34‑10 Increased premiums stop after 10 y34‑10 Increased premiums stop after 10 years’ continuous cover

34‑10 Increased premiums stop after 10 years’ continuous cover (1) A private health insurer must stop increasing the amount of premiums payable for *hospital cover in respect of an *adult under this Part if the adult has had hospital cover (including under an *applicable benefits arrangement), the premiums for which have been increased under this Part or *old Schedule 2: (a) for a continuous period of 10 years; or (b) for a period of 10 years that has been interrupted only by *permitted days without hospital cover or periods during which the adult was taken to have had hospital cover otherwise than because of paragraph 34‑15(2)(a) (none of which count towards the 10 years). (2) The amount must stop being increased on the day after the last day of the 10 year period. (3) The amount of premiums payable for *hospital cover in respect of the *adult must start to be increased under this Part again if: (a) after the end of the 10 year period, the adult ceases to have hospital cover; and (b) the adult later takes out hospital cover again; and (c) the days in the period between ceasing to have the cover and taking it out again are not all *permitted days without hospital cover in respect of the adult. (4) Subsection (3) does not prevent this section applying again in respect of any later 10 year period. (5) In subsection (1): old Schedule 2 means Schedule 2 to the National Health Act 1953 as in force before 1 April 2007.