Waiting periods — NZ health insurance
Every active NZ retail health insurance product, ranked by waiting period across four stand-down categories. Pulled verbatim from each insurer's published policy wording.
Surgical
Stand-down before non-acute (planned) surgery is funded.
5 products with data
Pre-existing condition
Stand-down before previously-disclosed conditions become eligible.
5 products with data
Mental health
Stand-down before mental health benefits are claimable.
2 products with data
Maternity
Stand-down before pregnancy-related cover starts.
2 products with data
Why waiting periods matter
Most NZ health insurance buyers under-estimate stand-downs. A 3-year pre-existing-condition moratorium means a condition you had symptoms for at sign-up isn't claimable for three years. Surgical stand-downs typically apply only to non-acute treatment (acute / accident cases bypass them). Mental health and maternity often have their own, separate clocks.
We extract these directly from each insurer's published policy wording — read the verbatim clause and source PDF on every product page.