Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 2/5
In a medical expense or disability policy, an elimination period (waiting period) is best described as:
Select an option to reveal the answer and the full 3-part explanation — free, no signup.
Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
An elimination period is the initial period after a covered sickness, accident, or disability begins during which the insured bears the cost and no benefits are paid. It acts like a time-based deductible, eliminating small, short-term claims and lowering the premium. It is a standard provision in disability and many medical-expense policies and is one of the contract-provision terms listed in the medical expense objectives, where it is distinguished from dollar deductibles, copays, and coinsurance.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Guaranteed renewability is a separate provision protecting the policyholder's right to renew coverage; it has nothing to do with the waiting period.
- C) Rescission rights based on misrepresentation are governed by fraud and representation rules, not by an elimination period.
- D) Claim payment deadlines are handled by claims-payment provisions, not by the elimination period, which is a coverage-waiting concept.
Memory hook
Elimination period = time deductible: the clock runs after you get sick or hurt, and the insurer's checkbook stays shut until it ends.