Limitations, Exclusions & Riders (2025)

Limitations, Exclusions & Riders (1)

Understandably, it would be impossible to find a health insurance policy that covers every illness or medical condition without limits or exclusions. Most policies specify certain types of injuries, illnesses, or procedures for which they provide a lower level of coverage. Furthermore, certain illnesses, injuries, and procedures may not be covered at all. Limitations are conditions or procedures covered under a policy but at a benefit level lower than the norm. Exclusions, on the other hand, are conditions or procedures that are completely omitted from coverage. Your health insurance policy should list all limitations and exclusions. Therefore reading and understanding one's health policy is certainly an important thing to do.

What are some common limitations and exclusions?
Although the specifics of limitations and exclusions do vary from policy to policy, the following is a list of common limitations and exclusions a standard policy might include:

  • Pre-existing conditions: A pre-existing condition is an illness or injury that began or occurred before you obtained coverage under a policy. Pre-existing conditions are often excluded from coverage, or may be covered after a specified waiting period.
  • Nonduplication of payments/coordination of benefits: In order to prevent double coverage, many policies specify that benefits will not be paid for amounts that are reimbursed by other insurance companies. This provision limits the total payment of benefits to 100% of covered expenses.
  • Alcohol and/or drug abuse treatment
  • Care covered by the Veterans Administration or workers' compensation
  • Cosmetic surgery: Cosmetic surgery required as the result of an accidental injury or congenital defect is generally not excluded.
  • Dental expense: Some policies may cover reconstructive dental treatment resulting from accidental injury.
  • Experimental procedures
  • Hernia
  • Infertility treatment
  • Injury incurred while committing a felony
  • Injury, illness, or death that occurs while under the influence of intoxicants or narcotics
  • Military duty: This provision usually suspends the policy while the insured is serving in the military.
  • Noncommercial airline travel
  • Organ transplants
  • Self-inflicted injuries
  • STDs
  • Vision correction
  • War or acts of war that result in injury or death

What is a rider?
Insurance policies are usually written in a standard form, most of which is dictated by state insurance law. If you need additional coverage or if there are changes to the standard document, these changes can be made by way of a rider. The information to be conveyed in the rider is typed up on a separate piece of paper, which is attached to the standard policy. An endorsement can accomplish the same goal; the only difference is that an endorsement is actually incorporated into the body of the existing policy. Some common health insurance riders are as follows.

Multiple indemnity
In some health insurance policies, accidental death or dismemberment benefits may be doubled or tripled depending on the cause of death or specific type of dismemberment. This multiple indemnity may be included in the policy by way of a rider.

Waiver of premium
Some policies may allow you to skip premiums during periods of extended hospitalization.

Exclusion
Also called an "Impairment rider," this rider is used to specify a medical condition that might normally be covered but is not covered because it is a pre-existing condition. Although the particular condition is not covered, use of this rider allows the applicant to obtain insurance for other healthcare needs when this condition might otherwise make the person uninsurable.

Additional coverage
If the insurer agrees to provide coverage that is not included in the standard insurance contract, this coverage might be described in a rider.

Limitations, Exclusions & Riders (10)

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Limitations, Exclusions & Riders (11)

Please Note: The information contained in this Web site is provided solely as a source of general information and resource. It is a not a statement of contract and coverage may not apply in all areas or circumstances. For a complete description of coverages, always read the insurance policy, including all endorsements.

Limitations, Exclusions & Riders (2025)

FAQs

What does limitations and exclusions mean in insurance? ›

Limitations are conditions or procedures covered under a policy but at a benefit level lower than the norm. Exclusions, on the other hand, are conditions or procedures that are completely omitted from coverage. Your health insurance policy should list all limitations and exclusions.

What are exclusions of rider insurance? ›

An exclusion rider generally states that benefits are not payable for disability resulting from or related to a specified medical condition (e.g., asthma), from a disease or disorder of an area or part of the body (e.g., the cervical spine), or injury sustained while participating in a specific activity (e.g., rock ...

What are limitations in an insurance policy? ›

A limit is the highest amount your insurer will pay for a claim that your insurance policy covers. Think of it this way: It's like filling up a fishbowl. If you file a covered claim, your insurance policy will pay up to a certain amount. You're responsible for any expenses that exceed the limit.

What is an example of an exclusion on an insurance policy? ›

“Open peril” events are typically excluded from coverage. Examples of these include: Earth movements (e.g., landslides, earthquakes) Water damage from external sources.

What is exclusion limitation? ›

Exclusion and Limitation Clauses. As their name suggests, exclusion clauses seek to exclude specific types of liability from the contract. Limitation clauses seek to impose limitations and caps on liability, either for specific types of losses or as an overall cap on liability.

What is exclusion from limitation? ›

Section 14 of the Limitation Act, 1963 provides that the time during which an applicant/plaintiff prosecutes a case in a court without jurisdiction shall be excluded from the computation of limitation provided the same is done with bonafide intention.

Is a rider a benefit limitation? ›

A rider is an insurance policy provision that adds benefits to or amends the terms of a basic insurance policy. Riders provide insured parties with additional coverage options, or they may even restrict or limit coverage.

What is an example of a rider on insurance? ›

Insurance riders typically cover, at an additional cost, an item that might not be already covered on your policy or is inadequately covered. This could include such items as an engagement ring, bicycle, or expensive piece of artwork.

What are two examples of what could be included in a policy rider? ›

Riders are most often associated with permanent life insurance policies. The most common include guaranteed insurability, accidental death, waiver of premium, family income benefit, accelerated death benefit, child term, long-term care, and return of premium riders.

What is the reason for insurance limitations on coverage amounts? ›

In order to keep costs reasonable, your insurance company will set insurance limits of liability. The coverage limit by definition is the maximum amount that the insurance company will pay out for a single incident or claim.

What is an example of coverage limit? ›

The maximum amount an insurance company will pay for claims resulting from a single incident. If your auto insurance policy has a $500,000 per occurrence limit for your property damage liability, then you will have up to $500,000 in coverage for each accident you're involved in.

What type of injury would be excluded under a health insurance policy? ›

Injuries and sicknesses resulting from war are excluded. Any injury that is self-inflicted is excluded. Work related disabilities may be excluded and receipt of workers compensation benefits may render an insured ineligible for benefits under a typical disability income insurance policy.

What is a list of exclusions? ›

The Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) provides information to the health care industry, patients and the public regarding individuals and entities currently excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and all other Federal health care programs.

What are the two categories of exclusions? ›

Judicial review in Federal court is also available after a final decision by the DAB.” The LEIE contains two different types of exclusions: 1) mandatory exclusions and 2) permissive exclusions. These categories distinguish the acts that determine the exclusion action.

Where are exclusions found in an insurance policy? ›

While most exclusions can be found after the main coverage sections in your policy (named perils, personal property, personal liability, additional coverage, and medical payments to others), you'll also notice exclusions in the definitions, conditions, and endorsements sections.

What does "excluded" mean on insurance? ›

An excluded driver is a person in your household who has been explicitly excluded from coverage under your car insurance policy. Their name will show as "excluded" on your policy, and they won't be insured to drive any vehicles on your policy.

What does some exclusions apply mean? ›

The department store that advertises a big sale often states at the bottom of the ad that "some exclusions apply," meaning the discounts don't apply to all items. Definitions of exclusion. a deliberate act of omission. synonyms: elision, exception.

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