Changing health insurer without losing your waiting periods
Portability protects the years you have already served. It only works if you start early and disclose properly.
People stay with an unsatisfactory health policy because they believe switching restarts the waiting period for pre-existing conditions. Portability exists precisely to prevent that.
What carries across
Continuity credit for the waiting periods already served on the existing policy, for the same sum insured. If you increase the sum insured, the incremental portion may carry its own waiting period.
The timing rule that catches people out
A portability request has to be made in advance of the renewal date, within the window the regulator prescribes. Apply late and the option is gone for that year.
What the new insurer will ask for
- Existing policy copies for all continuous years, not just the current one
- Claim history
- A fresh proposal form with full medical disclosure
The mistake that undoes it
Under-disclosing a condition the old insurer already knew about. Continuity credit protects the waiting period; it does not protect a claim on a condition you failed to declare on the new proposal.
Acceptance is at the new insurer underwriting discretion. We prepare the file so it is decided on the facts, not on missing paperwork.