Most people believe health insurance starts working the day the policy document arrives.
That belief causes more disappointment than almost anything else.
Because In health insurance, time matters.
A waiting period is the time you must wait after buying a policy before certain treatments are covered.
During this time:
This is normal in health insurance.
It exists to prevent misuse — not to trouble customers.
Let’s go through them calmly, one by one.
For the first 30 days after your policy starts:
Exception:
Accidents are covered from Day One.
Why this rule exists:
To stop people from buying insurance after falling sick.
Some common treatments fall under this category:
These are not emergencies in most cases.
So insurers ask you to wait — usually 2 years.
Important point:
Many people don’t realise this and assume these are covered immediately.
This is the most important waiting period.
A pre-existing diseasemeans:
Any medical condition you had before buying the policy
— diagnosed or not.
Examples:
Most policies cover these only after 3 or 4 years.
Most maternity benefits come with a waiting period:
That means:
You cannot buy a policy today and claim maternity expenses tomorrow.
The biggest mistake is assuming: “I’ll buy insurance when I need it.”
Health insurance punishes late decisions. If you wait until:
waiting periods become a barrier.
No.
This is where policies differ quietly.
Some policies:
But these differences are never obvious on websites or ads.
Sometimes, yes.
Through:
But this depends on:
Many claim disputes are not rejections. They are waiting period violations.
The insurer simply says:
“This condition falls under the waiting period.”
Legally, they are right.
Emotionally, customers feel cheated — but the rule was always there.