HEALTH INSURANCE IN NETHERLANDS | BASIC PACKAGE
HEALTH INSURANCE IN NETHERLANDS | BASIC PACKAGE
Access to medical care is a fundamental right for everyone who lives in the Netherlands. Therefore, everyone who lives in the Netherlands is obliged to have a basic health insurance (zorgverzekering). This insurance will compensate a big share of your care costs.
Health insurances consist of two parts, the basic insurance (basisverzekering) and optional extra insurance packages (aanvullende zorgverzekering).
Basic insurance (basispakket)
⇒ Covers the basic costs for the family doctor (huisarts), the hospital and most medicines. The dentist is not covered!
⇒ Good basic care package available for all people
⇒ Obliged for everyone
⇒ Check in advance which costs are covered to prevent unpleasant financial surprises.
Extra insurance packages (aanvullende zorgverzekering)
⇒ Covers extra optional care services like therapies, care for chronic illness and dental care
⇒ Each package is different, you can choose which extras you want
⇒ You pay the monthly costs on top of the basic insurance costs
⇒ Optional, not obliged
⇒ Find more information about extra insurance packages here
Costs and Own Risk
You pay on a monthly basis for the health insurance (these costs depend on the insurance package you chose). Apart from that, you have to pay the first part of your care costs each year. Adults pay the first €385,- of special care costs. This is called ‘own risk’ (eigen risico). The basic care, for example the family doctor, is excluded from ‘own risk’: these costs are completely covered by your insurance. Special care costs are compensated by your insurance after you payed your yearly ‘own risk’.
⇒ More information about the own risk
Attention: Most insurance companies offer to pay these costs divided over the months.
How do I choose or change my health insurance?
Most of the time your VWN coach helps you pick the first health insurance. You can change your health insurance only once a year. You can change your insurance in order to get more, less or other care covered, or because another company is cheaper. Every year around October and November you will get your new health insurance offer from your insurance company. This letter tells you how much your insurance will cost the next year. The possibility to change your insurance applies from the moment you get this offer until 31 January the next year.
Do you want to change your package within the same company?
⇒ Contact your heart insurance company for more information.
⇒ Choose a combination that fits your health needs
If you want to go to another insurance company?
⇒ Look for another health insurance company and choose your package(s)
⇒ Contact the company to make a contract. Your new insurance company will end your old insurance contract
If you need help or information about various insurance companies and insurance packages:
⇒ Use Independer: online insurance comparison website (in Dutch)
⇒ Contact your contact person from VluchtelingenWerk for help
⇒ Visit the ‘zorgcafe’ in Gezellig to ask your questions about health care