You can usually switch health insurer at renewal without losing your medical history position, by asking the new insurer for CPME — continued personal medical exclusions — underwriting. Start when your renewal letter lands, typically 3–6 weeks before the date: compare, get a CPME quote, and never cancel the old policy until the new one is confirmed in writing.
- ✓CPME switching carries your existing exclusions across instead of restarting underwriting.
- ✓Start when the renewal letter arrives — typically 3–6 weeks before renewal.
- ✓Never cancel the old policy until the new one is confirmed in writing.
Why renewals cluster — and why it doesn't really matter
January is the single busiest renewal date in UK health insurance — company schemes in particular like clean calendar-year starts, and personal policies bought in new-year resolution season renew there too. That's why comparison activity spikes every autumn. But your switching season is set by one document: the renewal letter, which typically arrives three to six weeks before your renewal date, whenever that falls. Everything below applies in June as much as January.
CPME: the rule that makes switching safe
The reason people stay with insurers who raise prices year after year is fear of losing cover for conditions that have developed since they joined. CPME — continued personal medical exclusions — is the industry's answer. Instead of underwriting you afresh (which would exclude everything that's happened since your original start date), the new insurer agrees to carry across the exclusions you already have. Your two-years-ago knee claim doesn't become a fresh exclusion; you arrive with the same position you're leaving with.
- You'll need your current certificate and original underwriting terms — the new insurer matches against them.
- Not everyone qualifies. Insurers can decline CPME after significant recent claims or ongoing treatment, and generally you switch like-for-like at renewal, not mid-claim.
- It's a request, not a default. Ask for CPME (sometimes called 'switch' terms) explicitly — a standard application will put you on fresh underwriting.
- Full detail in our CPME switching guide.
The switching timeline
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| Renewal letter arrives (wks 3–6) | Decode the increase; note the new premium, excess and any benefit changes. Dig out your original underwriting terms. |
| Weeks 3–4 out | Get comparison quotes on CPME terms for equivalent cover — same excess, hospital list and outpatient limits, or the prices aren't comparable. |
| Week 2 out | Take the best quote back to your current insurer and ask them to compete — retention deals are common; our renewal negotiation checklist covers the script. |
| Week 1 out | Decide. If switching: get the new policy confirmed in writing, starting on your renewal date, then tell the old insurer not to renew. |
| Renewal day | Old policy ends, new one starts — no gap, no overlap. |
Renewal letter just landed?
Switch, negotiate — or stay
Renewal season has three good outcomes, and switching is only one of them. Sometimes the honest comparison shows your current insurer is still competitive once you adjust the excess or trim outpatient cover. Sometimes the renewal team matches a rival's quote and you stay put at a better price. And sometimes the market has genuinely moved and CPME lets you leave cleanly. The failure mode is the fourth outcome — auto-renewing without looking — which is precisely what renewal pricing quietly relies on.
One more reason the annual habit matters: your circumstances drift even when the market doesn't. The excess you chose at 35 may be wrong at 45; the hospital list that suited your old postcode may not suit your new one; outpatient limits that felt generous before a diagnosis can feel tight after. Renewal is the scheduled moment to re-fit the policy to your life, not just to reprice it.
Whatever you choose, do it every year. The comparison takes an evening; the typical saving from either switching or negotiating comfortably beats most uses of one.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start the health insurance switching process before renewal?
The day your renewal letter arrives — typically three to six weeks before the renewal date. That leaves time to get comparison quotes on CPME terms, give your current insurer a chance to compete, and have the new policy confirmed in writing to start exactly on your renewal date, with no gap in cover.
What is CPME when switching health insurance at renewal?
CPME — continued personal medical exclusions — is switch underwriting: the new insurer carries across the exclusions on your current policy instead of underwriting you afresh. Conditions that developed while insured don't become new exclusions. You must request it explicitly and provide your current certificate; insurers can decline after significant recent claims.
Is January the best time to switch health insurance?
January is the busiest renewal date — company schemes favour calendar-year starts — but there's no market-wide sale season. Your switching window is set by your own renewal date, whenever that falls, because renewal is the point you can leave without penalty and arrive at a new insurer on CPME terms.
Should I cancel my current health insurance before the new policy starts?
No. Never cancel until the new policy is confirmed in writing with a start date matching your renewal date. Even a one-day gap can break continuity of cover, and anything diagnosed in the gap would count against you under the new policy. Aim for no gap and no overlap.