Dutch healthcare is compulsory private insurance with a government-written policy.
Every resident buys a basisverzekering from a commercial insurer, the state decides exactly what that policy contains, and no insurer may refuse anyone.
There are no networks, no employer plans and no coverage tiers to choose between.
The basic package is identical at every insurer, so the only things that vary are the premium, the service and which providers the insurer has contracted.
How It Works Day To Day
You pay a monthly premium of roughly €160 for the basic policy, direct to the insurer, whether or not you use any care.
On top of that sits the eigen risico, a mandatory annual deductible of €385 that you pay yourself before the insurer pays anything.
The GP visit is the exception: consultations with your huisarts do not count against the deductible.
Neither does maternity care or care for children under 18.
Your huisarts is also the gate: you cannot book a specialist directly, and a referral letter is what makes hospital treatment reimbursable.
Register with a practice near your address as soon as you have one, because practices take patients by catchment area and the good ones close their lists.
The basic package covers GP care, hospital treatment, prescription medicines, maternity care and mental health treatment.
It does not cover adult dental care, physiotherapy beyond a narrow list, or glasses - those need an aanvullende verzekering, which insurers may refuse you for.
You can change insurer once a year, by cancelling before 1 January and signing with a new one before 1 February.
The health insurance guide covers how to compare policies that are legally identical.
Insurers are barred from refusing anyone the basic policy on grounds of age, health or claims history.
Most operate as not-for-profit cooperatives, and a risk-equalisation fund compensates those who end up with sicker members, which is what keeps that ban workable.
The Four Acts, And Who Pays For What
Which law your care falls under determines who arranges it and who bills you.
Four acts divide the whole system between insurers, the national government and the country’s roughly 340 municipalities.
Zorgverzekeringswet (Zvw): curative care - the GP, the hospital, the specialist, medicines.
This is the one your monthly premium buys, and it has run the system since 2006.
Wet langdurige zorg (Wlz): permanent 24-hour care or constant supervision, such as advanced dementia or severe disability.
It is funded nationally, and the Centrum Indicatiestelling Zorg decides who qualifies.
Wet maatschappelijke ondersteuning (Wmo): support that keeps people living at home - home adaptations, day activities, household help.
Your municipality runs this, so the application goes to the gemeente, not to your insurer.
Jeugdwet: all care and support for under-18s, from preventive services to specialist youth mental health.
Municipalities run this too, alongside childcare and school support services.
The practical consequence is that “who do I ring” has four different answers.
Insurer for treatment, gemeente for support at home and for anything concerning a child, CIZ for long-term nursing care.
Who Regulates It
Zorginstituut Nederland decides what goes into the basic package and manages the risk-equalisation fund - its English overview is the authoritative description of the system.
If a treatment is not reimbursed, this is the body that decided it.
The Nederlandse Zorgautoriteit supervises the insurance market and sets maximum tariffs for regulated treatments, which is why dentists and GPs across the country quote near-identical prices.
The Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd inspects quality and safety at providers, from hospitals to individual practitioners.
What This Means If You Are Arriving
You must take out insurance within four months of becoming liable, and cover is backdated to your registration date - so the premium is owed for the months you were uninsured either way.
Leaving it late gets you a fine from the CAK, not a discount.
If your income is low, zorgtoeslag is a monthly contribution towards the premium, claimed from the Belastingdienst with your DigiD.
It is not automatic and it is not backdated far, so apply in your first month.
Sort your BSN first, because no insurer can complete an application without one.
The moving checklist puts this in order against the rest of the arrival paperwork.
Moving with school-age children?
See our guide to international schools in Amsterdam.
Also worth reading before you arrive: how the Dutch education system works.
