How Can You Stay Covered During the CFE Waiting Periods?

When you take out health insurance, you need to pay close attention to waiting periods. A waiting period is a length of time during which you cannot make a claim. How long they last varies from one insurer to another and by type of cover. The CFE is no exception, so Alea, the CFE's local representative for Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Singapore, explains everything.

What is a waiting period?

A waiting period (délai de carence) is a set timeframe immediately following your policy's start date during which your healthcare costs are not covered. It is designed to maintain the fundamental principle of insurance, protecting against unforeseen risk rather than funding pre-planned medical expenses.

Waiting periods and the CFE

The reform at the start of 2019 changed the length of the waiting periods that apply. They differ by age group but apply to the cover as a whole.

• Under 30: 3 months

• 30 to 44: 3 months

• Over 45: 6 months

Can the CFE waiting periods be lifted?

The CFE waiting period is strictly enforced and can only be waived under two specific circumstances:

• Mandatory Corporate Insurance: Your employer required you to enroll in their private health insurance plan.

• V.I.E. or V.I.A. Assignments: You were stationed abroad under a V.I.E. or V.I.A. contract, provided you apply to the CFE within one month.

Please note that eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Under qualifying conditions, CFE standard waiting periods may be waived.

How Can You Get Health Coverage During the CFE Waiting Period?

There are insurance plans known as "CFE top-ups". They work like a French mutuelle (complementary health insurance) and cover the remaining costs that the CFE does not cover.

Note that these top-ups only start to apply once your CFE cover actually begins. This means that if you join the CFE and take out the top-up at the same time, you will only really be covered by both once the CFE waiting period has passed.

For this reason, some insurers offer to enrol you in their first-euro product during this period and then automatically switch you to their CFE top-up once the period has passed. This avoids a gap in your cover and the possible exclusion of conditions that appear during the 3 months of the waiting period.

Please note that whether you choose a CFE Top-Up or a First-Euro policy, private insurers will still apply their own standard waiting periods for certain benefits

Which types of care are subject to a waiting period?

In most cases, waiting periods apply to the following benefits:

• Dental

• Optical

• Orthodontics

• Maternity

• Fertility treatment

• Planned treatment

Can Waiting Periods for CFE Top-Ups and First-Euro Plans Be Lifted?

If you previously had cover of a higher or equivalent level, you will be able to have the waiting periods lifted. You will need to provide an insurance certificate less than one month old showing the level of your previous cover.

The maternity exception

So all waiting periods can be adjusted to some extent, except the one for maternity. The maternity waiting period cannot be avoided. With standard insurance plans, it is generally 10 or 12 months. The CFE, for its part, states that the pregnancy must begin after the membership start date. It is therefore crucial to plan as far ahead as possible, especially given the high costs of private maternity care abroad

Did you know? Alea is the advisor for French expats in Hong Kong. As the CFE's exclusive representative for Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Singapore, Alea has unique expertise in every CFE plan and in the plans French insurers such as Allianz, April, Henner, MSH and Assur-Travel offer alongside the CFE. We work with more than 50 international partners, such as AXA, Bupa and Cigna, to find you the best option!