Glossary
Waiting period (délai de carence)
The period following a policy's start during which a benefit is not yet active, even though premiums are already due.
A waiting period protects the insurer (or the scheme, in the case of CFE) against a policy taken out right after a care need appears. Its length varies a lot depending on the benefit: often short or nil for routine care, longer for maternity (several months) or for certain dental and optical benefits.
A waiting period is generally waived or shortened when the policy is taken out shortly after a triggering event (moving abroad, the end of a previous contract) — the exact conditions always depend on the specific contract or scheme and must be checked before treating a benefit as active.
Example
A maternity benefit subject to a waiting period of several months must be taken out before, not during or after the start of a pregnancy, to be covered.
Also searched as: qualifying period · exclusion period
Related terms
To go further: CFE guide: understanding membership timelines