Can You Switch Health Insurance Provider With A Pre-Existing Medical Condition?

Are you thinking about switching your health insurance provider, but you’re worried about a pre-existing medical condition? We look at everything you need to know about switching insurance providers if you have pre-existing medical conditions.

In this article

1. What counts as a pre-existing condition?
2. Switch insurance providers with a pre-existing condition
3. Things to know if you’re switching providers

Are you thinking of changing your health insurance provider?

Switching your health insurance provider can be a long and complicated process if you have pre-existing medical conditions.

So if you’re thinking moving to a different provider, we’re here to help. Here’s a quick guide to switching providers if you have pre-existing medical conditions.

What counts as a pre-existing medical condition?

A pre-existing medical condition is any medical condition for which you’ve sought medical advice or treatment—or for which you’ve experienced symptoms—at any time prior to the start of your new health insurance policy.

A pre-existing medical condition can be diagnosed or undiagnosed. An undiagnosed pre-existing condition could mean one the following:

• A genetic abnormality or hereditary illness that runs in your family and you have not yet medically ruled out the possibility of you having it
• Symptoms that could indicate a long-term condition but for which you’ve not yet sought medical advice
• A situation where you’re waiting the results of a diagnostic screen or health assessment

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Examples of pre-existing medical conditions

The following conditions are examples of possible pre-existing medical conditions. Please note it’s not an exhaustive list!

• Cancer—Any type of previously-diagnosed cancer, including those deemed in remission
• Heart disease—Including any history of heart attacks or angina
• Kidney disease—Includes loss of a kidney or kidney function, history of dialysis or transplant
• Mental health disorders—Includes major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorders, and schizophrenia
• Organ transplant—Includes heart, liver, lung, kidney
• Lung disease—Includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema
• Diabetes—Type 1 and type 2, and potentially including pre-diabetes
• Spinal disorders—includes herniated discs and chronic back pain

• Parkinson’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• High blood pressure (i.e., hypertension)
• Stroke
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Asthma
• HIV/AIDS
• Epilepsy or seizure disorders
• Multiple sclerosis (i.e., MS)
• Hepatitis B or C
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis

What doesn’t count as a pre-existing medical condition?

Minor injuries and common and short-term illnesses such as colds and flus do not count as pre-existing medical conditions. You don’t need to declare these on your application for a policy.

Similarly, COVID-19 doesn’t count as a pre-existing medical condition, unless you have experienced long-term complications (i.e., ‘long COVID’).

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Switching to William Russell with a pre-existing medical condition

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, we’re here to make the switching process simple and straightforward.

There three ways to switch to William Russell. These are known as Continued Personal Medical Exclusions (CPME), Full Medical Underwriting (FMU), and Moratorium.

Let’s explore these options in more detail, so you know what to expect.

1/ Switching with Continued Personal Medical Exclusions (CPME)

If you want to switch to William Russell from your current health insurance provider with no break in coverage and approximately the same level of cover, then CPME could be right for you.

How do I switch with CPME?

To switch with CPME, the underwriting type of your policy with your current health insurance provider must be full medical underwriting or moratorium. Not sure of your policy’s underwriting type? Your certificate of insurance should tell you.

Simply complete our CPME application form, and return to us with a copy of your certificate of insurance and a benefits table from your current health insurance provider. We’ll then take care of the whole switching process for you.

Benefits of switching with CPME

• Your new policy begins as soon as your current policy ends, with no break in coverage
• We won’t subject your application to fresh medical underwriting
• The waiting periods that apply on certain benefits won’t apply to your policy
• You’ll maintain a similar level of cover from our current policy

Important notes for CPME

Your current insurance provider must be a recognised international health insurance provider, and your current policy must be an international health insurance policy. There can be no break in cover between your current policy and your new policy. You cannot switch with CPME if your policy has already expired. If you’re over the age of 50, you can only switch with CPME if your current policy started within the last 5 years. If you have a major health condition, we might not accept your request to switch with CPME. Your new policy must have the same level of cover or lower—meaning you cannot upgrade your level of cover when you switch.

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2/ Switching with Full Medical Underwriting (FMU)

You’ll need to switch health insurance policies with FMU if:

• you’ve been diagnosed with a new pre-existing medical condition since the start of your last insurance policy;
• you have a history of major illness;
• you’re taking out international health insurance again after a break in coverage; or
• you’re not eligible to switch with CPME.

How do I switch with FMU?

When switching with FMU, we’ll ask you to complete an application form that asks questions about your medical history and lifestyle.

Based on your responses, we’ll decide the terms on which we can offer you an insurance policy. It’s important that you disclose full details about any pre-existing medical conditions that you’re aware of—both for yourself and your dependants.

Once we’ve reviewed your application, we may accept you for a policy with standard terms or we may exclude certain medical conditions from your policy and increase your premium.

Benefits of switching with FMU

• You can upgrade on the level of cover your current policy provides
• We’ll calculate your premium according to your exact needs
• If you have no pre-existing medical conditions, your application will be quick

Important notes for FMU

You must tell us about any pre-existing medical conditions and related conditions. We won’t pay claims for treatment you receive for a pre-existing medical condition (or related condition) that we have not explicitly agreed to cover under the terms of your policy. FMU is the only underwriting type available if you’re switching from a life insurance or income protection insurance policy.

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3/ Switching with Moratorium

If you’ve suffered non-serious or non-chronic medical conditions in the past, and you’re not eligible for switching with CPME, you could consider switching with Moratorium.

With Moratorium underwriting, we may cover your pre-existing medical conditions if:

• you haven’t consulted a doctor;
• you haven’t taken medication; or
• you haven’t experienced symptoms of them for 2 years or more.

How do I switch with Moratorium?

When switching with Moratorium, we’ll ask you to complete a simple application form. Moratorium is only available if you’re under age 39 and you’ve selected a Bronze or Silver plan.

Benefits of switching with Moratorium

• We may cover pre-existing medical conditions after you’ve had your policy for 2 years
• Your application will be quick

Important notes for Moratorium

The premiums for a health insurance policy with Moratorium underwriting are about 4% more expensive than FMU. Though the application for a policy with Moratorium is quicker, it may take longer to process your claims. Each time you claim, we’ll need to check your medical history to establish whether your condition is pre-existing or not. There are some pre-existing medical conditions your policy will never cover, regardless of how long you’ve been insured by it.

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Is there anything else I need to know?

We want to provide you with an insurance policy you can rely on, so it is important that you fully understand the scope of the cover we provide. Answers to the most common questions on switching health insurance providers are here, but feel free to get in touch and speak to our award-winning team. We’d be glad to help.

Can I switch to William Russell if I have a pre-existing medical condition?

Yes. We have 3 underwriting types for people looking to switch to William Russell from a different insurance provider. We detail these in the content above.

Can I switch to William Russell if I have an outstanding claim?

Yes. You can switch to William Russell if there’s an outstanding claim with your current insurance provider.

Insurance policies are contracts. In the case of health insurance, policies are usually annual contracts. Your current insurance provider must honour the terms of your current policy. If you made an eligible claim during the policy year of your current policy, your insurance must pay out—even if you intend to switch to a different provider.

Will switch health insurance providers affect my access to medication?

If you have a prescription for an ongoing medical condition, make sure your access to these medications will not be affected during the switch.

You could, for example, maintain a stock of medication in the lead up to your switch—just in case it takes longer than expected.

Can I switch to William Russell if I’m pregnant?

Yes, you can switch health insurance providers if you’re pregnant.

In the UK and Europe, health insurance providers are not allowed to ask you if you’re pregnant. However, most health insurance providers apply waiting periods to maternity benefits. This means you won’t necessarily be able to claim for private maternity treatment as soon as your policy starts.

At William Russell, you will need to wait at least 12 months after your policy starts before you can claim for private maternity treatment.

Learn more about maternity benefits

Want to know more about how international insurance works?

We’ve created a step-by-step guide to walk you through the process

Choose William Russell for your international health insurance

At William Russell, we have over 30 years’ experience providing international health insurance to expats like you.

We are proud of our exceptional customer service, which has earned us the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award. We believe in offering a personal touch with every policy, providing all members with their own dedicated account manager and access to our 24-hour claims line. Read why so many of our members recommend us here.

If you’re thinking about changing health insurance provider, take the stress out of it by choosing William Russell. Find out more about our international health insurance policies and get a quote online in under two minutes today.

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