Health Insurance Renewal in the Netherlands
November and December is Health Insurance renewal time. Do you groan at this statement or are you very experienced in sorting your Health Insurance each year? Personally, I often leave most of this to my husband to investigate because it is not something I am very interested in, but my husband doesn’t mind scrolling through comparison websites to get the best deal for each of us.
We both have different care needs from our Health Insurance, I need much more cover for things than he does, so this often means we are with different Healthcare providers. Sometimes that means for me that my last Healthcare provider is still the cheapest and best option for me, sometimes it means I need a new company because I want to up my cover for certain things one year.
Whether this is your first time renewing the policy or the fortieth time, below are some things to think about when you begin researching your choices for the next years Health Insurance.
Tips to think about when considering your options for new Health Insurance
Where can you compare prices? When I am looking to buy something, I often like having one website that I can fill in my details, and it gives me an overview of the costs. Check out the useful links section for a couple of comparison websites you could use to find your next Insurer.
Types of Basic Policies – There are at least 3 different types of basic health insurance policies you can choose from in the Netherlands. It is up to you how flexible or inflexible you require your policy to be.
- Naturapolis - This is where you are limited to using only the providers contracted by your Health Insurance company. The premiums are usually lower, but you are restricted to which providers you can use. So, for example, your nearest hospital may not be included.
- Restitutiepolis - You can choose your own providers in the area you live. However, you must pay for the care first and submit invoices to your Health Care provider. With this policy you generally have higher premiums but get to choose where you go.
- Combinatiepolis - This gives you a mix of both naturapolis and restitutiepolis. Some providers you can choose yourself and in other situations you must use the Health Insurance’s contracted providers to get full reimbursement. Again, the premiums tend to be higher than Naturapolis because you have more flexibility.
Do you want to increase your eigen Risico? You have the option to increase your Eigen Risico in steps of €100 from the standard €385 up to €885 to give you a lower monthly premium. My son has done this because he very rarely needs to use his health insurance. Me, I am the total opposite! I take this into account when I am thinking if I want to increase it or not. I sometimes increase it, but not to the full amount, and I do this because I am trying to bring down my monthly payments as my policy is otherwise expensive.
Do you need to consider having additional cover for the coming year? When it comes to renewal time, I often think about how my health has been over the last year. Was there anything that I did not include last year that I want to add in this year? For me it is usually extra dental cover, or physiotherapy sessions, but for you it may be something else.
Is having someone who you can speak in English or another language important to you? Finding a company that can communicate to you in your own language may be something you would like to have. I am not sure how many companies have people in customer service who speak other languages, but you can include it in your research. It maybe that they have a chat function which you can change into other languages.
Do you travel a lot outside the Netherlands? Would you be covered for any medical expenses, or do you need to take out additional insurance. Worth knowing if you travel a lot.
And finally, don't miss the deadline to change the policy, you have until 31st December 2025. New policies begin on 1st January 2026. If you do nothing, your current policy renews automatically.
I hope these tips help you with your decision making and make the process a little less stressful! If you have questions, feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.
Useful links
- Zorg en Zekerheid – Leiden International’s partner in Healthcare
- Still in doubt? Check out these comparison websites – Independer or Overstappen
- Eigen Risico varies according to the government, check out what it is and entails
- Uninsured Letter? What to do – if you do not have health insurance, you run the risk of being fined. Check out what to do if you receive a letter from CAK about being uninsured.
- Do you need to do a WIZ assessment? This could either be because your Health Insurer has requested it or you have received a letter from CAK. Check out how to.
Setting Up Health Insurance for the First Time?
If you’ve just arrived and need to set up health insurance, check out our webpage Health Insurance in the Netherlands for a clear overview.