Health insurance in the Netherlands | Types of insurances
Door: Redactie Zorgkiezer - Leestijd: 2 minutenEveryone who works or lives in the Netherlands is obligated to have a basic Dutch health insurance. You can extend the basic health insurance with an additional health insurance to cover more medical care.
Basic health insurance
The most important coverages of the basic health insurance are:
- General Practitioner
- Hospital care and stay
- Prescription medication
- Primary mental health care
- Pregnancy and birth care
- Emergency care abroad (according to Dutch rate)
- Medical care for children under the age of 18, including dental care and physiotherapy
Deductible excess
The deductible excess refers to the amount you have to pay before the insurance company reimburses the medical care you receive as part of the basic health insurance (the GP is excluded of excess and therefore always free).
The mandatory excess is determined at €385 until 2024. The deductible excess resets yearly on the first of January. The amount needs to be fully paid before the health insurance company starts to reimburse your medical care.
There is a possibility to receive a discount on your monthly premium by increasing the excess. This can be done by steps of €100 up to the maximum amount of €885. Increasing the excess also means that you are increasing financial risk. Therefore, it is not recommended to increase your excess when you regularly make use of medical care or medicine.
Hospitals
The healthcare coverage of the basic health insurance is identical for all health insurance companies. However, there is still a difference between the basic health insurances. This difference is related to the choice of hospitals and healthcare providers, with whom insurance companies have contracts. If your insurance company does not have a contract with your healthcare provider, not all costs will be reimbursed by your health insurance company.
While comparing on the website you can select whether you wish to have "ruime keuze" (extended choice) or "onbeperkte keuze" (unlimited choice) of the healthcare provider.
Additional insurance
An addition health insurance is an extension of basic health insurance that covers care which is not part of the basic health insurance.
In contrast to the basic health insurance, insurance companies do not have to accept all applicants who apply for an additional insurance. The insurance company can refuse your application or ask more information about your health to check if you meet the requirements for the additional package.
Examples of care that are part of the additional insurances are:
- Dentist
- Physical therapy
- Orthodontics (children and adults)
- Alternative Cures
- Contact lenses and glasses
Want to know everything about the healthcare system in the Netherlands? ZorgKiezer.nl makes it possible for you to find a health insurance in the Netherlands that meets the care you need at the best price.
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