Successive Periods

What Does Successive Periods Mean?

Successive periods refer to multiple hospital confinements occurring within a specified timeframe that are considered a single instance of hospitalization, provided that each confinement is related to or caused by the same medical condition.

Insuranceopedia Explains Successive Periods

If a policyholder visits a hospital multiple times for the same injury or illness, the insurance company treats each visit as part of a successive period and a continuation of the original medical condition, rather than a new instance. This becomes important with policies like critical illness insurance, since someone with a serious diagnosis often returns to the hospital several times for treatment of the same condition. Since insurance companies consider this when providing benefits, it is important for policyholders to understand how it may affect the amount paid out. Often, a specific duration known as a waiting or elimination period must elapse before insurers regard benefit periods as separate rather than as successive periods. How a plan defines successive periods is worth checking when you’re choosing a health insurance plan, because two policies with similar premiums can pay out very differently after a long illness.