Newsletter Health Insurance 2022

Option to change your policy before January 1

If you have a mandatory Dutch health insurance (‘Basisverzekering’) then you have the option to change your health insurance policy and/or provider once every year. This newsletter will help you in deciding whether to make a change or not. It covers the following subjects:

How to get the best deal?

As the information will show, this depends on your personal situation and that of your family members. From now on (Nov 12th) until the end of the year, you have the option to look for a better deal. You may switch for instance to another insurance provider or make changes to your current policy. If you decide to change, cancel your current policy no later than December 31st!

After cancelling your policy, you have until February 1st 2022 to take out another health insurance policy, that will apply retroactively from January 1st.

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2022: What will change

Premiums show ??% increase

All insurance providers have announced their new premiums for 2022. Premiums  increase in average by ?? € per month, with a few policies showing an increase of ??€ or more.

If you are entitled to receive a healthcare benefit, you may expect a maximum increase of 4 € (individuals) to 9 € (families) per month to offset this premium increase.

Check all 2022 premiums here.

Mandatory excess unchanged

The mandatory deductable (excess or ‘eigen risico’) for 2021 will not change and remains at € 385.
The maximum personal contribution for medication will remanin unchanged at 250 €.

Changes to coverage of the Basic Health insurance

Changes known at this moment are (check with your insurance provider for details):

  • Coverage of recovery care after corona, in case of severe complaints is extended to at least August 1st 2022. Coverage includes physical therapy, occupational therapy and support by a dietician,
  • From 2022 mental health care will work with another billing model, that will reflect the actual care provided. There is a disadvantage, however. If treatment exceeds the calendar year limit, the deductible of both years is used.

To change or not to change?

This depends very much on what you would like to achieve: lower cost, better service, better coverage.

If you are not satisfied about the level of service you get, such as ease of getting in contact, handling of claims, you may consider Changing your health insurance provider.

If however, you are satisfied about the level of service of your current insurance provider, you may want to first look at making Changes to your current basic health insurance policy.

Changing coverage: All basic health insurance policies by law cover the same medical services, treatments, diagnostics and medication. Changing this package is not an option. Read more about coverage of the basic health insurance.

It is possible to take out supplementary insurance that will cover medical costs that are not covered by the basic health insurance, such as cost for dental or physical therapy.

If you consider taking out supplementary insurance then you are advised to first check what insurance provider offers the supplementary package that fits your requirements the best. Then also take out your basic health insurance from this provider. Also read the article: What supplementary insurance do you really need?

If you decide to make changes do so at December 31st at the very latest. If you cancel your insurance by this date, you have until February 1st to sign up with another health insurance provider. If you sign up with a new provider no later than December 31st, this provider will in many cases take care of the cancellation of your current policy.

Changing your current basic health insurance policy

Changes you may consider to reduce cost or have more possibilities of choice:

  • Cost: Opt for a yearly instead of monthly payment: if you have the about € 1.500 it will cost available, you’ll save about 2% in premium. This is a return you likely won’t have at your savings account.

If these steps don’t satisfy you, you may consider changing your health insurance provider.

Changing your health insurance provider

Now that all providers have announced their premiums for 2022 it may well be attractive to switch provider to reduce your cost, to get better service or better coverage

What should you take into consideration when looking for a health insurance provider:

  • Cost: Does your employer offer a corporate health insurance? You probably have done so before, but if not check it out. Even though the discount on the basic health insurance premium for ‘corporate deals’ will be maximized to 5% in 2022, a corporate package may offer other benefits.

Beware before you change: by law your new provider will have to accept you for the basic health insurance, but not necessarily for your desired supplementary packages. Your application may be subject to Medical Acceptance and a Waiting Period may apply. For instance if you opt for supplementary dental insurance, there may be a waiting period of a year before you can claim any dental costs.

Is it wise to increase your level of excess?

If you have been living for some time in the Netherlands, you should be able to check how much healthcare providers have charged you (or in most cases your insurance provider directly). Your insurance provider should be able to provide you with the total of claims made under your policy.

It should also be indicated what costs were subject to excess. These were costs you have ended up paying yourself up to the maximum of your excess level. Read more about excess and an example how this works in practice.

If you expect that the level of claims for 2022 will not be (much) higher than the level of your current excess, it may be attractive to opt for a higher level of excess.

Example

  • if your current level of excess is 385 € and
  • the total claims subject to excess in 2021 were 450 €
  • you’ll save € 175 (= 240 € – € 65) in 2022 if you opt for the maximum level of excess (€ 385 + € 500 voluntary excess = € 885): You’ll save 240 € in premium (assumption) but will have to pay the extra costs not covered (450 € – € 385 = € 65)

Beware however: You cannot predict for sure what may happen to you. If you incur considerable higher costs of healthcare, you should be able to pay the additional charges of € 500, being the difference between the maximum excess (€ 885) and the mandatory excess (€ 385).

If other family members (over 18 years in age) are also insured on your policy your ‘risk’ increases as they all may have more healthcare costs than predicted. You can also opt for a lower level of voluntary excess in steps from 100 € to 500 €. Read more about the total costs of healthcare and insurance you and your family may incur.

What supplementary insurance do you really need?

Do you need the cover? If you have supplementary insurance, you may ask yourself if you need to be covered for all situations included in the package. For instance, you may be interested in coverage for physiotherapy, but the package you have may also cover contraceptives, glasses and alternative treatment, in which you are not particularly interested. Check if your insurance provider has a package that just covers your needs.

Will it save cost? You may also check if the premium you pay for the supplementary package is likely to save you costs. For instance a typical insurance for dental care will cost you 240 € per year and covers up to 500 € in cost. If you have strong teeth and just have 1 or 2 checks per year and maybe a simple filling, the charges you will incur are most likely less than your premium. At the same time, if you really face some serious dental work, 500 € won’t get you far.

Beware if you have children under 18 that may need orthodontics. To have this  covered often requires one of the parents to have a supplementary dental package.

As supplementary insurance is voluntary, only those persons that expect to have larger claims take out these packages. This forces insurance providers to increase premiums or reduce coverage of these packages.

Read more about options for supplementary insurance.

Other options to reduce your costs

The cost you incur for healthcare is made up of different charges and contributions. Next to premiums, personal contributions and the deductibles (‘eigen risico’) there are the costs you incur for those health care services, medication or medical aids your insurance does not cover.

Is Basic Health insurance mandatory?

If you have a job in the Netherlands, then the answer is yes, though there are a few .

International students that don’t have a job are not eligible and need to take out private insurance.

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Het bericht Newsletter Health Insurance 2022 verscheen eerst op Healthcare for Internationals.

This content was originally published here.

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