waiting period

What is a waiting period?

Under the terms of some health plans, potential enrollees must wait a defined period of time before they are eligible for enrollment after starting a new job, or for coverage of pre-existing conditions.

For most types of Medicare coverage, there is no waiting period, meaning people can enroll as soon as they’re eligible and there are no waiting periods before pre-existing conditions are covered.

This is true for Original Medicare (Parts A and B), Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D.¹ But Medigap plans can have waiting periods of up to six months before pre-existing conditions are covered, if the enrollee had a gap in coverage before enrolling in the Medigap plan.²

Medigap insurers can also reject an application altogether or impose a higher premium due to the applicant’s medical history, if the application is submitted after the person’s initial enrollment period has ended and outside of a guaranteed-issue special enrollment period. In most states, there is no annual open enrollment period for Medigap plans.³