Discount per voluntary excess Dutch Health Insurance Act in the Netherlands 2013-2019

This statistic shows the average premium discount per chosen voluntary excess under the Dutch Health Insurance Act (in Dutch: vrijwillig eigen risico) in the Netherlands from 2013 to 2019 (in euros per individual insurance). In 2019, if someone in the Netherlands chose a voluntary excess worth of 400 euros, the total premium discount would have been 172 euros. Approximately 8.9 percent of Dutch individuals with a standard compulsory health insurance had a voluntary excess worth of 500 euros in 2018.

In the Netherlands, every resident or employee is obliged to take a basic health insurance to cover medical costs from, for example, visits to a general practitioner or the hospital. The Dutch government decides on the cover provided by this package and health insurance companies are obliged to accept everyone who meets the requirements, regardless of age or state of health. It is compulsory, however, from the age of 18 to pay a total mandatory excess (in Dutch: verplicht eigen risico) before the basic insurance reimburses medical costs. This principle was introduced in the Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zvw) in 2008. This mandatory excess can be increased with an additional voluntary excess (in Dutch: vrijwillig eigen risico), in exchange for a lower premium.