Immediately for something new and unrelated — but three separate clocks can delay or block a claim.
What the policy documents actually say
The first is the deferment period. WPA applies a 14-day deferment covering any symptom or condition, diagnosed or not, arising in the first fortnight of the policy, unless it was declared and accepted in writing. Something that starts in week one is therefore outside cover even though it is not pre-existing in the ordinary sense.
The second is the moratorium clock. On moratorium underwriting, anything you had symptoms, treatment or advice for in the recent past — commonly five years — stays excluded until you have gone a defined period without any of those. Freedom Private Health Insurance names a five-year look-back explicitly in its policy guide.
The third is benefit-specific. Aviva's baby bonus only pays if the birth is more than ten months after joining on moratorium or full medical underwriting terms. WPA excludes varicose veins for the first two years on full medical or moratorium underwriting.
For a genuinely new and unrelated problem — a broken wrist a month after joining — none of these apply and the policy responds normally.
The pattern behind all three is the same: insurers are protecting against people buying cover for something they can already feel coming. If you are considering a policy because of a symptom you have noticed, that symptom is the one thing it will not pay for.
Questions to put to the insurer or broker
- Is there a deferment period, and how long?
- Which benefits have their own waiting period?
- Does anything I have seen a GP about recently start excluded?
Related questions
- Can I add my partner, child or parent to my policy?
- Is company-paid private health insurance taxed as a benefit in kind?
- Does private health insurance cover A&E or an emergency?
- Will private health insurance pay for cosmetic surgery?
Sources
- Source: Aviva — Healthier Solutions Terms and conditions (2025-04), read 4 September 2026.
- Source: WPA — Private Medical Insurance — Insurance Product Information Document (Complete Health) (2025-11), read 4 September 2026.
The limit behind every answer here
None of this reaches a condition you already have. Cover is written for problems that arise after it starts, so anything you have symptoms of when you apply is excluded — permanently under full medical underwriting, or until a symptom-free period has passed under a moratorium. Chronic conditions are excluded by every insurer whose wording we hold. Figures quoted come from current policy documents and change at renewal, so check the document you are actually offered.
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