People switching healthcare insurers via comparison site Independer are opting for fewer additional insurance policies this year, and many have upped the own risk element to the maximum of €885.

In 2020 almost 70% of people who changed insurers via the site took out extra insurance for dental care and physiotherapy, which are not covered in the basic healthcare package. That has now gone down to 59%.

People who take that step often expect their health costs will be low but they run the risk of having to pay full whack if they, for instance, break a leg and have to be hospitalised, Independer insurance expert Mirjam Prins told RTL Nieuws.

The figures confirm the national declining trend for additional insurance. Just 30% of people took out dental care insurance this year compared to 45% in 2020. More people also pare down costs for physiotherapy, opting for fewer treatments.

Around 10% of people opt for the maximum own risk, shaving off some €15 to €20 off their monthly premium.

Basic premiums for healthcare for next year have gone up to €158, which is “a worrying development”, Tijmen Hendriksen, a spokesman for patients organisation Patiëntenfederatie Nederland, said.

“People who need care often avoid getting it. They don’t go to the dentist, for example. But that will lead to higher costs in the long run,” he said.

According to the organisation, one in five people avoids care, either by not seeing the doctor or not picking up medication they have been prescribed.

“We don’t think choosing a higher own risk is a good idea,” Hendriksen said. “That is a perk for healthy people. But it also undermines the solidarity principle in healthcare because they are contributing less. And people who are ill don’t have that option.”