How does the Dutch health insurance work?

 

The basic health insurance is statutory insurance and reimburses the costs for basic healthcare, such as general practitioner, pharmacy, and hospital stays. The government determines which reimbursements form part of the basic health insurance and sets up the own excess which is standard €385,- a year (2020). This is a contribution you have to pay yourself in case of an insurance claim. Seeing your general practitioner are excluded from your own excess and therefore always paid by the insurer. You can choose to add a voluntary own excess to your mandatory excess if you are not expecting any medical care in the upcoming year. This will reduce your insurance premium.

 

Dutch health Insurances for children

 

Children under the age of 18 do not have their own excess and there is no extra premium to insure them on your health insurance. This we like!

 

The types of basic health insurances

 

There are two types of basic health insurance: in-kind policies and refund policies (‘natura’ and ‘restitutie’ in Dutch). With an in-kind policy, you are opting to go to care providers with whom insurers have agreements on price and quality. If you go to a non-contracted care provider, it is possible you do not get the entire bill reimbursed. With a refund policy, you have freedom of healthcare choice. You are entitled to a higher reimbursement for healthcare from care providers who do not have a contract with insurers. That means you can go to any care provider you want. The refund policy has a slightly higher premium.

 

Additional health care in the Netherlands

 

Not all healthcare is covered by basic insurance. It is optional to take out additional insurance coverage for the dentist, vaccinations, physiotherapy, alternative cures, eyeglasses, and contact lenses. In contrast to the basic health insurance, insurers can refuse to accept you, or can ask about your health before accepting you for the additional insurance.

 

Switching between providers?

 

Once a year everybody is able to change between health insurance providers. This is possible between mid-November and the end of December.

Let us advise you on the best health insurance

 

The differences between health insurance premiums can be quite substantial. We are certified to advise you and your family to select health insurance that meets your requirements and needs. We work with multiple health insurers and search and compare a wide range of policies, to find the best expat health insurance for you. For more information send us a message through our contact form. Wishing you the best health!

 

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What are the mandatory house insurances in the Netherlands?

When you want to live in the Netherlands as an expat, there are several things to take into consideration. By now, you’ve probably already gathered quite a lot of information about living in the Netherlands as an expat. But one of the most daunting tasks seems to involve insurances, if you’ve decided to buy a house in the Netherlands. The hardest thing about getting insured is actually to find out which house insurances you need. But don’t sweat it, we’ve got you.

 

Residential premises insurance/house insurance

 

A residential premises insurance or house insurance is in most cases mandatory to have when you have a mortgage on the purchased property. A residential premises insurance typically covers damage caused by fire, lightning, storm, burglary, vandalism, water, and various other factors. The maximum coverage is the rebuilding value of your property. Keep in mind that a residential premises insurance doesn’t cover the contents in your house. You’ll need a separate insurance for your household goods. In general, when buying an apartment or a house, your homeowners association should provide this type of insurance. Otherwise, you can arrange this insurance on your own, possibly with some assistance of an insurer.

 

Optional: contents insurance

 

On top of the residential premises insurance as stated above, there are a couple of optional insurances. As the name suggests, these types of insurances are not mandatory when buying a house in the Netherlands. A contents insurance is one of those optional insurances. This type of insurance covers damages to your household goods caused by burglary, explosion, fire, storms or water. A contents insurance typically covers damage or loss relating to furniture, personal possessions, valuables and electronics. An outside your house coverage can be added into your home content insurance as well, for your belongings which you are taking outside as well. Are you renting an apartment? In cases you also rent the furniture provided by your landlord. In this case there will be possibilities to cover the rented furniture as well as your own belongings.

 

Optional: liability insurance

 

Another insurance to consider in the Netherlands is a liability insurance. This type of insurance will provide cover in the event of any accident or injuries to third parties. For example, while cycling outside with your bicycle, you hit a person or scratch a car by accident. This type of insurance is usually part of a combination package. As a result, around 85% ~ 90% percent of all the Dutch families have this insurance.

 

Optional: legal aid insurance

 

Finally, it is wise to consider legal aid insurance when you are moving to the Netherlands and buy your house or rent out your house. Legal aid insurance will give you assistance for legal disputes. For example, a dispute with your landlord or with any of your neighbours. You can choose which type of situations to insure yourself against, such as employment disputes, family issues, road accidents or income/tax related disputes.

We are happy to provide you with more

information or advice about mortgages and insurances

 

If you have any questions about mortgages in the Netherlands, types of mortages or need advice on what expat insurance fits best in your situation, we are happy to provide you with valuable information.

 

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