Health insurance premiums to increase by €12 per month on average

Netherlands residents can expect another increase in their health insurance premiums next year, according to leaked figures for Budget Day. The outgoing Cabinet expects that the new premium for basic health insurance will be 1,792 euros per year, on average. That amounts to almost 150 euros per month, 12 euros more than this year, sources close to the government told RTL Nieuws and De Telegraaf.

The increase won’t be the same for everyone, as the health insurers themselves determine their premiums. The government’s calculations are a guideline only. Insurers have until November 12 to announce their premiums. DSW is traditionally the first to do so in the week after Budget Day.

According to Bas Knopperts, a health insurance expert at Independer, premiums are rising because total care is becoming much more expensive. Hospitals and healthcare providers also face inflation and higher wage costs, he told RTL Nieuws.

Some insurers may choose to dip into their reserves to limit the premium increase, but those reserves won’t last forever, Knopperts said. Several insurers have already done this to limit increases in the past few years.

Health insurance will be more expensive next year, and the increase will probably be around the amount leaked from the Cabinet, he expects.