Fewer people switched health insurers; Back to pre-cost of living crisis figures

About 6.5 percent of insured people switched health insurers at the start of this year, the association of Dutch health insurers, Zorverzekeraars Nederland (ZN), reported on Tuesday based on a preliminary analysis by Vektis. That brings the number of switchers back on track after the cost of living crisis prompted a record-high number of people to switch insurers last year to cut costs.

At the start of 2024, around 1.2 million people switched to a different health insurer. In 2023, that was approximately 1.5 million people (8.2 percent). This year’s percentage is in line with the years before 2023 when the switching percentage fluctuated between 6 and 7 percent for years. Vektis expects the final switching percentage for 2024 to be between 6.6 and 7.1 percent.

The high switching percentage last year was largely due to the high energy costs and high inflation in play at the end of 2022. Many Netherlands residents looked for ways to cut costs, and switching to a cheaper insurer was one such way.

Insured people in the Netherlands who wanted to switch health insurers had to cancel their old policy by 31 December 2023. They have until 1 February 2024 to take out new health insurance. ZN will publish the final switching figure at the end of January.