It’s time to start thinking about whether you should change health insurance company next year. All the insurers have now published their rates for 2025, so what are the big changes, and what, in particular, should you beware of?

All Dutch health insurance companies have announced their premiums for 2025 so that means you can now switch to a different company. Premiums have risen this year again – by an average of just over €11 per month – but you could save money by moving to a new insurer, cutting back on supplementary insurance or making a few tweaks.

If I do nothing, what happens?

First of all, take a look at your current provider to find out what you will be paying next year. An overview of all new health insurance prices can be found here.

This year premiums range from between €141.40, for VinkVink’s no frills online natura policy to €177.50 for CZ’s combinatie policy, which offers considerable freedom in choosing healthcare providers. That’s a difference in annual premiums of €433.

There are no big changes in what is covered by basic health insurance in 2025 although the new government does have plans for the future. So you don’t have to look closely at what things health insurers are doing differently.

In fact, the Dutch consumers’ authority ACM and the national health council NZA said in June that health insurance policies are so similar that it can be difficult for consumers to spot the differences and get the best value for money.

Do you want to increase the deductible, or eigen risico, which you have to pay each year?

If you expect to have less than €385 in basic costs next year, or if you can miss a total sum of €885 in case something unexpected happens, it might be worth going for the maximum own risk payment. Increasing the deductible will cut your premiums by around €20 a month.

If you are eligible for healthcare benefits, an income-related payment to help people on lower incomes meet their insurance bills, note as well that it is being increased €6.50 a month to a maximum €130 for singles and €12.75 a month to €249 for families. Remember, basic health insurance for the under-18s is free.

Check out what is on offer

This year, consumers have a choice out of 70 basic policies offered by 20 different health insurance providers. Four companies Achmea (Zilveren Kruis), VGZ, CZ and Menzis control around 85% of the market.

So, once you’ve worked out what you need, use Zorgwijzer’s comparison tool in English and compare the different elements, such as price per month, coverage and customer satisfaction.

Fiddle around with the filters and try to decide whether supplementary policies are better for you. Sometimes it will be cheaper to just go with a basic plan and pay for any extras, like a dental check-up, yourself.

Check how much choice you will have when it comes to hospitals and specialists

If you do need treatment, will you be happy with just any hospital or do you want to see a specific doctor? Or do you always want to choose your own healthcare provider? If the latter is true, take special attention to the health care provider choice options included with your plan. Not all policies cover all doctors or hospitals.

If you don’t want to actively check whether a provider is within the insurer network, you may want to choice a more extensive basic policy with a very broad health choice. This is called a combinatiepolis in Dutch.

Are there any extra services you can get?

Health insurance companies try to go to great lengths to distinguish themselves from each other. So check whether you can profit from certain extra services like a personal health check up, discounts at gyms and health clubs or free accident insurance.

For example, a.s.r. offers a free physical health check at BENU when you take out supplemental insurance, while CZ and Nationale Nederlanden provide discounts at SportCity.

Take a decision and make the switch

If you take out a new health insurance before January 1, your new insurance company will make sure your old plan is automatically cancelled and your new plan will start on January 1

You always have a 14 day reflection period in which you can cancel your decision for free and at no cost. Check out Zorgwijzer for the best deals