Basic, mandatory health insurance in the Netherlands costed on average almost 1,800 euros per year per person in 2024, an increase of almost 100 euros compared to the previous year. This number only covers health insurance under the so-called Dutch Health Insurance Act (or Zvw), and excludes private, additional health insurance. Also note that this is an average, as premiums vary per person. Some people can receive a discount, for example by taking on a voluntary excess (in Dutch: vrijwillig eigen risico) on top of their already existing mandatory excess (or verplicht eigen risico) in exchange for a lower premium.
A survival of the fittest?
Health insurance in the Netherlands is a hybrid, of sorts. On the one hand, the Dutch government is responsible for the contents of the health insurance package. It is then, however, up to the 10 health insurance groups to offer this product via the free market. These insurance groups are obliged to accept all residents of the Netherlands, regardless of age or state of health. To add to the competitiveness within Dutch health insurance, clients can switch insurance provider at the end of every year. If consumers find a health insurance which, for example, is cheaper or provides a better service, they can end their current contract and choose a new company. For example, in 2023, 7.4 percent of the individuals cancelled their health insurance and switched to another company.
Curbing costs
The idea behind this system is two-fold. First, by means of the competitive free market, it is a way for the Dutch government to make healthcare as affordable as it can be. Whether this works is difficult to assess as national healthcare expenses in the Netherlands have grown at a faster rate in recent years, exceeding 100 billion euros since 2020. Second, the system is meant to make consumers more aware of how expensive healthcare is. This is where the aforementioned verplicht eigen risico or mandatory excess comes in. From the age of 18, it is compulsory to pay this set amount of money on healthcare during a year before the health insurance starts to reimburse.
Average nominal annual premium for basic insurance under Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) per person from 2007 to 2024
(in euros)
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Vektis. (April 23, 2024). Average nominal annual premium for basic insurance under Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) per person from 2007 to 2024 (in euros) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/581710/netherlands-average-nominal-annual-premium-basic-insurance-per-person-under-the-dutch-health-insurance-act-zvw/
Vektis. "Average nominal annual premium for basic insurance under Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) per person from 2007 to 2024 (in euros)." Chart. April 23, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/581710/netherlands-average-nominal-annual-premium-basic-insurance-per-person-under-the-dutch-health-insurance-act-zvw/
Vektis. (2024). Average nominal annual premium for basic insurance under Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) per person from 2007 to 2024 (in euros). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/581710/netherlands-average-nominal-annual-premium-basic-insurance-per-person-under-the-dutch-health-insurance-act-zvw/
Vektis. "Average Nominal Annual Premium for Basic Insurance under Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) per Person from 2007 to 2024 (in Euros)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/581710/netherlands-average-nominal-annual-premium-basic-insurance-per-person-under-the-dutch-health-insurance-act-zvw/
Vektis, Average nominal annual premium for basic insurance under Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) per person from 2007 to 2024 (in euros) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/581710/netherlands-average-nominal-annual-premium-basic-insurance-per-person-under-the-dutch-health-insurance-act-zvw/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Average nominal annual premium for basic insurance under Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) per person from 2007 to 2024 (in euros) [Graph], Vektis, April 23, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/581710/netherlands-average-nominal-annual-premium-basic-insurance-per-person-under-the-dutch-health-insurance-act-zvw/