Important note about switching providers
The right policy for you will depend on the types of treatment you’re likely to need, your lifestyle and even your job. We hope that when you first chose your medical insurance, you looked at the types of cover each different provider offered and the benefits of each health insurance policy. It’s equally important to look at those details again if you decide to change to another provider.
Different insurers offer different benefits and types of policies. Some will provide cover for conditions that others don’t but may balance this by excluding conditions that other insurers offer as standard.
You might switch insurers using CPME or CMORI underwriting because the premium is cheaper or because you like the range of benefits they offer. It’s important to check that the cover they offer is also as good as your previous health insurance policy. Sometimes, the differences may only become clear when you examine the terms and conditions of your policy in detail. You may be able to get an idea of the health insurance your new provider offers from their website.
Speak to an independent health insurance broker
If you’re thinking of changing your insurer and want to ensure that you keep the same level of cover whilst gaining additional benefits, it could all feel like a bit of a minefield. There are lots of different insurers and the information that’s available to you via their websites can vary widely. It’s a good idea to speak to an independent health insurance broker who’ll be able to guide you through the process and has all the relevant information at their fingertips. They’ll ensure that you get the right advice based on your pre-existing medical conditions and the level of cover that’s available on your current policy; they’ll also be able to offer you advice on continued personal medical exclusions when switching.
At myTribe, we aim to offer information that helps you navigate the world of medical insurance and find the right policy for you. We’ll provide you with a comparison quote and connect you with highly rated brokers who are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority so that they can provide you with independent advice that’s based on your circumstances.
Disclaimer: This information is general and what is best for you will depend on your personal circumstances. Please speak with a financial adviser or do your own research before making a decision.