AnkyroWho it’s forHealth conditions
Pre-existing condition? You can still get cover.
Diabetes, asthma, a past operation. How the insurer checks your health decides what it pays. Here is how the 2 main methods work, with real wording.
The facts
The rules and numbers that matter for you.
Checked against official sources and insurers’ own documents on 23 October 2026. Terms change, so the broker confirms them again before you apply.
- Moratorium: 5 years back, 2 years clear
On AXA Global Healthcare’s moratorium terms, anything you had in the 5 years before joining is excluded. It can be covered once you’ve been a member 2 years in a row and had 2 trouble-free years with it.
Source: axaglobalhealthcare.com - What “trouble-free” means
AXA counts it as 2 years with no medical opinion, no medication (even from the pharmacy shelf), no special diet, no treatment and no visit to a doctor, dentist or optician for that condition.
Source: axaglobalhealthcare.com - What “chronic” means in policy wording
AXA defines it as an illness or injury with 1 or more of these: it needs long-term monitoring, needs long-term symptom control, needs rehabilitation, lasts indefinitely, has no known cure, or comes back.
Source: axaglobalhealthcare.com - Full medical underwriting only from 55
William Russell says full medical underwriting is the only option if you’re 55 or older when you apply. Its moratorium plans cost about 4% more and exclude anything you had in the last 2 years.
Source: william-russell.com - Switching: keep your old terms
William Russell’s Continued Personal Medical Exclusions (CPME) carry your old insurer’s terms onto the new policy. You can only move to the same level of cover or lower.
Source: william-russell.com - Age caps on underwriting types
AXA offers moratorium and competitor switch terms only to people under 80. From 80, it accepts you only on full medical underwriting or a plan transfer.
Source: axaglobalhealthcare.com - A paid benefit for older members
Cigna Global’s outpatient option includes pre-existing condition care for people 60 and over: up to $500 a year on Silver, $1,500 on Gold, $3,000 on Platinum, after a waiting period.
Source: cignaglobal.com - Hiding a condition: what the law allows
Under UK consumer insurance law, a deliberate or reckless false answer lets the insurer cancel the policy, refuse all claims and keep the premiums. A careless one can cut a claim in proportion.
Source: legislation.gov.uk
Moratorium or full medical underwriting
Insurers use 2 main ways to deal with your past health. With full medical underwriting, you fill in a health form before you join. The insurer reads it and writes down exactly what it will and won’t pay for. You know your exclusions on day 1.
With a moratorium, there is no health form. Instead the insurer leaves out anything you had in a set period before joining. At AXA that period is 5 years. At William Russell and APRIL International it is 2 years. At AXA and William Russell, a condition can come back into cover once you’ve gone 2 years in a row without trouble from it while insured.
The catch: under a moratorium, nobody checks your history until you claim. Then the insurer asks your doctors for records and decides. Full underwriting is more work up front, but it removes the surprise.
Why chronic conditions rarely clear a moratorium
A moratorium only lifts after 2 trouble-free years. For diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma, that almost never happens. Taking a daily tablet or going for a yearly check-up counts as trouble under AXA’s wording, so the 2-year clock never starts.
So if you have a long-term illness you want covered, a moratorium is usually the wrong choice. AXA says so directly: declaring a chronic illness through full underwriting gives you a clear answer before you pay.
There is a second question: chronic illnesses that start after you join. AXA’s Comprehensive and Prestige plans pay ongoing care for a new chronic illness from day 1. Its Foundation and Standard plans only pay for sudden flare-ups. Ask which kind of plan you’re buying.
Age changes the options
Moratorium terms are usually for younger applicants. APRIL International offers them only to new customers under 65. William Russell says full medical underwriting is the only option from 55. AXA keeps moratorium open up to 79.
Older applicants can still get cover for existing conditions, but it tends to be a paid add-on with a cap. Cigna Global’s 60+ pre-existing condition benefit is one sourced example, with yearly limits from $500 to $3,000 depending on the plan level.
Some insurers decide case by case. Genki Native, which takes new members up to 55, reviews each answer and can approve, approve with changes, or decline. You can apply just to see the answer, without having to buy.
Switching insurers without losing cover
If you already have a policy, a new insurer may let you carry your terms across. William Russell calls this Continued Personal Medical Exclusions. AXA calls it competitor switch or continued medical exclusions. Now Health offers continuous transfer terms. The idea is the same: your new policy treats your old start date and exclusions as its own.
This matters most when a condition is covered on your current plan. Apply fresh with full underwriting and the new insurer may exclude it. Switch on continuation terms and it can stay covered.
The limits: William Russell only lets you move to the same cover or lower. AXA only offers competitor switch terms under 80. Never cancel your old policy until the new one is confirmed in writing.
Tell the insurer everything
Health forms ask about symptoms, not just diagnoses. William Russell counts any illness you knew about as pre-existing, whether or not a doctor named it. A sore back you saw a physio for counts.
Leaving something out is the costliest mistake on this page. Under UK consumer insurance law, a deliberate false answer lets the insurer cancel the whole policy and keep what you paid. A careless one can mean it pays only part of a claim.
Ankyro asks the questions once, in plain words, and keeps your answers for every insurer. A licensed broker checks them before anything is filed, and you see each insurer’s decision before you sign.
What to look for
4 things that matter most for you.
Ankyro checks each of these on every plan, so you don’t have to read the fine print.
- The underwriting type, in writing
Full medical, moratorium or continued exclusions. It decides whether your condition is covered, so check it on the quote, not just the price.
- The look-back and trouble-free periods
AXA looks back 5 years, William Russell and APRIL 2. AXA and William Russell then need 2 clear years while insured. Shorter is better for you.
- New chronic illness after you join
Some plans pay ongoing care from day 1, others only flare-ups. This matters even if you’re healthy today.
- Age limits on each method
APRIL stops moratorium at 65, William Russell at 55, AXA at 80. Know which methods are open to you before you compare prices.
Common mistakes
3 we see all the time.
- 01Picking a moratorium for diabetes or blood pressure. Daily tablets mean the 2 trouble-free years never start, so it stays excluded.
- 02Cancelling an old policy before the new insurer confirms continuation terms. You can lose cover for a condition your old plan paid for.
- 03Leaving out a symptom because no doctor named it. Insurers count it, and a false answer can cost you the whole policy.
Questions
People also ask.
Can I get international health insurance with a pre-existing condition?+
Usually, yes. The insurer may cover it, cover it at a higher price, cover it after 2 trouble-free years, or exclude it. Everything else stays covered either way.
What is moratorium underwriting?+
No health form at the start. The insurer excludes anything you had in a set period before joining, 2 to 5 years depending on the insurer, until you’ve gone 2 years without trouble from it.
Is moratorium or full medical underwriting better?+
Full medical underwriting is better if you have a long-term illness, because you know the answer up front. A moratorium can suit someone with an old, minor problem that has fully cleared up.
Does international health insurance cover chronic conditions?+
New chronic illnesses that start after you join are covered on many higher-level plans. Chronic illnesses you already have are often excluded, unless the insurer agrees after reading your health form.
Can I switch health insurers without losing cover for my condition?+
Often, yes, on continuation terms such as CPME. The new insurer takes over your old terms. Some only allow the same cover or lower, so check before you cancel.
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