Waiting Period in Insurance: Waiting Times and Exceptions
Are you taking out a new insurance? Many supplementary insurance products have a waiting period of several months. Compando explains where the waiting time is particularly relevant.
1. What does waiting period mean exactly?
The waiting period is a blocking period directly after contract start. You are already paying premiums, but for certain treatments there is no benefit entitlement yet. Which supplementary insurance is sensible results from benefit need and the respective waiting periods.
A different waiting period applies per product and insurer. Read the fine print before taking out a new insurance. This way you avoid unpleasant surprises after a claim or a medical treatment.
Example: A family takes out a dental supplementary insurance on 1 January. The waiting period is six months. In March, the daughter needs braces. The costs of CHF 8'000 are not covered by the insurance because the treatment falls in the blocking period.
Good to know: With waiting periods, insurers protect themselves against misuse. They prevent persons from only taking out a policy when an expensive treatment is already foreseeable. If a treatment falls in the waiting period, no benefit entitlement exists for the respective area despite the running contract.
2. These insurances have a waiting period
Not every insurance has a waiting time. In mandatory basic insurance, no waiting period applies. All statutory benefits are covered from the first day. Waiting times occur above all in three voluntary insurance types.
Supplementary insurance of the insurer
Waiting periods are widespread in Swiss supplementary insurance. They affect above all women with planned maternity and persons with imminent dental treatments such as implants or orthodontics. When taking out a supplementary insurance, the exact waiting period is in the AVB of your product.
Legal expenses insurance
For legal expenses, the waiting time often applies between one and six months. If you take out the insurance only after a claim, no entitlement to protection for the existing case exists. Some providers waive a waiting period; in the AVB is the individual regulation.
Life insurance
For life and death insurance, many contracts have a blocking period of three years in case of suicide. Only after that do survivors receive the full insurance sum. For risk life insurance, the waiting period is omitted in most cases.
Compando tip: When switching within the same insurance level, many providers waive a new waiting period. Prerequisite: you prove the previous insurance period and identical coverage. Have the waiver confirmed in writing before contract conclusion.
3. Waiting period for supplementary insurance: what you have to note
For supplementary insurance of the insurers, waiting periods are common, but not for all benefits. The waiting time is particularly relevant in two areas.
Maternity (hospital and comfort)
Expectant mothers have to pay attention. Many benefits around maternity are not covered in the first 9 to 12 months after insurance start. Frequently, you choose for the birth a single room with semi-private or private.
Benefit | Waiting period |
|---|---|
Single room | 9–12 months |
Breastfeeding allowance | 9–12 months |
Free hospital choice | 9–12 months |
If you take out the hospital supplementary insurance only on determination of pregnancy, the birth frequently still falls in the blocking period. Therefore take out the policy best at least twelve months before a pregnancy. With the prenatal registration, you secure the insurance protection for the child from birth.
Dental treatments
For misalignments or expensive renovations, waiting periods are usual. The duration varies by treatment:
Treatment | Waiting period |
|---|---|
Fillings | 3–6 months |
Braces | 6–12 months |
Crowns and implants | 12 months |
For children, admission often takes place with simplified health declaration or without comprehensive examination. The exact conditions are in the AVB of the product.
Important: Unlike the waiting period, a policy restriction does not apply to all insured persons the same. The policy restriction refers to a concrete pre-existing condition of the insured person. Waiting period is a product-related waiting time; policy restriction is a person-related benefit exclusion.
The time of insurance conclusion considerably influences the waiting period. If you take out the policy at least twelve months before a planned treatment, you avoid the blocking period in most cases. With late-detected pregnancy or acute dental treatment, however, the waiting time fully takes effect.
Compare supplementary insurance before the diagnosis
Waiting periods and benefits differ between providers. Compare supplementary insurance on time before a planned treatment. This way you keep the full coverage.
4. Frequent mistakes with waiting periods
Three classical mistakes cost insured persons high own costs.
Mistake 1: Conclude too late
The pregnancy is confirmed; the hospital insurance is only taken out afterwards. The birth falls in the waiting period of 9 to 12 months. Forward-looking planning is decisive particularly with maternity. For the child, the prenatal registration is suitable. With many insurers, health questions and medical certificates are then omitted.
Mistake 2: Confuse waiting period with policy restriction
Many consider waiting period and policy restriction the same. The terms differ clearly, however:
- Waiting period: temporary (e.g. 6 months), applies to all insured persons the same.
- Policy restriction: often time-limited (e.g. 3 to 5 years), person-specific in case of pre-existing condition. An entitlement to automatic cancellation does not exist.
The distinction is in the contract (policy and AVB).
Mistake 3: Terminate old insurance too early
The old dental insurance is terminated at year-end. The new policy contains a waiting period and does not cover benefits in this time. Terminate the existing insurance only when the new policy is available without waiting period (seamless switch with written waiver confirmation).
Important: Before signing, check three points:
- AVB: Which waiting period applies for the planned benefit area (hospital, dental, maternity)?
- Waiver confirmation: Does the new provider grant a written waiting period waiver on seamless switch?
- Lead time: Does the new policy start on time before the expected benefit need?
