In addition to a mandatory health insurance policy with which care that is in the basic package is reimbursed, we have a mandatory deductible of 385 euros per year in the Netherlands. That means that if you need treatment in the hospital, the first 385 euros are for your own account.
Fewer and fewer GPs want their own practice: these three young doctors do dare
This deductible has been a point of discussion in Politiek The Hague for years because it can lead to care avoidance: some Dutch people have a lot of trouble paying the bill and therefore postpone a visit to the doctor or do not go at all.
Keeps care demand in control
On the other hand, the deductible is a threshold that ensures that the Dutch do not run to the doctor with every pain. In this way it keeps the demand for the demand for the demand somewhat under control.
Under the leadership of the PVV, the current cabinet has decided to halve that deductible from January 2027 to 165 euros per year.
However, this has major consequences for the health insurance premium: the Council of State expects that the premium will increase by 200 euros per year when the deductible falls to 165 euros. The Council of State also wrote in a report in June that the pressure on care only increases if the deductible is halved, since people make use of care faster without considering whether it is necessary.
Plans depending on election results
Now that the cabinet has fallen and the elections are coming, the question is whether that halving will continue. It will largely depend on the results of the elections.
For example, PVV, GroenLinks-PvdA and SP write in their programs that they, step by step, want to get rid of the deductible. CDA, VVD and JA21 want to reverse the reduction. D66 writes that they want to at least halve the deductible for the chronically ill and people with disabilities.
Number of care avoiders unabated high: ‘We no longer live in the Middle Ages’
The Independer study, which was conducted by Q&A, shows that two thirds of the Dutch are not waiting for a reduction in the deductible and the associated higher health insurance premium.
“The whole idea behind the reduction of the deductible was originally to help vulnerable groups such as people with a low income,” says Bas Knopperts, expert health insurance policies at Independer. “But people with low incomes already receive care allowance for this. A vulnerable group that can get into trouble are the disabled people. They now receive an annual allowance of 220 euros and that is being deleted if the deductible goes to 165 euros.”
Premium increased by almost 60 euros
Calculations from Independer show that the health insurance premium increased by 59 euros per month in the past decade. In 2015 you paid an average of 99 euros per month for the basic insurance. This year that is on average 158 euros per month.
How many more healthcare costs can healthy Dutch people still yield? ‘Idea of solidarity is being carried out very far’
“Suppose the plans continue, then it may be that the premium goes to 200 euros per month from 2027. That is a doubling compared to 2015. I think it is difficult to sell that to the average Dutch person. A possible solution is to investigate other ways to assist vulnerable groups such as being able to pay for the care they need,” says Knitting Maps.
Especially young people against reduction
Independer research shows that especially young people (71 percent) see nothing in the reduction of the deductible. The plan is more popular among people over 60: but 59 percent are still against abolishing the deductible, the comparison site reports.