My employer has a “waiting period” for enrollment in the health plan. Does this change the pre-existing condition exclusion period under HIPAA?
The HIPAA law does not stop a plan or company from having a waiting period for health insurance enrollment. For group health plans, a waiting period is the period that must pass before an employee or a dependent is eligible to enroll in the health plan. Some plans have waiting periods and pre-existing condition exclusion periods. But if a plan has both a waiting period and a pre-existing condition exclusion period, the pre-existing condition exclusion period begins when the waiting period begins. Here’s an example: If your company has a 4-month waiting period and a 6-month pre-existing exclusion period, your pre-existing condition exclusion is still only 6 months total. You have only 2 months of pre-existing exclusion time left if you sign up after the 4-month waiting period.
Related Questions
- I am changing from one type of coverage to another, but staying within the same employers group health plan. Can a pre-existing condition exclusion be applied to my new coverage?
- I had a pre-existing condition exclusion period at my prior employment. Can another exclusion period be applied by my new group health plan?
- My employer has a waiting period for enrollment in the plan. How does this relate to the preexisting condition exclusion period?
