The Dutch healthcare system might work a little different than in your country of origin. We’ve got you covered! Here’s everything you need to know about healthcare in the Netherlands.
Health insurance in the Netherlands
Health insurance in the Netherlands is mandatory for all people living or working in the Netherlands for more than four months. The health insurance providers in the Netherlands belong to the private sector, meaning that you can choose your insurer freely. However, that also entails that the packages and deals differ from insurer to insurer. Primary medical needs are covered in the basic insurance, which all providers need to cover. However, special needs like physiotherapy, dental care or glasses are usually covered in additional modules. To compare different health insurance providers in the Netherlands, use websites like Zorgkiezer, Independer or Zorgwijzer.
In our extended guide about health insurance in the Netherlands, you will find a list of insurance companies which provide an English website and much more information on Dutch health insurance.
Registration with a GP
To use the services of a general practitioner, you must register with their medical office first. It makes sense to register with a doctor as soon as you settle in the Netherlands or at least before you get ill. Usually, they set up an intake appointment to discuss your medical history. To find a GP in your area, type in your city or postal code on kiesuwhuisarts.nl and choose a suitable one. Some medical offices are no longer accepting new patients. If that is the case, you may have to go to a GP further away.
Good to know: A GP visit is always covered by your Dutch health insurance and doesn’t count for your mandatory excess (more about that in our blog on Dutch health insurance). If you need a medical specialist, you usually see your GP first. They then refer you to the appropriate specialist at a hospital or special clinic.
Visit a Specialist in a hospital
You may need to see a specialist if the general practitioner can’t help you further. To see a specialist, you need a referral from your GP. Usually, you’ll receive a letter and need to make the appointment yourself. Specialists are often located at the hospital. You’ll also need to register at the hospital during your first visit, providing your address, insurer, and general practitioner’s name. Afterwards, you’ll receive a patient ID, which you must bring for all subsequent hospital visits.
Where do I collect my medicines?
In the Netherlands, you subscribe to one pharmacy, which from then on is responsible for handling all your medicines. Like this, they make sure your prescripted medications don’t conflict. Of course, you can change the pharmacy when you change the address. What’s also quite handy is that your GP or specialist usually sends the prescriptions directly to the pharmacy so that the medication is already in place when you get there. Alternatively, the doctor will give you the prescription, which you can redeem directly at your pharmacy.
There are two types of prescriptions: a one-time recipe and repeat recipes (herhaalrecept). You can pick up the medicine on the prescription once with a one-time recipe. With a repeat prescription, you can pick up the medication multiple times once you run out of the treatment, that is usually the case with birth control or other medicine you need to take over a more extended period.
Collect medicines at the weekend: Pharmacies usually stick to business hours. However, there are service pharmacies (dienstapotheek), so you can get your outside normal opening hours in case of emergency. Usually, they are located in a hospital or emergency unit. To find a service pharmacy in your neighbourhood, google ‘dienstapotheek’ on Google maps. Please be aware that you then pay a surcharge for collecting your medicine at the weekend.
Do I have to pay when I visit a doctor or collect my medicine?
Usually, you don’t have to pay directly when collecting medicine at the pharmacy, as this is settled via your health insurance. However, not all treatments are covered by insurance; some require a personal contribution, which you must pay when ordering at your pharmacy. On medicijnkosten.nl you can check if and how much you have to pay for your medication.
You may have to pay something afterwards, for example, because you have not yet reached the mandatory excess or your insurance package does not cover the treatment. Visits to the GP are always covered by the insurance and are not subject to the mandatory excess.
What if I can’t pay for health insurance?
Health insurance is mandatory in the Netherlands, and therefore, it is required that you take out health insurance. However, if your income is too low to pay the necessary fees comfortably, you can get a healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag). The Dutch government gives you a healthcare benefit to keep health insurance affordable for everyone.
There are specific requirements you need to meet to get a healthcare allowance. Apart from reaching adulthood and having dutch health insurance, your income must be below the income threshold of € 32.500 if you are single and €41.000 if you apply with your partner (numbers apply to 2023). You are also not allowed to possess too high (joint) assets, and you have Dutch nationality or legally reside in the Netherlands. Furthermore, you need a BSN and a DigiD to proceed with the application.
You can apply for a benefit online via the Mijn toeslagen section on the Dutch tax authorities website.
Are you lost in translation? The Mijn toeslagen section and the registration process are only available in Dutch. If you haven’t found a loyal Dutchie to help you yet, you can get some help from Social organisations and other authorities. Here you’ll find a list of options. It’s in Dutch, so just hit the Google translation button.
