With 2024 almost upon us: it’s time for everyone to start thinking about health insurance. No? Just us? Well, you better join the club because these changes are about to hit your policy in the new year.
There are three main changes that will affect your Dutch health insurance in 2024. Let’s walk through them and tell you what you can do with this knowledge.
Dutch health insurance premiums will go up
First, the elephant in the room: health insurance is about to get more expensive. Just how much more expensive? On average, your Dutch health insurance will cost you €12 more per month.
Before you scream “WHY?!” into the void, we’ll give you three reasons.
First, if we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that if anyone needs a pay raise, it’s healthcare workers.
For this reason, more money is needed, hence higher monthly premiums. Listen, at least we can say it’s a worthy cause.
Second, there are more and more chronically ill and elderly people in the Netherlands. A higher number of people in this group means more money is needed. The result? We need to cough it up through our premiums.
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Third, the Netherlands needs more healthcare facilities in general, which, of course, require funding. This makes sense when we consider the last point: more sick people means more space and resources are needed.
Remember that these three factors affect everyone differently; on average, premiums are expected to rise by €12. So make sure to check your health insurance’s monthly premiums specifically!
TIP: The updated premiums for each health insurer will be released by November 12.
The Dutch healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag) will go down
Oh yeah, and at the same time that our premiums are going up, our allowances are going down! That makes sense, right? *Eye twitch*
For those who don’t know, you can receive a healthcare allowance, called zorgtoeslag, in the Netherlands.
The truth is that this was bound to happen eventually. The zorgtoeslag was actually increased temporarily in 2023 to help us out following the chaotic past few years. However, that help expires in 2024.
As a result, the zorgtoeslag will drop back down next year.
And because nothing tax-related is ever easy, the allowance is different for everyone. Your allowance is calculated based on several factors, such as your income and how many people are in your household.
READ MORE | All you need to know about healthcare allowance in the Netherlands [2023]
This means that the amount of zorgtoeslag you may lose in 2024 is specific to your individual circumstances. You should be able to check your allowance on the mijntoeslagen website.
Note: You must fit certain criteria to apply for a Dutch health insurance allowance. You can read more about these conditions on the Dutch government website.
Your basic insurance package will change
Basic insurance can sometimes be slightly hard to understand because while some services must be included in every package, specific insurers might have some extras in their packages.
However, what is certain is that some services will be added to basic insurance packages in 2024.
In 2024, all insurers will add the following to their basic packages:
- Exercise therapy for fall prevention.
- Extended recovery care for long Covid until 2025.
- Maternity care reimbursement will start covering six weeks of maternity care rather than the previous 10 days.
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Finally, remember that within the basic insurance plan, you can choose between four reimbursement plans: reimbursement (freely choose any care), combination or in-kind policy (choose from many options of care), and in-kind insurance (limited choice of care).
It can get confusing, so it’s a good idea to compare health insurance policies and find what’s best for you.
TIP: On November 13, we will know the contents of supplementary insurance policies (beyond basic insurance). Save the date!
With these upcoming changes in mind, you can make the decisions about your health insurance that will benefit you the most.
If you’re unhappy with any changes coming your way in 2024, you may want to change your Dutch health insurance policy.
To do these things, there are four dates you should keep in mind:
❗November 12 2023: This is the last day that health insurers can announce their new policies, so you should have all the information by this date.
❗November 13 2023: You can start comparing your health insurance policies.
❗December 31 2023: This is the last day that you can cancel your old insurance plan.
❗January 31 2024: This is the last day you can take out your new insurance.
Health insurance can get confusing, but these are the main things to remember. Now, bring on 2024. We’re ready for you!
Did we miss any important health insurance updates? Tell us in the comments!
“…if anyone needs a pay raise, it’s healthcare workers….”, which doesn´t necessarily mean that me as a customer need to pay that (probably not as high as needed anyway) pay rise, right? Will the health insurer companies cover some part of those (presumed) pay rises themselves?