Healthcare in the Netherlands

There are two types of health insurance plans in Holland - the first being the National Health Service (NHS) scheme and the second, a private plan. Each year the Dutch government sets a gross annual salary as the income limit. If you earn below this amount, you can be insured by the NHS. If you earn more than this amount, you have to take out a private insurance plan.

When insured by the NHS, a premium is levied on the income of the employee and collected directly by the state. The employer also pays a premium for the employee. However it is still up to the employee to organise their own NHS insurance and there is an obligation to arrange insurance at the latest three months after the start date.

The NHS operates on the basis of a non-monetary system. This means that you do not have to pay the doctor, pharmacist and dentist, etc at the time of being treated. Instead, the bill is sent directly to the insurance company. In some cases you may be asked to pay a certain amount, e.g. for certain medicines or dental treatment. This may or may not be reimbursed to you.

For more information, please take a look at the website www.zn.nl