Health insurance in the Netherlands operates as a mandatory social insurance system, where all residents are required to have basic coverage. The system is based on the principle of community-rated premiums, which means that everyone pays the same premium regardless of their age or health status.

The Dutch health insurance system is divided into two parts: basic insurance and supplementary insurance. Basic insurance covers a wide range of medical treatments, including doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription drugs. All residents are required to have basic insurance, and the cost of the coverage is shared between the individual and the government.

Supplementary insurance, also known as “aanvullende verzekering,” covers additional treatments and services not covered by basic insurance, such as dental care, physiotherapy, and alternative medicine. This insurance is optional and individuals can choose to purchase it to enhance their coverage.

Health insurance companies in the Netherlands are private and for-profit, but are regulated by the Dutch government to ensure they offer coverage to everyone who needs it. The government also regulates the cost of the premiums to ensure they remain affordable for everyone.

When you need medical treatment, you typically visit a doctor or hospital and present your health insurance card. The cost of the treatment will be covered by your insurance, and you may be responsible for paying a deductible or co-pay.

We wouldn’t recommend European Health Insurance if you stay longer than 2 months.

How can I apply for health insurance in the Netherlands?

To apply for health insurance in the Netherlands, you can follow these steps:

1. Determine if you are eligible for public health insurance, or if you need private health insurance.
2. Research and compare health insurance plans from different insurance companies.
3. Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget.
4. Submit your application and necessary documents, such as proof of residency and income, to the insurance company.
5. Wait for the insurance company to approve or reject your application.
6. Once approved, start paying your monthly premium.
7. Keep your insurance card with you and present it to healthcare providers when receiving medical treatment
8. Always look in December to see if you can get a better deal with another Health Insurance.

Compare Health Insurances in the Netherlands?

If you want to compare health insurances to fit what fit you best, there are several ways of doing this. We would recommend using the best comparing websites in the Netherlands to see which Health Insurance fits you best. The website will ask you for a short questionnaire to find out which one fits you best. The top 3 comparison website for Health Insurance in the Netherlands are:

1. Independer
2. Zorgkiezer
3. PriceWise

Change Health Insurance in the Netherlands

You can change your Health Insurance in the Netherlands from the beginning of December until January. You will see that Health Insurance companies in the Netherlands will start to aggressively advertise to make you convert and this is for good reason. At this moment you can go shopping for a good deal or negotiate a better deal with your current Health Insurance.
It’s almost always better to change from Health Insurance, because they have better deals than staying with your current health insurance.

Cost of Health insurance in the Netherlands

The cost of Health Insurance in the Netherlands is between 110 and 250 euro per month. Since most people are healthy when they arrive in the Netherlands, you don’t have to apply for a very expensive package. Again, we would highly recommend reading the terms and conditions carefully. For example, if you expect you need a physiotherapist because you already are walking around with an ankle injury for the last year, it can be possible that your Health Insurance doesn’t cover any treatments, only allows 6, 12, or 18 sessions or only covers treatment if you visit a physiotherapist were they partner with. The same example counts for medicines and alternative healing methods.

What is covered in the Netherlands?

As described above it highly depends on your Health Insurance in the Netherlands what they cover. Every Health Insurance covers at least visits to the GP (called: Huisarts in Dutch), most commonly used medicines and emergency services. If you want to read more about the Base package (set by the government), please read more here.

Paying Own Risk

Most common is to have an own risk of 385 euro attached to your health insurance. This means that in several cases your own risk has to be ‘emptied’ before the Health Insurance covers any expenses. You can choose to have your own risk between 0 and 885 euro. We would always recommend 385 euro own risk or 0,- euro when you can afford a more expensive health insurance that covers this.

Expat, Health Insurance and your employer (work)

In the Netherlands it is forbidden by law that your employer pays your Health Insurance. It can be the case that employers help you and pay this out together with your salary. It is your responsibility to take care of a Health Insurance. Taxes you are paying over your salary are not health insurance, but common insurance if you want to work anymore for medical or mental reasons. This common insurance also covers a salary loss for a short period.