The system is meant to be straightforward, yet many people are overwhelmed by the different policies, prices and payments. It can be hard to know whether you are getting the best deal or simply wasting money.

Much of the confusion comes from the jargon. You need to choose a zorgverzekeraar (health insurer) and a basispolis (basic policy), decide whether you want a natura or combinatie policy, work out how much eigen risico (own risk) you can handle and how much keuzevrijheid (choice) you want.

Health insurance for expats

“These are all choices you need to make when deciding which health insurance company to go for,” says Janice Nurse, an appropriately named advisor at Glider Insurance, which specialises in helping expats.

Glider Insurance aims to cut through the jargon by offering its services in English, making the system easier to navigate for newcomers. “You need to take out health insurance within four months from the day you start working in the Netherlands, so it is really important to understand what you are doing,” Janice says.

One of the questions she hears most often concerns the eigen risico – the standard €385 deductible everyone must pay towards the cost of treatment.

Cutting out the eigen risico

“The concept of the eigen risico is very confusing,” Janice says. “It’s such an alien thing for many expats that we decided to offer a health insurance policy without the deductible.”

“The excess (eigen risico) of €385 is a deductible. So, in the Netherlands people have to pay for the first €385 of their treatment in a given year out of their own pocket before they will be reimbursed. With the policies we offer, the insurance company will pay for those expenses for you,” she says.

No invoices to pay

The policy Glider Insurance offers is an in-kind policy. This means a contracted hospital or clinic sends its invoice for your treatment directly to the insurance company, which then pays the bill. As long as the treatment is covered by the policy, all clients pay is the monthly fee: €166.80 next year, or €184.80 for the premium package, which includes dental care and physiotherapy.

It’s a simple idea, and one less thing for clients already grappling with the vagaries of the Dutch healthcare system to worry about.

Another common question concerns children. “New arrivals often tell me they are shocked by how expensive health insurance seems, but they don’t realise that children are insured for free,” Janice says. “Parents don’t pay any premium for their children until the age of 18, although they should register them with the health insurance company to make sure they are in the system.”

Freedom to choose your doctor

Freedom of choice about which doctors, hospitals and clinics you can visit is another area that often causes confusion. To receive maximum reimbursement it is important to choose or visit a contracted healthcare provider. If you go to a hospital with which the insurer has no contract, you could end up with an unexpected bill.

Glider Insurance, by contrast, covers care in every public hospital in the country. The company offers an in-kind policy, which means invoices are sent directly to the insurance company and clients do not have to deal with the bills themselves.

“If you go to a non-contracted care provider or clinic with whom the insurance company has no contract, then you will pay part of the invoice out of your own pocket,” Janice points out.

“After all, if as an expat you are having to deal with a health issue in a foreign country, it makes sense to keep your insurance as simple and easy to understand as possible.”

Find out more about Glider Insurance’s special packages for expats or check out their FAQs for more information.