The waiting period for hospitalisation insurance

Are you considering taking out hospitalisation insurance or would you like to switch from another health insurance fund to a Helan policy? If so, in many cases a waiting period applies. Read everything you need to know about Helan hospitalisation insurance and the waiting period.

What is the waiting period?

Would you like to purchase hospitalisation insurance? Then keep in mind that in most cases there is a waiting period of six months.

A hospitalisation insurance insures a risk you hope does not occur. To prevent abuse of this cover, most insurance policies have a waiting period. The waiting period helps keep premiums low, which ensures that hospitalisation insurance remains accessible to everyone.

When does the waiting period start?

The waiting period starts on the first day of the month following the month in which you requested for your new hospitalisation insurance.Did you request the hospitalisation insurance on 17 April? Then the waiting period and hospitalisation insurance starts on 1 May (provided you were also a Helan customer on 1 May). During the waiting period you will pay premiums, but you will not yet be eligible for reimbursement were an admission to occur.

When do you need hospitalisation insurance? 

Find out in our free e-book.

Download the e-book

Is the waiting period always applicable? 

The waiting period for hospitalisation insurance expires when taking over a similar policy with the same coverage. The waiting period also expires when you have an accident . After all, an accident happens suddenly and is caused by an external factor.

Pregnancy waiting period

Are you pregnant and would like to purchase hospitalisation insurance? In that case, a waiting period of nine months will apply.

From the seventh month, however, you can already receive reimbursement if you stay in a double-occupancy room. Want to know if this limited reimbursement applies to you? Contact us for more information.

What if you are moving from a private insurer or other health insurance fund?

  • Already have hospitalisation insurance with another health insurance fund or an insurer, but want to switch to Helan Health Insurance Fund? If so,  the waiting period for our hospitalisation insurance policy will be waived if both insurance policies have similar cover 
     
  • Do your old and new hospitalisation insurance policies not offer the same cover? Then, in the event of a hospital admission during the waiting period, you will receive reimbursements for the all items that were covered by your old hospitalisation insurance policy. Once the waiting period is over, you will also receive reimbursements for items included in your new hospitalisation insurance.

Do you have hospitalisation insurance through your employer?

Are you a member of an employer-sponsored group hospitalisation insurance plan? That's a great perk, but what do you do if your contract ends (unexpectedly) or if you retire?

Are you younger than 65? If so, the insurance Hospitalia Continuity may be of interest to you. This is a waiting insurance policy. If your employer-sponsored hospitalisation insurance ends, you can transfer your cover without waiting period, without a medical questionnaire and without an increased age-related premium to Hospitalia, Hospitalia Medium or Hospitalia Plus. You can purchase Hospitalia Continuity even if you have not had insurance with Helan Health Insurance Fund before. 

Helan Independent Health Insurance Fund is the insurance agent (n° CDZ 5006c) for ‘MLOZ Insurance’, the VMOB of Independent Health Insurance Funds, (Register of Legal Entities in Brussels, 422.189.629, recognised under no. CDZ 750/01 for branches 2 and 18). View the data sheet and the General Terms and Conditions. Belgian law applies to the insurance contract. The term of the contract is whole life. In the event of any complaint, contact the complaints department of Helan Health Insurance Fund or the insurance ombudsman. For more information about purchasing this/these product(s), please contact Helan Health Insurance Fund. Helan Onafhankelijk ziekenfonds, Boomsesteenweg 5, 2610 Wilrijk, 0411.696.011, RPR Antwerpen, www.helan.be.