Half of Dutch want smokers to pay higher health insurance premiums

A large part of the Dutch population want people with an unhealthy lifestyle to pay more for their health insurance, according to a study by Statistics Netherlands. 52 percent of Dutch want smokers to have a higher premium for the basic health insurance package. So do 20 percent of smokers themselves, RTL Nieuws reports.

41 percent said that heavy drinkers should pay more for health insurance. 20 percent want the same for people who do not exercise enough. And a quarter of Dutch think that overweight people should have higher premiums.

The Dutch population is more kind to people at high genetic risk of serious illnesses or disorders. Only 3 percent said that people who lost the genetic lottery should pay a higher premium. 81 percent are set against it.

In the Netherlands, everyone currently pays the same basic health insurance premium, regardless of their lifestyle. The study showed that mainly men want premiums to be lowered for people with a healthy lifestyle, and increased for those who don't focus on their health.