Waiting period

A waiting period is the time after a health insurance policy begins during which certain claims are not payable. Most policies apply an initial 30 days covering everything except accidents, two years for listed ailments, and a longer period — commonly 36 months — for pre-existing diseases. The clock runs from the policy's first start date and usually carries over when you port to another insurer. Declaring pre-existing conditions honestly at purchase is what protects the claim later: non-disclosure, not the waiting period, is the more common reason claims fail.