Rotterdam council wants to offer all the city’s inhabitants a health insurance policy with an excess charge of just €50, the Volkskrant reports on Friday.

The rest of the charge, which currently stands at €385, will be included in the monthly premium but thanks to a collective discount the policy would still benefit those who expect to incur high health costs, the paper said.

Rotterdam has offered its own policy to low income households since 2013 and it currently has some 55,000 clients. Amsterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven have similar schemes in place and the policies are mainly advantageous for the chronically ill and the disabled, the paper writes.

Rotterdam will now be talking to insurers about a policy for all Rotterdammers to become operational from January 1, 2019.

‘We know that this type of insurance is a big success and highly appreciated,’ Rotterdam alderman Hugo de Jonge told the paper. ‘But recently health care costs have been mounting for those who have incomes slightly above the norm. They are not eligible for extra help.’

The policy premium is currently €160, with a €10 discount for those on benefits and covers added dental care as well.  ‘It’s an insurance that no one could cobble together on their own,’ a council spokesman told the paper.

However, the policy works out more expensive for people who are not expecting to use medical services to any great extent, the Volkskrant said.