A health insurance waiting period is the time you must wait before you can make a claim after you take out a new policy.
Waiting periods typically range from 2 - 12 months
Some insurers waive waiting periods on Extras cover (but not Hospital)
Our experts can help you compare policies and understand waiting periods
Our dedicated Health Insurance experts are here to help. Updated 2 Jul 2026.
It’ll depend on the type of cover you take out:
All hospital policies have a minimum waiting period of two months for most treatments, including procedures such as joint replacements and cataract surgery, provided the condition is new. Pre-existing conditions and obstetrics (pregnancy and birth) have longer waiting periods of 12 months. If you’re switching to the same level of cover (or lower) with a different provider you won’t have to re-sit waiting periods.
Many health funds waive certain waiting periods on extras cover such as dental, optical, and physiotherapy to attract new members. These offers are often promoted as “2- and 6-month waiting periods waived on extras” but may come with conditions, such as applying only to specific out-of-hospital treatments.
Health insurance waiting periods are the set timeframes you must wait after taking out a policy for the first time, or upgrading your cover, before you can claim benefits. Waiting periods apply to both Hospital and Extras cover.
The length of a waiting period depends on the type of treatment, usually ranging from two to 12 months.
For example, health insurance for pregnancy typically has a 12-month waiting period, so you would need to take out an appropriate level of hospital cover, such as Gold cover, and hold it for 12 months before you can claim for birth-related services and treatment.
According to PrivateHealth.gov.au, health insurance waiting periods help prevent people from taking out cover and making an immediate claim.
They protect existing members by reducing the risk of individuals making a large claim soon after joining and then cancelling their cover, which would otherwise lead to higher premiums for all policyholders.
Waiting periods are one of the potential disadvantages of health insurance, as they apply in most scenarios. But there are a handful of situations where getting health insurance with no waiting period may be possible. The catch is, you generally need to have cover in place already to qualify.
Here are some providers offering to waive the waiting periods on selected Extras.
Provider | AAMI |
|---|---|
No waiting period offer | AAMI is offering to waive 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members who join an AAMI Health Insurance combined Hospital and Extras product through AAMI’s approved channels (T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 30 July 2026 |
Provider | ACA Health Benefits Fund |
No waiting period offer | Take out combined Hospital and Extras cover get the 2- and 4-month waits waived on selected Extras (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 31 August 2026 |
Provider | Apia Health |
No waiting period offer | Apia Health is waiving 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members that sign up for a combined Hospital and Extras product (T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 30 July 2026 |
Provider | Australian Seniors Health Insurance |
No waiting period offer | Australian Seniors Health Insurance is waiving 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you join as a new customer on a combined hospital and extras policy. (T&Cs apply) |
Offer expires | 31 August 2026 |
Provider | Bupa |
No waiting period offer | Bupa will waive the 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you take out an eligible combined Hospital and Extras policy. T&Cs apply. |
Offer expires | 29 July 2026 |
Provider | CBHS (restricted membership) |
No waiting period offer | Commbank employees and their families who take out a combined Hospital and Extras policy will have the 2 & 6 month waiting periods waived on Extras (eligible new customers only. T&Cs apply. |
Offer expires | 12 August 2026 |
Provider | Frank Health Insurance |
No waiting period offer | Frank is offering to waive 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you join as a new customer on a combined hospital and extras policy. (T&Cs apply) |
Offer expires | 31 August 2026 |
Provider | GMHBA |
No waiting period offer | 2 & 6 month waiting periods will be waived on Extras when you join with a combined hospital and extras policy. (New customers only, T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 31 August 2026 |
Provider | HBF |
No waiting period offer | Join now on combined Hospital and Extras and skip the 2-month wait on Extras (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 30 July 2026 |
Provider | HIF |
No waiting period offer | Purchase combined Hospital and Extras cover and avoid the waits on most Extras with a 2-month waiting period (eligible customers only, T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 31 July 2026 |
Provider | Medibank |
No waiting period offer | Medibank offering to waive 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you join as a new customer on a combined hospital and extras policy. (T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 31 July 2026 |
Provider | Navy Health (restricted membership) |
No waiting period offer | Join on combined Hospital and Extras cover to get the 2 & 6 month waiting periods waived on Extras (eligible ADF members and families only, T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 31 August 2026 |
Provider | nib |
No waiting period offer | Join now on combined Hospital and Extras and skip the 2 and 6 month wait on Extras (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 31 July 2026 |
Provider | Real Health Insurance |
No waiting period offer | Real Health Insurance is offering to waive 2 and 6 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members. T&Cs apply. |
Offer expires | 31 August 2026 |
Provider | see-u by HBF |
No waiting period offer | Skip the 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you take out combined Hospital and Extras cover (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). |
Offer expires | 26 July 2026 |
Provider | Westfund |
No waiting period offer | Westfund is offering to waive 2 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members. T&Cs apply. |
Offer expires | 20 July 2026 |
| Provider | No waiting period offer | Offer expires |
|---|---|---|
AAMI | AAMI is offering to waive 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members who join an AAMI Health Insurance combined Hospital and Extras product through AAMI’s approved channels (T&Cs apply). | 30 July 2026 |
ACA Health Benefits Fund | Take out combined Hospital and Extras cover get the 2- and 4-month waits waived on selected Extras (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). | 31 August 2026 |
Apia Health | Apia Health is waiving 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members that sign up for a combined Hospital and Extras product (T&Cs apply). | 30 July 2026 |
Australian Seniors Health Insurance | Australian Seniors Health Insurance is waiving 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you join as a new customer on a combined hospital and extras policy. (T&Cs apply) | 31 August 2026 |
Bupa | Bupa will waive the 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you take out an eligible combined Hospital and Extras policy. T&Cs apply. | 29 July 2026 |
CBHS (restricted membership) | Commbank employees and their families who take out a combined Hospital and Extras policy will have the 2 & 6 month waiting periods waived on Extras (eligible new customers only. T&Cs apply. | 12 August 2026 |
Frank Health Insurance | Frank is offering to waive 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you join as a new customer on a combined hospital and extras policy. (T&Cs apply) | 31 August 2026 |
GMHBA | 2 & 6 month waiting periods will be waived on Extras when you join with a combined hospital and extras policy. (New customers only, T&Cs apply). | 31 August 2026 |
HBF | Join now on combined Hospital and Extras and skip the 2-month wait on Extras (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). | 30 July 2026 |
HIF | Purchase combined Hospital and Extras cover and avoid the waits on most Extras with a 2-month waiting period (eligible customers only, T&Cs apply). | 31 July 2026 |
Medibank | Medibank offering to waive 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you join as a new customer on a combined hospital and extras policy. (T&Cs apply). | 31 July 2026 |
Navy Health (restricted membership) | Join on combined Hospital and Extras cover to get the 2 & 6 month waiting periods waived on Extras (eligible ADF members and families only, T&Cs apply). | 31 August 2026 |
nib | Join now on combined Hospital and Extras and skip the 2 and 6 month wait on Extras (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). | 31 July 2026 |
Real Health Insurance | Real Health Insurance is offering to waive 2 and 6 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members. T&Cs apply. | 31 August 2026 |
see-u by HBF | Skip the 2 & 6 month waiting periods on Extras when you take out combined Hospital and Extras cover (eligible new customers only, T&Cs apply). | 26 July 2026 |
Westfund | Westfund is offering to waive 2 month waiting periods on Extras for eligible new members. T&Cs apply. | 20 July 2026 |
Here are some situations when it may be possible to avoid health insurance waiting periods:
You can get health insurance with no waiting period on a Hospital policy if you already have cover, and then sign up for a new policy that offers the same or a lower level of coverage.
The new insurer must recognise that you have already served the appropriate waiting period.
If your new policy includes coverage that your old policy didn’t, you may need to serve a waiting period for the new inclusions.
If you're switching from singles health insurance to a couples policy (or vice versa), the waiting period you already served as an individual would be recognised under the new policy.
If you have a Hospital policy that includes psychiatric cover, you may be able to upgrade to a higher level of psychiatric cover without needing to serve a further waiting period. You would need to already have served the two-month waiting period on your existing lower level of cover.
The ‘mental health waiting period exemption’ applies to mental health services and drug and alcohol treatment. You can only use this exemption once in your lifetime.
Note if you upgrade your cover in this way, your health insurance will likely become more expensive.
Waiting periods on Extras are not as strictly regulated. This means insurers have more flexibility to tailor waiting periods to particular conditions, or waive the waiting period entirely in some cases.
For example, it’s relatively common to see health insurance special offers where insurers offer Extras cover with no waiting period on certain conditions for new customers. This is usually a temporary special offer as opposed to a standard feature of the cover.
The waived waiting period is generally only for certain types of Extras cover – commonly those with a two- or six-month waiting period. The standard waiting period applies to anything else not included in the special offer.
Research from Money.com.au shows that the offer of waived waiting periods on Extras cover is the biggest motivation for around 15% of Australians when choosing a health insurance policy.
Cameron Conley, Health Insurance Team Lead at Money.com.au
"We recently helped a couple from New South Wales who were facing an 11% premium hike, but were hesitant to switch policies. Like many people we speak to, they were concerned about losing existing hospital benefits and having to re-serve waiting periods. Continuity of cover was essential due to pre-existing cardiac and respiratory conditions.
Our solution involved splitting their cover so they could retain their Extras with their current fund as it offered them good value, but we moved their hospital cover to a more suitable and lower-cost option with a new fund. We put their anxieties at rest by explaining that the waiting periods they had already served on their existing cover would transfer immediately and wouldn’t cause any issues."
Cameron Conley, Health Insurance Team Lead at Money.com.au
For pregnancy and birth-related services (obstetrics), you’ll need to serve a 12-month waiting period. This means if children are on the cards, you’ll need to take out an appropriate level of cover at least a year in advance of the due date if you want to claim maternity-related hospital services.
The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman defines a pre-existing condition as any illness or ailment with signs or symptoms in the six months before you took out a hospital policy or upgraded your cover. These conditions come with a 12-month waiting period before you can make a claim.
Psychiatric care, rehabilitation, and palliative care each have a two-month waiting period, even for pre-existing conditions. Psychiatric care involves hospital treatment for mental health; rehabilitation provides therapy and support after illness or surgery; and palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life for people with serious illnesses.
A two-month waiting period applies to treatment in hospital for a range of conditions. This refers to both treatment as a private patient in a public or private hospital setting. Refer to the product disclosure statement (PDS) to see which waiting period applies to treatments covered under the hospital policy.
Unlike hospital cover, extras are not regulated in the same way, so waiting periods can vary between insurers and policies. This means health funds set their own waiting periods for extras. Here’s a typical guide for some common treatments:
The term ‘pre-existing health condition’ under a health insurance policy is closely defined as:
Even if you have pre-existing conditions, you cannot be charged more for health insurance on that basis, and you will be covered for treatment once you’re served the waiting period.
The waiting period on a pre-existing health condition can be a maximum of 12 months under hospital cover. The exceptions here are psychiatric treatments, rehabilitation and palliative care. These services have a two-month waiting period, even if the condition is pre-existing.
No, you won’t need to re-serve waiting periods on hospital cover if you have already served the waiting period for the same kind of cover. However, if you are applying for new or upgraded cover, you will need to serve a waiting period on anything you weren’t already covered for.
For example, if you switch your family health cover to a new insurer and have already served the waiting period for pregnancy on your old policy, most health funds won't require you to serve the waiting period again if you're having more children.
Health funds must waive the waiting period for new customers who are joining on the same or a lower level of hospital cover than they already have with their existing insurer. The waiver won’t apply to conditions or treatments the customer has not already served the full waiting period on.
This applies to all types of customers, including singles, couples, seniors, families and single-parent families.
Every person can upgrade their mental health related cover once in their lifetime, without needing to re-sit the waiting period they already had on a lower level of cover.
On extras cover, some providers waive the waiting periods on certain items as an incentive to attract new customers. This can be a handy way to access benefits sooner, assuming the policy is the best health insurance option for your needs overall.
You're unlikely to find a health insurance provider that waives the waiting period on pregnancy cover. Virtually all health funds impose a 12-month waiting period on pregnancy related cover.
Some health funds offer extras policies with no waiting periods on dental, especially for new customers. However, this varies by insurer and policy, so it’s important to check the specific terms or talk to a health insurance advisor before signing up.
Certain funds may waive the waiting period for optical cover to attract new members, but many policies still require a wait of two to six months. Always review the policy fine print to confirm.
According to nib, if you pause your policy before completing your waiting periods, those waiting times will simply be put on hold and must be finished once your cover restarts. The waiting periods won’t restart or expire during the break.
You can use private health insurance immediately for some services, but most treatments require you to complete the waiting periods first. Emergency ambulance cover often starts immediately or has a one-day wait.
Both Bupa and Medibank sometimes offer promotions that waive waiting periods on extras, but conditions apply. These offers vary, so check current policies and terms before joining. Other insurers, both not-for-profit and for-profit also waive waiting periods at times.
You can keep your policy active, but you cannot claim for treatments that have waiting periods until those periods are completed. However, you may still be able to claim for services that don’t have waiting periods or for emergency care.
Sean Callery is the Editor of Money.com.au. He has over 15 years of international experience. He is qualified with a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (FNS40821) and is compliant to provide general advice in Tier 1 General Insurance (RG 146) products.
Jared Mullane is a finance writer with more than a decade of experience at some of Australia’s biggest finance and consumer brands. His areas of expertise include energy, home loans, personal finance and insurance. Jared is qualified with a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (FNS40821).
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