Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
In a medical expense policy, what is the elimination period?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
An elimination period is the waiting period, typically measured in days, that must elapse after a covered condition arises or after a disability begins before benefits become payable. It functions like a deductible measured in time rather than dollars; the longer the elimination period, the lower the premium. This contract provision is tested in the California A&H objectives as one of the key terms in individual medical expense contracts.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) The time between application and delivery is the processing period, not a contract provision about when benefits begin.
- C) The deadline to file a claim is the notice-of-claim or proof-of-loss requirement, not the elimination period.
- D) The days an insurer has to pay a claim relate to claims-handling standards, not to a waiting period before benefits begin.
Memory hook
Elimination period = a time-deductible: no benefits for the first days after the condition or disability starts.