The Netherlands: Health insurance costs likely to rise by 62 euros next year

The price of the basic required health insurance package is likely to rise by 62 euros per year to about 1,476 euros annually, political sources told newspaper AD. The total increase was significantly lower than the 144 euro increase which had been predicted by analysts.

The announcement was expected to be made later this month when the Cabinet's proposed budget is revealed on September 15. The increase of about 5.17 euros monthly could still shift up or down by a few dozen cents, the newspaper said. The estimate was agreed upon by the coalition parties, and is based on an insurer having a deductible of 385 euros.

From that baseline price, health insurers then set their own fees. Discounts are often offered for bundled add-on coverage, opting out of coverage at some locations, or by making a full annual payment up front instead of dividing it over the course of the year. Raising the deductible is also an option for reducing the price a consumer pays. Consumers have the option of switching their health insurance at the end of the year.

The price increase had been expected to be larger due to the coronavirus crisis, though former Medical Care Minister Martin van Rijn said that was unlikely. This could still impact the cost of insurance in 2022, the newspaper reported.

Note EU-Digest: This is scandalous, and proves once again that healthcare is a common right for every citizen, just like education, and not a commodity for the greedy profit oriented private sector to control. The Netherlands healthcare system is, unfortunately, starting to resemble the US healthcare system.

Read more at: 
Health insurance costs likely to rise by 62 euros next year: Report | NL Times

The Netherlands - Insurance Industry: Family doctors can work together to make deals with insurers

The Dutch consumer and markets authority ACM is to give family doctors and other health practitioners more leeway to work together to negotiate fees with health insurance companies.

The ACM’s chairman Chris Fonteijn told the NRC at the weekend that doctors and physiotherapists can work together if it is in the interests of the patient. What they may not do is divide up areas between them, boycott a health insurer as a group or stop new doctors setting up practices, Fonteijn said. In addition, doctors who do break competition laws will be given a warning before the ACM issues fines, he said.

The Dutch consumer and markets authority ACM is to give family doctors and other health practitioners more leeway to work together to negotiate fees with health insurance companies. The ACM’s chairman Chris Fonteijn told the NRC at the weekend that doctors and physiotherapists can work together if it is in the interests of the patient.

What they may not do is divide up areas between them, boycott a health insurer as a group or stop new doctors setting up practices, Fonteijn said. In addition, doctors who do break competition laws will be given a warning before the ACM issues fines, he said.

Insure-Digest

In Almere more than 700 people have no healthcare insurance

Based on Dutch government healthcare figures close to 19,000 people have no healthcare insurance in the Netherlands with  Almere picking up about 4% of that number.

This means that approximately 750 people in Almere are not insured, regardless of the fact that  many of these uninsured are still registered with local healthcare centers.

People in the Netherlands who have no health insurance and visit a Dr. will have to pay for the visit in cash or can request to have the bill forwarded to their home. Presently the standard rate for a DR's visit as established by the government is euro 29.28.

Almere-Digest