Health insurance

Every person who lives or works in the Netherlands is legally obliged to take out standard health insurance to cover the cost of, for example, consulting a general practitioner, hospital treatment and prescription medication. You may also opt to take out additional insurance to cover costs not included in the standard package.

Standard package

The government decides on the cover provided by the standard package. All insurers offer the same standard package.

The health insurance system in the Netherlands is based on the principle of social solidarity. Together, we all pay the overall cost of health care. Everyone contributes, for example, to the cost of maternity care and geriatric care.

Additional insurance

Not all health care is covered by the standard package. You can opt to take out additional insurance to cover, for example, physiotherapy or dental care. Additional insurance is not obligatory and you are not obliged to take out the standard package and additional insurance with the same insurance company.

Standard health insurance premium

You pay a fixed, nominal premium to your insurance company for the standard health insurance package. The average monthly amount is 80 to 120 euros per person. There is also a own risk excess of €385,- (in 2019). This is a contribution you have to pay yourself in case of an insurance claim. In other words, you will pay the first €385 of the costs of the healthcare you receive in 2019. You can also choose to add a voluntary own risk excess to your mandatory excess. If you decide to do this, the premium of the basic healthcare insurance reduces. You can raise –your voluntary own risk in steps of € 100,- to a maximum of € 885,-.

Children under 18 insured free of charge

Children under the age of 18 must have health insurance but do not pay premiums for the standard package. Parents must register their child with an insurance company within four months of its birth.