What is a waiting period?
A waiting period is simply the period of time you have to wait between signing up or upgrading your cover with Frank and being able to claim for a service or treatment included on your cover. They apply to both hospital and extras cover.
Can you give me an example of how that works?
Sure! Frank's extras covers have a six-month waiting period for optical.
So, if you take out extras cover with Frank today and have not held another extras cover with optical in the past 30 days, you’ll need to keep that cover continuously for six months before you can claim for prescription glasses.
It doesn’t mean you can take out extras cover today, get your prescription specs today, and then wait six months to lodge the claim. You need to wait out the ‘waiting period’ before you can actually use a service and then claim on it.
How long are waiting periods?
It varies for each treatment or service and the type of cover (hospital or extras). The following table outlines the waiting periods that apply for services where they’re included on your cover. You can also find these in your product fact sheet.
| Hospital cover |
| 12 months |
Pregnancy and birth-relates services, pre-existing conditions* (except psychiatric, rehab or palliative care) *Important information regarding PEC |
| 2 months |
Psychiatric, rehab or palliative care and any other hospital treatment |
| 0 days |
Accidents (accidents must occur after joining), emergency ambulance (Australia-wide) |
| Extras cover |
| 12 months |
Major dental, orthodontics, orthotics (foot), podiatric surgery, hearing aids and blood glucose monitors |
| 6 months |
Optical |
| 2 months |
Acupuncture, chiropractic, dietetics, exercise physiology, eye therapy, general and preventative dental, health maintenance, hydrotherapy, mental health support, myotherapy, occupational therapy, osteopath, pharmacy, physiotherapy, general podiatry, psychology, remedial massage, speech therapy
|
| 0 days |
Ambulance subscription (VIC, SA, WA and NT), emergency ambulance (Australia-wide) |
Will my waiting periods reset if I switch or upgrade cover?
You won’t need to serve waiting periods for anything you have previously served waiting periods for, provided you have continuity of cover. If your new or upgraded Frank cover has higher benefits than your previous cover, you’ll have to serve the standard waiting periods to receive those higher benefits (or reduced hospital excess). You’ll be covered for your previous (lower) benefits during that time though.
If I add a new person to my cover, will they have to serve the waiting periods?
Yes, the new person will have to wait the standard waiting periods listed above. Unless:
- They are your newborn baby and have been added to the family policy from their date of birth (and you have served a two-month waiting period with Frank)
- They are your new adopted or permanent foster child and are added to the policy within 30 days of being adopted or fostered
- They have already served the waiting periods with another fund (at an equal or higher level of cover) and have been added to the policy within 30 days of ending cover with their previous insurer
- They have already served the waiting periods with Frank (at an equal or higher level of cover) and transfer from their policy straightaway to yours.
What if I have a pre-existing condition?
There’s a special waiting period for pre-existing conditions (PEC). For services that relate to your condition the waiting periods will be extended to 12 months.
If you haven’t held your current level of cover for at least 12 months, you are required to go through the PEC check for any hospitalisation. This involves asking your GP and specialist their written opinion on whether your condition is pre-existing. The process can take some time and it’s best to get this done as soon as possible to confirm whether Frank can cover your procedure. The documentation will then be assessed by an external medical practitioner appointed by Frank, who will decide whether your condition is deemed pre-existing or not.
Find out more about pre-existing conditions.
Do I still serve waiting periods if I’m pregnant?
Yes, but they’re calculated differently. The 12-month waiting period is worked out from the time you take out hospital cover with pregnancy and birth up to the baby’s due date. This means that if the baby decides to come early, you're still covered as long as the due date was 12 months from the time you took out or upgraded your cover. Usually, your health insurer will ask for a letter from your doctor stating your due date.
Find out more about planning for a child and things to keep in mind in our Important Information Guide.
