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Moratorium underwriting means you don't need to declare your medical history when you apply. Instead, any condition you've had symptoms of, advice for, or treatment for in the past five years is automatically excluded until you've gone two years without it.
Moratorium underwriting is the most common way UK insurers assess new health insurance applications. Instead of asking you to declare your full medical history upfront, the insurer automatically excludes any condition you've had symptoms of, received advice for, or been treated for in the five years before your policy starts.
This is different from full medical underwriting, where you declare your complete health history at the outset and receive a written list of personal exclusions before your policy starts.
Moratorium underwriting health insurance is the most common way UK insurers assess new applications for private medical cover. Rather than asking you to complete a detailed medical questionnaire, the insurer applies an automatic rule: any condition you've had symptoms of, sought advice for, or been treated for in the years immediately before your policy starts is excluded from cover.
You don't need to declare your medical history when you apply. Your GP records are only requested if and when you make a claim, at which point the insurer checks whether the condition you're claiming for existed before your policy began.
This approach is different from full medical underwriting, where you disclose your complete health history upfront and receive a written list of exclusions before you buy.
Moratorium underwriting suits people with a fairly clean recent health history. If you've had several ongoing issues in the last five years, full medical underwriting often gives you clearer answers about what's actually covered, rather than finding out at claim time.
Most insurers use a five-year lookback period. This means any condition you've had symptoms, treatment, medication, or advice for in the five years before your policy starts is automatically excluded when cover begins.
The lookback period varies by insurer and policy. Some providers use a shorter three-year period, which can mean fewer exclusions if you had a health issue between three and five years ago.
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How it works
Apply for cover
You give basic details such as your age, postcode, and smoking status. There's no medical questionnaire to complete.
Automatic exclusions are applied
The insurer excludes any condition you've had symptoms, treatment, medication, or advice for within the lookback period, usually the last five years.
Your policy starts
Cover begins for new conditions straight away. Historic conditions outside the lookback period are usually covered from day one.
You claim if you need treatment
If you need to make a claim, the insurer reviews your medical records to check whether the condition existed before your policy started.
Exclusions may lift after two years
If you go two continuous years without symptoms, treatment, or advice for an excluded condition, it may become eligible for cover.
When you apply for health insurance, you'll usually choose between moratorium underwriting and full medical underwriting. Both work out what's covered and what isn't, but they go about it in different ways.
With full medical underwriting, you complete a detailed questionnaire about your medical history when you apply. The insurer may also request your GP records. In return, you get a written list of personal exclusions before your policy starts, so you know exactly where you stand.
With moratorium underwriting, there's no upfront disclosure. The trade-off is that you won't know precisely what's excluded until you make a claim and the insurer checks your history.
Why choose moratorium
Moratorium underwriting is offered as standard, or as an option alongside full medical underwriting, by most major UK health insurers.
Exact terms, lookback periods, and how quickly exclusions can lift vary by provider and policy, so it's worth comparing more than one option before you apply.
For general, independent guidance on insurance products, MoneyHelper offers free information, and the Association of British Insurers publishes background on how health insurance underwriting works across the market.
Because your medical history isn't checked in detail when you apply, moratorium underwriting shifts that check to the point you make a claim. Here's what typically happens:
This is why claims under moratorium underwriting can occasionally take longer than under full medical underwriting, where the insurer has already reviewed your history and confirmed your exclusions in advance.
Always contact your insurer for pre-authorisation before booking any treatment. Going ahead without it is one of the most common reasons a claim gets delayed or only partially paid, whichever type of underwriting you have.
Choosing your underwriting type
Common questions
Moratorium underwriting is a way of assessing health insurance applications without asking about your medical history upfront. Instead, any condition you've had symptoms of, received advice for, or been treated for in the years before your policy starts (usually the last five years) is automatically excluded. If you go two continuous years without symptoms, treatment, or advice for that condition after your policy starts, it may become covered.
Most insurers use a five-year lookback period, meaning conditions from the five years before your policy starts are excluded. Some insurers, including AXA Health and Saga's over-50s policies, use a shorter three-year lookback period instead.
If you go two continuous years from your policy start date without symptoms, treatment, medication, or advice for a pre-existing condition, it may become eligible for cover. This isn't guaranteed for every condition and varies by insurer, but it's a genuine possibility with moratorium underwriting.
Neither is universally better. Moratorium underwriting is quicker to set up and doesn't require a medical questionnaire, but you won't know exactly what's covered until you claim. Full medical underwriting takes longer and requires disclosing your full medical history, but gives you a clear list of exclusions before your policy starts.
No. With moratorium underwriting, you don't declare your medical history when you apply. The insurer only reviews your medical records if and when you make a claim, to check whether the condition existed before your policy began.
Not immediately. Any condition you've had symptoms, treatment, or advice for within the lookback period is excluded when your policy starts. It may become covered later if you go two continuous years without any symptoms, treatment, or advice for that specific condition.
Choosing moratorium underwriting instead of full medical underwriting doesn't usually change your premium. Your cost depends mainly on your age, location, and the level of cover you choose, not which underwriting method you pick.
A fixed moratorium, offered by insurers such as The Exeter, sets a firm two-year period after which an excluded condition becomes covered, provided you haven't claimed for it, even if you've had NHS treatment during that time. This differs from a standard rolling moratorium, where any symptoms, treatment, or advice for the condition restarts the exclusion period.
Some insurers allow you to switch underwriting methods, though this usually means providing your full medical history at that point, and any conditions declared may then be assessed under full medical underwriting rules. Speak to an advisor about your options if you're considering a switch.
Not much. Chronic conditions that require ongoing management, such as diabetes or asthma, don't stop being pre-existing just because time passes, so the two-year rule rarely helps with them in practice. If you have a chronic condition, full medical underwriting often gives clearer, fairer terms.
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