Question 1

What does CPME stand for?

Accepted Answer

Continuous Personal Medical Exclusions. It's the UK PMI industry's mechanism for switching health insurance without restarting medical underwriting — the new insurer accepts the existing scheme's underwriting decisions unchanged.

Question 2

How does CPME differ from moratorium underwriting?

Accepted Answer

Moratorium is a starting underwriting method — the insurer auto-excludes recent conditions for a rolling 2 years. CPME is a switching method — used only when moving between insurers, it preserves whatever underwriting method (moratorium, MHD or FMU) was used originally.

Question 3

Does every UK insurer accept CPME?

Accepted Answer

All seven major UK PMI insurers (Bupa, AXA, Aviva, Vitality, WPA, Freedom, The Exeter) accept CPME in principle. Individual insurers have varying acceptance criteria for chronic conditions — some may re-underwrite specific exclusions. We check per-case before recommending a switch.

Question 4

Can I switch mid-year using CPME?

Accepted Answer

You can, but you typically pay two months of overlap or lose part of the annual premium. We recommend timing switches to renewal date (or the annual cancellation window on individual policies) to avoid financial waste.

Question 5

Are there conditions CPME won't cover?

Accepted Answer

Occasionally an insurer will re-underwrite a chronic condition (like Type 2 diabetes or heart disease) on switch — meaning it's re-examined rather than accepted as-is. We confirm underwriting acceptance in writing before any switch, so there's no surprise.

Question 6

Do I need to switch to save money?

Accepted Answer

Not always. Sometimes we negotiate a better renewal with the incumbent by benchmarking against the market. But if the incumbent won't move to a competitive price and CPME is available, switching is usually the right answer.

Question 7

Is CPME available for group schemes?

Accepted Answer

Yes — for groups of 2 to 10,000+ lives. Each covered employee's underwriting transfers individually via a CPME data-transfer statement. We manage the reconciliation for every group placement.

Question 8

What if my existing insurer refuses to release CPME data?

Accepted Answer

They can't refuse under standard PMI industry practice — CPME data belongs to the member/employer, not the insurer. If there's ever pushback, we escalate via the PMI Data Transfer Protocol which is industry-standard practice. This has never failed us in 40+ years.

Question 9

How long does a CPME switch take?

Accepted Answer

Individual switches: 5–10 working days. SME group switches: 2–4 weeks. Corporate group switches: 6–12 weeks including employee communication and admin migration.

CPME Underwriting Explained

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