Continued moratorium underwriting explained: switching PMI without losing your clear period
If your private health insurance is on moratorium terms, you do not automatically have to start again when you move to a new insurer. Continued moratorium underwriting — sometimes called switch or CMORI underwriting — lets you carry the moratorium time you have already built up across to a new policy. Here is how it works and how it differs from CPME and fresh underwriting.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Continued moratorium (CMORI): when you switch insurer from a moratorium policy, the new insurer takes you on the same moratorium basis, so the time you have already spent working towards the clear period is not reset.
- CPME (continued personal medical exclusions) is the equivalent option if your current policy is on full medical underwriting — the new insurer carries over your existing personal exclusions instead of re-assessing your history.
- Fresh underwriting means starting from scratch — a new moratorium clear period, or a new full medical questionnaire — which can change what is excluded.
- Not guaranteed: continued terms usually need no break in cover and a broadly similar level of benefit, and not every insurer offers them, so always check before you move.
Continued moratorium, CPME and fresh underwriting
| Consideration | Continued moratorium (CMORI) | CPME (continued exclusions) | Fresh underwriting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting policy type it suits | Existing policy on moratorium underwriting | Existing policy on full medical underwriting | Any — you begin as a brand-new applicant |
| How your history is treated | New insurer continues the moratorium basis; earned clear time carries over | New insurer keeps the same personal exclusions you already had | Re-assessed from scratch (new moratorium look-back or new questionnaire) |
| Effect on the clear period | Preserved — you do not restart the (commonly ~2-year) symptom-free clock | Not applicable — exclusions are fixed, not time-based | Reset — a new moratorium clear period would begin |
| Medical questions when you switch | Few or none, as under a moratorium | Limited — used to confirm existing terms rather than re-underwrite | Full disclosure if moving to full medical underwriting |
| Typical conditions to qualify | No break in cover; broadly similar benefits; insurer must offer it | No break in cover; similar cover level; insurer must offer it | None — but exclusions may differ from your old policy |
| Main trade-off | Keeps earned terms but you inherit the old policy's basis | Keeps certainty of existing exclusions; will not remove them | Clean slate, but you risk new or different exclusions |
Indicative comparison for orientation only — not a quote or advice. Availability, qualifying conditions and exact terms vary by insurer and policy wording.
Carrying your moratorium across to a new insurer
Under a moratorium policy, conditions you have had recently are excluded at the start, but many can become eligible for cover once you have gone a continuous period — commonly around two years — without symptoms, treatment, medication or advice for them. If you switched to a brand-new policy on fresh terms, that clock would normally restart. Continued moratorium underwriting avoids this: the new insurer agrees to take you on the same moratorium basis, so the time you have already banked towards the clear period counts.
For that continuity to apply, insurers typically expect no gap between the old and new policies and a broadly comparable level of cover. Not every insurer offers continued terms on every plan, so it is worth confirming the position in writing before you cancel anything. For the underlying rules on how moratorium works, see moratorium vs full medical underwriting, and the private health insurance hub for the wider picture.
CPME and when fresh underwriting applies
If your current policy is on full medical underwriting rather than moratorium, the switching equivalent is CPME — continued personal medical exclusions. Here the new insurer agrees to keep the same personal exclusions your previous insurer applied, rather than re-assessing your medical history from a clean slate. It gives continuity of terms, but it also means any existing exclusions travel with you; switching does not, by itself, remove them.
Where continued terms are not available — for example if there has been a break in cover, or the insurer does not offer them — you would be underwritten afresh, which can change what is covered. People switch mainly to improve cover or manage cost; if price is your driver, weigh continuity against the other levers in how to reduce your premium, and see how history is handled generally in PMI and pre-existing conditions.
Switching and underwriting FAQs
Information only — not financial advice. Details are indicative and simplified to aid understanding; the availability of continued moratorium (CMORI) and CPME switching, qualifying conditions, clear periods and underwriting terms vary by insurer and policy wording. My Insurance Expert is not an FCA-authorised intermediary and does not arrange or sell policies. Last updated: 2026-07-07