Health Insurance in the Netherlands: A Comprehensive Guide to 2025
In the Netherlands, health insurance is required by law for everyone over the age of 18. This means that every adult must have basic health insurance. Children up to the age of 18 are automatically co-insured with their parents. This basic health insurance covers standard costs such as doctor visits, hospital admissions and medications. However, additional insurance is required for additional coverage such as physical therapy or dental care. Below is a detailed explanation of health insurance in the Netherlands and what to expect in 2025.
Basic Health Insurance
Basic health insurance is mandatory for all residents of the Netherlands, including those who work here and pay payroll tax. This obligation also applies to employees who work temporarily in the Netherlands, even if they already have insurance in their home country. However, there are exceptions, such as active-duty soldiers and mood objectors (people who do not want to take out insurance for reasons of faith or belief).
Every health insurer in the Netherlands has an acceptance obligation, which means that they are not allowed to refuse anyone for the basic insurance. The content of the basic insurance is determined annually by the government, and changes are announced on Prinsjesdag. This insurance covers essential medical care such as doctor visits, hospital care and medications.
Supplementary Health Insurances
Basic health insurance does not cover all medical costs. For extra coverage, you can take out additional insurances. These are not mandatory but can be useful for care such as physical therapy, alternative medicine, eyeglasses and lenses. Health insurers have the freedom to determine the content and conditions of these additional insurances themselves. This allows them to refuse people or charge higher premiums for additional risks.
A commonly used supplementary insurance is dental insurance, which covers dental treatments and check-ups. As with other supplementary insurances, you determine the coverage yourself and pay an additional premium for it.
The Deductible
Everyone with basic health insurance pays a mandatory deductible. This is the amount that you first have to pay yourself before the insurance covers health care costs. In 2025, the deductible was set at €385. You can also choose to increase this deductible voluntarily to a maximum of €885, in exchange for a lower monthly premium. This can be advantageous if you expect to incur few healthcare costs.
The Costs of Health Insurance
The costs for basic health insurance are similar for all providers, but differences may arise due to additional options such as free choice of care or discounts when paying annually. Supplementary insurances vary greatly in price, depending on coverage and conditions. In addition, you can get a discount on your premium via a collective discount, for example via your employer or an association.
Compare Health Insurances
Comparing health insurances is particularly popular in the months of November and December, when switching is possible. Your health care needs can change annually, which makes it important to review which insurance suits you best each year. You can do this yourself or use an online care comparator. Zekerheuts advisors are also ready to help you with this.
Help with taking out health insurance
Do you need help choosing the right health insurance? The advisors at Zekerheuts are happy to help you. Contact us for personal advice that meets your specific wishes and needs.
Different Types of Policies
There are different types of basic policies you can choose from:
- Refund policy: This offers the most freedom of choice and fully reimburses healthcare costs for both contracted and non-contracted healthcare providers. The premium for this policy is often higher.
- Naturapolis: Under this policy, healthcare costs are fully reimbursed by contracted healthcare providers and partly by non-contracted providers. This is the most popular basic insurance because of its favourable premium.
- Budget policy: This is a cheaper variant of the in-kind policy with a limited choice of healthcare providers. It's a popular option among students.
- Combination policy: This policy combines elements of the refund and in-kind policies, with both free choice of care and contracted care providers.
By comparing carefully and taking into account your personal situation, you can choose the health insurance that suits you best and you may save on your health care premium. The advisors at Zekerheuts are ready to help you with this. Get in touch today for expert advice.