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/Specified Disease Waiting Period
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What is Specified Disease Waiting Period in health insurance?
Even if a condition was not pre-existing, certain common treatments - like cataract surgery, hernia repair, or joint replacement - have a mandatory waiting period before they are covered. This determines when you can actually use your policy for planned procedures.
Every plan, ranked11 · 11 standard
Star HealthStandardSuper Star24 months
Standard
Fourteen groups of common conditions wait 24 months from the first policy, cataract, hernia, joint replacement, thyroid, gall bladder and kidney stones among them. Accident claims are exempt. At the first purchase you can pay extra to cut the wait to 12 months, and only if you are aged 45 or under.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionReducible to 12 months - opt-in Policy Start Only, available to Customer
Watch out
If a listed condition is also one you already have, the longer of the two waits applies, so the 36-month pre-existing wait takes over.
HDFC ERGOStandardOptima Restore24 months
Standard
A named list of everyday conditions and operations - cataract, hernia, piles, kidney stones, gall bladder removal, hysterectomy and joint replacement among them - waits 24 months from the first policy. The wait does not apply to an accident claim, or where the underlying cause is cancer. If a listed condition is also pre-existing, the longer 36-month wait applies.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionNot reducible
Watch out
The 24 months apply even to a listed condition that first appears after the policy starts, and even where it is declared at the start and accepted without a specific exclusion.
Star HealthStandardStar Comprehensive24 months
Standard
Fourteen groups of common conditions - cataract, hernia, kidney and gallbladder stones, joint replacement, spine and disc disease, piles, varicose veins and all transplants among them - are not paid for the first 24 months of continuous cover, even when the condition is new.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionNot reducible
Watch out
Raise your Sum Insured later and the 24-month wait starts again on the increase, so a planned cataract or knee replacement is paid only up to the old Sum Insured. No add-on shortens this 24-month wait.
Star HealthStandardFamily Health Optima24 months
Standard
Fourteen groups of common conditions - cataract, hernia, kidney and gall bladder stones, joint and spine surgery, piles, thyroid, prostate and more - are not paid for the first 24 months of continuous cover.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionNot reducible
Watch out
Cataract is on the list, so a lens replacement planned for next year is a bill you pay yourself. Even after the 24 months are served, cataract is paid only up to a per-eye limit and a per-policy-period limit set by your Sum Insured.
ICICI LombardStandardElevate24 months
Standard
Twenty-three everyday conditions and operations - cataract, hernia, piles, kidney and gallbladder stones, hysterectomy, joint replacement and a slipped disc among them - wait 24 months. You can pay to cut that to 12 months, but only at policy start. Accident claims are outside this wait.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionReducible to 12 months - opt-in Policy Start Only, locked in once chosen, available to Customer
Watch out
If a listed condition is also a pre-existing disease, the longer 36-month wait applies instead of 24 months. Raising your Sum Insured restarts the 24-month wait on the increased amount. Weight-loss surgery sits outside the list and carries its own 24-month wait, which drops to 30 days if you buy Jumpstart.
Care HealthStandardCare Advantage24 months
Standard
Fifteen groups of listed conditions - cataract, all hernias, piles, kidney and gall bladder stones, joint replacement, ENT surgery and more - are not paid for until 24 months of continuous cover are complete. If a listed condition is also pre-existing for you, the longer 36-month wait applies instead.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionNot reducible
Watch out
The wait applies to the listed conditions even if you develop them after buying the policy, and even if you declared them and the insurer accepted them without a written exclusion.
Aditya BirlaStandardActiv One · VYTL24 months
Standard
A named list of common conditions - cataract, hernia, piles, kidney stones, joint replacement and more - waits 24 months before it is covered. Accident claims are exempt. If a listed condition is also pre-existing for you, the longer 3-year pre-existing wait applies instead. You can buy the 24-month wait down to 1 year at your first policy.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionReducible to 12 months - opt-in Policy Start Only, available to Customer
Watch out
If a listed condition is also a pre-existing disease for you, you wait the full 3 years, not 2. A cataract you were already diagnosed with before buying the policy follows the longer wait.
Care HealthStandardCare Supreme24 months
Standard
Fourteen listed conditions - cataract, hernia, piles, kidney stones, joint replacement, ENT surgeries and more - are not paid for until 24 months of continuous cover are complete. Accident claims are exempt. You can pay extra to cut the wait to 1 year. If a listed condition is also pre-existing for you, the longer 36-month pre-existing wait applies instead.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionReducible to 12 months - opt-in Policy Start or Renewal, available to Customer
Watch out
The wait applies to the listed conditions even if you develop them after buying the policy, and even if you declared them and the insurer accepted them without a specific exclusion. Continuous cover carried over from a previous insurer reduces the wait by that much.
Star HealthStandardStar Health Assure24 months
Standard
Fourteen groups of common conditions and procedures - cataract, ENT and thyroid disease, hernia, gallstones and kidney stones, joint replacement, piles and varicose veins among them - are not paid for the first 24 months. Accident claims are paid without this wait. If one of these conditions is also pre-existing for you, the longer pre-existing wait applies instead.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionNot reducible
Watch out
The 24-month wait applies even to a listed condition you develop after buying the policy, and even if you declared it and the Company accepted it without a specific exclusion.
HDFC ERGOStandardOptima Secure · Optima-Select24 months
Standard
A named list of common conditions and operations - cataract, hernia, piles, kidney stones, gall bladder removal, hysterectomy, joint replacement and more - is not covered for the first 24 months of continuous cover. Accident claims are exempt.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionNot reducible
Watch out
The 24 months apply even to a condition you develop after buying the policy. If a listed condition is also pre-existing, the longer 36-month wait applies instead. This product sells no option to shorten either wait.
Niva BupaStandardReAssure 3.0 · Classic24 months
Standard
A named list of common conditions and procedures - cataract, hernia, piles, joint replacement, fibroids and others - is covered only after 24 months of continuous cover. Accident claims are covered from day 1 and cancer after only 30 days. You can move this wait to 12 months, or push it out to 36, when you buy the policy.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
Waiting Period (Months)24 months
Portability Credit Reduces Waiting PeriodYes
Pre-existing Disease Wait Applies if LongerYes
Accident Claims Exempt from Any Waiting PeriodYes
Waiting period reductionReducible to 12 months, 36 months - opt-in Policy Start Only, locked in once chosen, available to Customer
Watch out
If a listed condition is also pre-existing for you, the longer 36-month wait applies instead of 24 months. The wait applies even to a listed condition you develop after buying the policy.
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