You need to have health insurance if you have an asylum residence permit
Have you been granted an asylum residence permit? Then you need to get health insurance as soon as you have your own home. On this page you can read more about getting health insurance.
You are required to have basic insurance
Everyone living in the Netherlands is required to have basic health insurance. You are then insured for basic care, e.g. the GP, the hospital, psychological care and the pharmacy. Every month you pay a fixed amount to be able to use basic care. This is called the premium. Every year you can choose a different health insurance before January.
You can choose whether you also want supplementary health insurance
In addition to basic insurance, you can also purchase supplementary insurance. This costs more money per month. Supplementary insurance pays extra expenses that the basic insurance does not cover.
For example, dental insurance, insurance for when you need glasses or lenses, or physical therapy. The supplementary insurance is not mandatory. Every year you can choose a supplementary health insurance before January.
You can choose the amount of your excess
In addition to basic insurance, you also pay your own money for the healthcare expenses you incur. This is called the "eigen risico" (deductible). You pay the first €385 of your healthcare costs yourself. After that, your health insurance pays the costs. For the basic insurance, every adult has an obligatory deductible of € 385. For some types of care the deductible does not apply, such as the general practitioner or the midwife. You do not have to pay an amount yourself for these.
Suppose you go to your GP and they prescribe medication for you. You do not have to pay for the conversation with - or treatment by - your GP. This is paid for by your premium. But you do pay all or part of the medication yourself, because it is part of your deductible. Suppose you get medicines for the whole year that cost a total of € 500. Then you pay € 385 yourself. The health insurance will pay the rest.
Additional options for your deductible
Most health insurance companies give you the option of paying the mandatory deductible in advance each month. You then pay an additional amount for your deductible each month in addition to your premium. Did you opt for this, but did not use up all the money? Then the health insurance will pay you back.
You can also opt for a higher deductible. Then you often pay a lower premium, but have to pay for more healthcare yourself. This is useful if you need little care and have plenty of savings to pay for healthcare yourself.