Check what changed, what is driving the price, and what the same cover costs elsewhere before the renewal auto-collects.
What actually happens
Start with what changed in the wording, not just the price. Insurers revise hospital lists, out-patient limits and benefit terms at renewal, so read the new schedule against the old one and confirm that the hospitals, consultants and limits you rely on are still covered as before. A stable premium can still hide a narrower policy.
Then interrogate the price. Ask for a breakdown of the increase and whether a cheaper version of the same cover exists — a different excess, a narrower list, an NHS-wait option. Insurers can usually offer a lower-priced equivalent, but generally only when asked, so the renewal quote is a starting point rather than the final word.
Next, check the market, because private medical insurance sits outside the FCA loyalty-penalty rules and your renewal can exceed a new-customer price. Price the same cover elsewhere, and if you find better, remember you can switch on continued personal medical exclusions with no gap so your existing conditions stay recognised.
Finally, mind the mechanics: know when the renewal auto-collects so a decision is not made for you, confirm any no-claims discount position, and make sure any switch is timed with no uninsured day. Running through these before the deadline turns a rushed renewal into a decision you actually control.
Questions to put to the insurer or broker
- What has changed in my cover since last year, line by line?
- Is there a cheaper equivalent, and what would the market charge for the same cover?
- When does the renewal collect, and how do I switch without a gap if I choose to?
Related questions
- Can I switch health insurer and keep my condition covered?
- What is continued personal medical exclusions (CPME) when switching?
- Does private health insurance get more expensive every year in the UK?
- What do I lose by downgrading my private health insurance at renewal?
What a switch cannot change
Switching insurer or adjusting cover changes the price, not your medical history. A condition you already have stays excluded when you move — carried across as it stands on continued personal medical exclusions, re-declared under full medical underwriting, or parked under a fresh moratorium. Chronic conditions are excluded by every insurer whose wording we hold, and renewal terms change each year, so read the document you are actually offered before you commit.
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