People in the Netherlands can expect to pay more on their health insurance next year. The government is expecting an average annual health insurance premium of 1,432 euros for next year, 124 euros more expensive than this year, sources in The Hague confirmed to NOS.
The healthcare deductible will remain stable at 385 euros. Coalition parties VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie agreed during formation negotiations that this amount will stay frozen for the duration of the Rutte III government period.
Two of the four large health insurers warned that it is no longer possible for them to keep health care premiums equal, or increase them only slightly. Consumers may face a big premium increase next year, according to insurers CZ and Achmea, RTL Nieuws reports.
Health insurer DSW is lowering its premiums and mandatory own-risk deductibles for next year, in a move that went against the expectation of politicians and the insurer itself.
In 2018 the DSW premium for a basic health insurance package will be 1,290 euros per year, or 107,50 euros per month, NU.nl reports. That is six euros less annually. Mandatory own-risk deductibles will decrease from 385 euros to 375 euros.
Achmea is preparing for an increase in health insurance premiums next year, CEO Willem van Duin hinted at while discussing the insurer's half-year figures on Thursday, ANP reports.
"In recent years, health insurers limited the price increase buy using our reserves. That is obviously not a sustainable situation", the CEO of the Netherlands' largest insurer said. Last year Achmea reserved an amount of over 430 million euros to compensate for premiums that weren't covering costs.
Health insurance will be more expensive in the Netherlands next year due to an unexpected setback, Chris Oomen, CEO of insurer DSW, said to Radio 1 Journaal on Friday morning. Due to a deficit of 400 million euros, premiums will increase by an average of 30 euros per year, ANP reports.
"Income from the health insurance fund fell out lower in 2016. That resulted in a deficit of 400 million euros", Oomen said. "This will have to be compensated for in the premiums. Because our reserves are decreasing because of this and therefore we can not keep our premiums low."
According to consumers association Consumentenbond, the Dutch health insurers have more than 3.3 billion euros in "extra" reserves, even though they're making less profits. The association calls on the insurers to stop "hoarding unnecessarily" and "do everything to reduce the premium increases", ANP reports.
Figures from last year show that the four big insurers CZ, VGZ, Achmea and Menzis made half the profit they did in 2014. "But the four still managed to put 307 million into the reserve port in 2015", Bart Combee, director of the Consumentenbond said.
The government will not compensate people losing purchasing power if the health insurance premiums turn out to be higher than expected, Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem of Finance said in a debate on the 2017 budget on Wednesday
Dutch parliamentarians are shocked and outraged by the high premium increase health insurer DSW announced on Monday. The insurer announced an increase of 9.4 percent, much higher than the 3.5 percent the Ministry of Health predicted on Budget Day.
The first health insurer announced its premium increase for 2017 to the Telegraaf on Tuesday. DSW is increasing its premiums from 98.75 euros to 108 euros per month - an increase of 9.4 percent, much higher than the 3.5 percent the government predicted on Budget Day.
The premium for basic health insurance will increase with about 3,50 euros next year, bringing the premium to 103 euros per month, AD reports based on Budget Day documents the newspaper managed to get a look at.
