Take out health insurance

Health insurance is compulsory in the Netherlands. This pays the costs of your medical care, for example visits to the GP or hospital. Even if you do not live in the Netherlands but work here and pay income tax, you have to take out Dutch health insurance.

The basic insurance covers standard care from, for example, the GP, hospital or pharmacy. Most care in the basic package is subject to a deductible. You often also have to pay co-payments.

What are deductibles?

You pay a deductible if you are 18 years or older and use care from the basic package. Except when it comes to care for which no excess applies, such as the GP. The government has set the compulsory excess at €385. You therefore pay the first €385 of healthcare costs covered by the excess yourself.

What is co-payment?

For some medical expenses from the basic package, you pay a personal contribution. For example, for maternity care and hearing aids. The government decides for which care the personal contribution applies and how high it is.

The difference between excess and co-payments

Co-payments and excess are different things. The compulsory excess applies to most care in the basic package. For some care, a co-payment is required. This can be a fixed amount or a percentage of the costs. For example, orthopaedic shoes, hearing aids and patient transport.