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What is a Waiting Period?

According to the Insurance Authority, the duration of the waiting period varies depending on the policy or specific diseases and medical conditions. Policyholders should pay attention to the following points:

• Most policies have a waiting period of 30 days starting from the policy's effective date. This means that any diagnosed illnesses or symptoms occurring during this waiting period will not be covered.

• For certain medical conditions or coverage items, the waiting period may be longer.

• As per the government's Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, if policyholders make a claim for pre-existing conditions that they were unaware of during the waiting period, the insurance company may deny partial or full coverage.

• Generally, if a policyholder incurs medical expenses due to accidental injury leading to hospitalization, these claims are not affected by the waiting period.

Example of Waiting Periods in Cigna HealthFirst Elite 360 Medical Plan

• Benefit Items

  Waiting Period

• Pregnancy complications

  1 year

• HIV/AIDS treatment

  5 years

• Palliative care benefit

  2 years

• Three Critical Illnesses Benefit

  90 days

• Optional Pharmacy Benefit

  180 days

Another important point to note is that when a policyholder plans to switch policies, the waiting period may be recalculated from the effective date of the new policy. This could potentially affect medical coverage, so policyholders should carefully consider whether to cancel their existing policy.

Newborns Can Also Get Insured with a Waiting Period

Due to the uncertain health conditions of newborns, many parents consider purchasing insurance for their young children to ensure enhanced medical care coverage. Many insurance products provide coverage for newborns from 15 days old, meeting the needs of parents. This includes Cigna VHIS Flexible Plan (Superior) and Cigna HealthFirstEliteHealthFirst Elite 360 Medical Plan.

Cigna HealthFirst Elite 360 Medical Plan offers comprehensive and personalized health coverage, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. The plan provides an annual coverage limit of up to HKD 50 million, covering a range of hospitalization and surgical benefits, optional insurance protections, personalized health assessments, and comprehensive coverage for the three major critical illnesses: cancer, stroke, and heart attack, along with global medical concierge services. [Click here to learn more.]