On Tuesday 17^th July, April UK announced that they had made some immediate changes to their Private Medical Insurance and that they had decided to withdraw from the UK health insurance market.

Not only does this news effect potential new customers as applications are no longer being accepted but it will also affect existing customers. Customers with an existing policy will continue to have cover up until renewal. However, upon renewal customers will not be able to renew and will be notified of this 30 days before. It is recommended at this point to contact a broker to seek alternative cover.

Kyle Godden, PMI manager from Switch Health said “We are shocked by this news and really want to emphasize what this means to current customers of April UK, as a lot of people will need to re-evaluate their insurance options with a broker.

In straight forward cases current customers will be covered up until renewal and then will be able to renew with an alternative insurer. However, if there are conditions that are ongoing or new conditions between now and your renewal date, this could cause major issues carrying cover on with a new insurer.

For example, if you have three months remaining cover with April UK and in that time get diagnosed with an ongoing condition, you will only be covered for treatment within that three-month period not ongoing. At this point you will then need to find an alternative insurer to cover this, which is highly unlikely. Therefore, we are urging those who are insured with April UK to get in touch, so we can plan ahead and look at the options available to you as soon as possible.”

At Switch Health we strive to make Private Health Insurance as transparent and customer focused as possible, which is why are advising customers to seek advice on switching from April UK. To speak to one of health advisers call 01242 361457 or live chat with one of advisers through our website switchhealth.co.uk