Health Insurance

Health Care Insurance Act
The goal of the Health Insurance Act is to provide a standard, essential insurance that covers curative care costs. The insured has to have a standard health care plan; the health insurance coverage can be extended by adding supplemental medical plans. The government determines which medical care is covered by the standard heath care plan and this plan is compulsory for inhabitants of the Netherlands. The health insurers are obliged to accept anyone who applies for standard health insurance. The standard insurance plan is compulsory in contrast to supplemental plans, which do not fall under compulsory acceptance. Those insured may switch health insurer once a year.

Costs
The premium consists of a nominal monthly fee for insured individuals. Besides that, employees pay an income-related contribution. Employers deduct this from your gross salary and pay this amount directly to the Tax office (Belastingdienst).

For the basic insurance, you pay a premium to the insurance company. This is known as the nominal premium. This nominal premium generally costs about € 1,400 per annum [year] per person. For children under the age of 18, the standard insurance (basisverzekering) is free of charge.

Compensation
Depending on your income and family situation, you may be eligible for compensation. This compensation is applicable if you live alone and your income is not higher than € 30.481 (2020) per year, or if you live with a partner and your total income is not higher than € 38.945 (2020)per year. You can find more information about this compensation (’zorgtoeslag’) on the Belastingdienst website (this information is only available in Dutch).

Coverage
What costs are included in the basic health care package [plan]?

• medical care, including general practitioner, hospital care and prescribed specialist care
• dental care (until the age of 18, as from age 18 only specialist dental care and dentures)
• medical aid
• reimbursement of certain medications
• post-natal mother and baby care, midwife services, ivf treatment
• ambulance costs and costs of transport
• rehabilitation care (limited physiotherapy/rehabilitation, speech therapy, occupational therapy and dietary advice).

If you do not live in the Netherlands
The Health Care Insurance Act applies for those working in the Netherlands who do not (yet) live in the Netherlands. If this is the case, you are required to take out a basic insurance policy, for which you have to pay the nominal premium and the income-related contribution. In addition, you may be entitled to a health care allowance.

Links
More information on the health care allowance can be found on the Belastingdienst website. For more information on the Health Care Insurance Act, please see: www.government.nl

We have tried to give you a brief summary of the ‘basisverzekering’. No rights can be obtained regarding the above information, since we are not insurance experts!

Healthcare for internationals (H4i) is a network of organisations that aim to close the gap between Dutch healthcare and the needs and expectations of patients with an international background. All the healthcare information available on their website is in English.

Discount via VGZ insurance

Are you working via Undutchables? We offer a 10% discount on the basic insurance via VGZ. Feel free to contact your Undutchables recruiter they can tell you more about it.