What waiting periods are included in health insurance policies?
 

Health insurance policies include so-called "waiting periods", i.e. periods of time between when the policy becomes effective and when you are able to access certain services.

You cannot take out an insurance policy and be admitted to a hospital, start treatment or undergo a major operation the next day except for emergency medical treatment.

Waiting periods typically apply to advanced diagnostic tests, surgical interventions and other more sophisticated procedures. However, you can access several services from day one, such as visits to medical specialists and dental hygienists.
 

Please note that a waiting period does not mean that you cannot use a particular medical service but that you have to wait for a certain period of time until you can do so. At DKV, the following waiting periods apply to all our products:

1. Surgery and hospital care, including surgical prostheses, for any reason and of any kind, will have a waiting period of six months, except in the cases of a life-threatening emergency or as the result of an accident.

2. Treatment for any kind of childbirth (except premature childbirth) or Caesarean operation with a waiting period of eight months. 

3. Transplants have a waiting period of twelve months. 

4. Healthcare for HIV/AIDS has an exclusion period of twelve months (see definition of ‘exclusion period’ in section 2, Basic concepts. Definitions). 

5. Biomechanical gait analysis, a supplementary cover exclusive to DKV Integral in its individual modality has a waiting period of 6 months. 

DKV also offers you other insurance policies with additional cover, which may have an additional waiting period.