What different health insurance policies are there?

Health insurance, do you check them every year? And do you know that there are four different coverages? It is not at all wrong to take another look at this, especially now that the period in which you can switch insurance is approaching.

The new healthcare season

The new health care season will be upon us soon. From November 12 to December 31 is the only period in the year when you may switch health insurer or health care policy. What many people do not know is that there are four different coverages: from basic coverage to optimal coverage (restitution policy). This is why it is important that you not only look at the premium, but also choose the coverage that suits you best.

What can you choose from?

Naturapolis: contracted care is reimbursed

Health insurers have contracts with selected health care providers and hospitals. If you have a naturapolis and are treated by a contracted healthcare provider, your healthcare costs will be fully covered.

This is slightly different if you go to a care provider or hospital without a contract. If your treatment is not urgent, most of the bill will be reimbursed (about 75-80%). But you don’t have to worry much about this: often there are many selected health care providers to choose from.

Emergency care is always fully reimbursed and you can go to any hospital in the Netherlands for this.

Good to know: GP care is also fully covered. No matter which policy you have, these costs are always covered by basic insurance.

Refund policy: free choice of care, optimal coverage

A reimbursement policy offers the most freedom and greatest coverage. This gives you a free choice of care. This means that your care, as long as it falls within market and reasonable rates, will be reimbursed as standard. In other words, no matter which hospital or health care provider treats you, you won’t have to pay any healthcare costs or co-payments.

A slightly higher premium.

Combination policy: a bit of both

The combination policy is a, yes, combination of the restitution policy and the in-kind policy. In practice, this means that in some cases you have to deal with contracted healthcare providers, and in other cases you don’t. If you know what kind of care you are going to need next year, it is therefore wise to take a closer look at the policy conditions before buying health insurance.

This shows what kind of care is fully covered and when you have to pay for it yourself. Your freedom of choice is therefore greater than with a naturopathic policy and somewhat less than with a restitution policy.

Budget policy: basic coverage for competitive premium

A budget policy is the most economical option. Just like with a naturapolis, you have to deal with contracted care providers – only the range is somewhat smaller. If you choose a contracted care provider, your costs will be fully reimbursed.

In case of a non-contracted care provider the bill is partly covered.

Be on time

If you want to change policies or health insurance company in 2021, be aware that you can only change policies from November 12, 2020 to January 31, 2021. If you switch by December 31, 2020, your old insurance is automatically cancelled by your current insurer. If you switch in January, you have to cancel your old health insurance yourself by December 31, 2020 at the latest.