Everyone who falls under the Dutch health-insurance obligation must take out the statutory basic insurance, but the policies are not identical in practice. The government determines the basic package; insurers differ in premium, provider contracts, service, voluntary deductible options and supplementary cover.
What you are actually choosing
- Basisverzekering: the statutory basic package. Insurers must accept you for this insurance regardless of age or health.
- Policy/provider network: check whether your preferred hospital, clinic, mental-health provider or other provider is contracted and what happens if it is not.
- Voluntary eigen risico: adults may voluntarily add €100, €200, €300, €400 or €500 on top of the compulsory €385 deductible in 2026. This can reduce the premium but can bring the total deductible exposure to €885.
- Aanvullende verzekering: optional cover for items outside or beyond the basic package. Insurers are not legally required to accept you for supplementary cover.
2026 cost anchors
Rijksoverheid reports an average 2026 basic-insurance premium of €1,884 per year, or €157 per month. The compulsory adult eigen risico remains €385. These are useful anchors, not quotes for an individual policy.
Do not compare on premium alone
A cheap policy can be poor value if the care you expect to use is outside its contracted network. Before choosing, check: provider contracts, reimbursement for non-contracted care, whether your current providers are contracted for the coming year, customer service, payment arrangements for the deductible, and supplementary cover you genuinely expect to use.
Basic versus supplementary cover
The basic package is set by government and includes core care such as GP care, hospital care, psychiatry and pharmacy care subject to the statutory rules. Ordinary adult dental care, routine glasses/contact lenses and many forms of physiotherapy are examples of areas that may be partly or wholly outside the standard basic package depending on the situation. Supplementary insurance can cover additional items, but it is not automatically good value: compare the annual premium with the realistic maximum reimbursement.
Acceptance rights
For the basisverzekering, insurers have an acceptance obligation: they cannot reject you or charge a higher basic premium because you are older or ill. For supplementary insurance, the insurer can set its own acceptance rules and may in some cases impose conditions or waiting periods.
Useful questions before choosing
- Is my preferred hospital or clinic contracted?
- What percentage is reimbursed if I use a non-contracted provider?
- Do I expect enough dental/physiotherapy/other supplementary care to justify the extra premium?
- Could I comfortably pay €885 if I choose the maximum voluntary deductible and then need expensive care?
- Am I entitled to zorgtoeslag?
- Does the policy offer payment in instalments for the eigen risico?