Health Insurance Basics
What is a health insurance waiting period?
A health insurance waiting period is a period of time before your health insurance coverage begins. For employer-sponsored plans, the ACA limits the waiting period to 90 days. For ACA marketplace plans, coverage typically begins on the first day of the month after enrollment. Short-term plans may have longer waiting periods.
Key Points
- Waiting period: time before coverage begins
- Employer-sponsored plans: ACA limits waiting period to 90 days
- ACA marketplace plans: coverage begins first day of month after enrollment
- Short-term plans: may have longer waiting periods
- An independent agent can help you find plans with the shortest waiting periods