Best Dutch Health Insurance Plans 2026 Compared

If you are arranging Dutch health insurance for the first time, or thinking about switching, this guide covers how the system works, what the major insurers list on their own sites, what the 2026 premiums are, and how to compare options for your own situation.

💡 Looking for a complete banking comparison? Read Best banking for expats in the Netherlands 2026 — covers ABN, ING, Bunq, Wise, Revolut & 5 others by expat use case.

How Dutch Health Insurance Works

The Basic Framework

Dutch healthcare is funded through two mechanisms:

1. The basisverzekering (basic insurance) — mandatory insurance you buy from a Dutch health insurer
2. The Zorgverzekeringswet (Zvw) income-related contribution — for employees usually paid by the employer as an employer levy, not withheld from your salary; on income from your own business you pay the contribution yourself (Belastingdienst)

You pay for your own basisverzekering. In 2026, the average basic premium is €157 a month, according to the Rijksoverheid; your own premium depends on the insurer and the policy you choose. This is for the basic package only.

If you come to live or work in the Netherlands, you must take out Dutch health insurance no later than 4 months after arriving, with cover from the day you arrive, even if you have a policy in another country (government.nl, checked 5 October 2026).

The government also pays zorgtoeslag (healthcare allowance) to lower-income households. If your 2026 income is no higher than €40,857 as a single person or €51,142 as a couple, you may be entitled to it (Belastingdienst) — apply through toeslagen.nl.

What Is the Best Private Health Insurance in the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands the mandatory basisverzekering is itself private insurance: it is sold by private insurers under the Zorgverzekeringswet, but the government sets the package, so every insurer covers the same basic care. When expats search for the best private health insurance in the Netherlands, they usually mean one of two extras: an aanvullende verzekering for glasses, physiotherapy or alternative care (or a separate dental policy), or an international expat policy. Neither replaces the Dutch basisverzekering if you live or work here, so the practical choice is which basic policy and which supplement suit you.

The Eigen Risico

Every adult (18+) in the Netherlands has a mandatory excess of €385 a year in 2026. This means you pay the first €385 of the costs that fall under the eigen risico each year.

Care without eigen risico:

• GP consultations
• Midwife and maternity care (kraamzorg; kraamzorg does carry a statutory own contribution per hour)
• District nursing (wijkverpleging)
• Chain care for diabetes type 2, COPD and cardiovascular risk
• All basic-package care for children under 18

(Rijksoverheid, eigen risico and basispakket pages, checked 5 October 2026)

Care with eigen risico, for example:

• Hospital stays, operations and emergency care in hospital
• Medical specialist consultations
• Most medicines
• Mental health care (ggz)
• Physiotherapy that the basic package covers for adults
• Medical aids

You can voluntarily raise your eigen risico in steps of €100 up to €885. The premium discount differs per insurer: CZ gives €3 a month per step on its Zorg-op-maat and Zorgvariatie policies and €15 a month at €885, and ONVZ lists €20 (Bewuste Keuze) or €22 (Vrije Keuze) a month off with an increased excess (cz.nl and onvz.nl/en, checked 5 October 2026).

In practice: a higher excess only pays off if you do not use the care it applies to. At CZ, going from €385 to €885 saves €15 × 12 = €180 a year in premium, but adds up to €500 of costs if you do need care. If you have a chronic condition, take regular medication or expect hospital care, the standard €385 is usually the safer choice.

The Major Dutch Health Insurers in 2026

Premiums below are for 2026 at the standard €385 eigen risico, as listed on each insurer’s own site on 5 October 2026. A naturapolis reimburses contracted providers in full and non-contracted providers up to a percentage set in the policy; a combinatiepolis reimburses more outside the network.

CZ

CZ lists three basic policies: the Natura Zorgbewustpolis at €156.95 a month (non-contracted care up to 70% of the contracted tariff), the Natura Zorg-op-maatpolis at €159.99 (up to 75%) and the Combinatie Zorgvariatiepolis at €177.50. CZ’s site has an English section with a premium calculator (cz.nl/en). According to cz.nl, a collective arrangement with CZ gives a discount on supplementary insurance and extra services, not on the basic premium.

Zilveren Kruis

Zilveren Kruis lists Basis Start (naturapolis, 70% of the average contracted tariff outside the network) at €153.95, Basis Zeker (naturapolis, 75%) at €159.25 and Basis Exclusief (combinatiepolis: 100% outside the network, 85% for non-contracted district nursing and mental health care) at €176.45 a month (zilverenkruis.nl).

Menzis

Menzis lists Menzis Basis Voordelig (naturapolis, 65% to 100% outside the network depending on the type of care) at €151.25, Menzis Basis (naturapolis, 70% to 100%) at €156.25 and Menzis Basis Vrij (combinatiepolis) at €175.75 a month (menzis.nl). Its English pages offer the 2026 terms and conditions, an “Overall Reimbursement Guide 2026” and an application form for people living abroad.

VGZ

VGZ lists three basic policies: VGZ Basis Keuze (naturaverzekering, 70% outside the network) at €149.90, VGZ Ruime Keuze (naturaverzekering, 80%) at €154.25 and VGZ Eigen Keuze (combinatieverzekering, 100% outside the network except 80% for mental health care and nursing) at €171.65 a month (vgz.nl).

ONVZ

ONVZ has an English-language site (onvz.nl/en) and lists two basic policies: ONVZ Bewuste Keuze at €156.10 a month (70% average reimbursement for non-contracted providers) and ONVZ Vrije Keuze at €166.10 (up to 85% for some types of non-contracted care). ONVZ also mentions waiting-list mediation and ONVZ Snelzorg on Vrije Keuze (onvz.nl/en, checked 5 October 2026).

a.s.r.

a.s.r. sells three basic policies from €149.80 a month, which differ in what they pay at a care provider without a contract. Bewuste Keuze (naturaverzekering) reimburses contracted providers 100% and non-contracted providers a maximum of 65%. Ruime Keuze (naturaverzekering) pays up to 85% outside the network, with mental healthcare (GGZ) and district nursing at 75%. Eigen Keuze (combinatieverzekering) pays 100% at providers with and without a contract, except 80% for non-contracted GGZ and district nursing. All three include 100% free hospital choice (asr.nl/verzekeringen/zorgverzekering/basisverzekering, checked 5 October 2026).

Language: a.s.r. publishes its 2026 terms and conditions in English under “English documents” on its documents page.

Dental: supplementary cover comes in five packages, ZorgBasis, ZorgBewust, ZorgGoed, ZorgBeter and ZorgBest, from €4.95 a month, and a.s.r. states that dental care is not insured through any of them. Adult dentistry needs a separate tandartsverzekering: TandBewust, TandGoed, TandBeter, TandBest and TandPlus, with annual ceilings of €250, €250, €250, €500 and €750, from €10 a month and reimbursing from age 18 (asr.nl, checked 5 October 2026).

Check a.s.r. health insurance →

Naturapolis vs Combinatiepolis: What the Difference Means

Naturapolis (in-kind policy): Your insurer contracts care providers. If you use a contracted provider, your care is covered in full. If you go to a provider without a contract, the insurer may reimburse less; how much is stated in the policy (Rijksoverheid). Among the naturapolissen above, that ranges from 65% (a.s.r. Bewuste Keuze, Menzis Basis Voordelig for some care) to 85% (a.s.r. Ruime Keuze, except 75% for mental health care and district nursing) of the average contracted price.

Combinatiepolis: In some cases you are entitled to care as under a naturapolis, and in other cases to reimbursement of costs (Rijksoverheid). In practice the combination policies above reimburse non-contracted care at or close to 100%, with lower percentages for some types of care such as mental health care and district nursing, and they cost more.

For most expats: a naturapolis works as long as the providers you want to use have a contract with your insurer. The Rijksoverheid also advises checking whether the contracts include a cap on the number of treatments (zorgplafond), because then you may not be able to go to that provider late in the year. Check your nearest hospital, your GP and any specialist you see regularly in the insurer’s provider search before you choose.

How Much Do Dutch Health Insurance Plans Cost in 2026?

The price of a Dutch basic health insurance plan in 2026 depends on the insurer and policy form, before any supplement, and on top of that you carry the statutory eigen risico of €385 a year. All rows below were checked on the insurer’s own site on 5 October 2026.

Premiums vary by policy form and chosen eigen risico. Premiums for 2027 are published before 12 November 2026.

Compare Dutch health insurance options with our Health Insurance Wizard →

Supplementary Insurance (Aanvullende Verzekering)

The basic package does not cover ordinary glasses and contact lenses, most physiotherapy for adults, or alternative care, and for adults it covers only dental surgery and X-rays. If you want these covered, you need a supplementary policy.

Is supplementary insurance worth it?

Dental coverage: For adults, check-ups, fillings and most other dental treatment fall outside the basic package. Supplementary dental cover has an annual ceiling: at a.s.r. €250 to €750 a year depending on the policy, from €10 a month. Add up what you expect to spend at the dentist in a year and compare it with the annual premium and the ceiling.

Physiotherapy: For adults, the basic package only covers physiotherapy for chronic-list conditions (from the 21st treatment) and a limited number of treatments for a few specific conditions, such as up to 12 for hip or knee osteoarthritis; children under 18 get up to 18 treatments (2 × 9) (Rijksoverheid, checked 5 October 2026). If you use physiotherapy regularly, a supplement with extra sessions can make sense: CZ’s packages, for example, include 9 sessions (Basis) up to 20 sessions (Top).

Glasses and contact lenses: Ordinary glasses and contact lenses are not covered by the basic package. Some supplements include an amount for them, for example €100 or €125 per 2 years in CZ’s Plus and Top packages.

Supplement Tiers (CZ as Example)

Prices from cz.nl, checked 5 October 2026. Different insurers use different package names; compare the specific inclusions.

Collective Insurance Through Your Employer

Many employers, unions and other organisations have a collective arrangement with an insurer: the same basic insurance for a group, sometimes with extra agreements about care the group often uses (Rijksoverheid). Ask HR whether your employer has one, and what it gives. Since 2023 a collective can no longer give a discount on the basic insurance; discounts on supplementary insurance are still possible (Rijksoverheid). At CZ, for example, the collective gives a discount on supplementary insurance and extra services.

Key question to ask HR: “Which supplementary policies does the collective discount, and does it include extra care agreements?”

There is also UnitedConsumers. UnitedConsumers works with VGZ on health insurance. It sells VGZ basic policies at €147.40 a month for Bewuste Keuze, €149.90 for Basis Keuze and €154.25 for Ruime Keuze, and gives 20% off supplementary insurance and dental insurance plus a free dental accident insurance (unitedconsumers.com/zorgverzekering, checked 5 October 2026). The UnitedConsumers site is in Dutch.

Check UnitedConsumers →

Zorgtoeslag: The Healthcare Allowance

Zorgtoeslag in 2026 is available if your income is no higher than €40,857 as a single person or €51,142 as a couple, with assets of no more than €146,011 (single) or €184,633 (together).

The maximum allowance in 2026 is €129 a month for a single person and €246 for a couple, paid in full up to a toetsingsinkomen of €29,500 and falling with income above that (Belastingdienst). Apply via toeslagen.nl. You must have Dutch health insurance to qualify, and you can receive it from the time you are obliged to take out health insurance (government.nl).

If your income in your first year is low, for example because you arrive mid-year or are between jobs, check whether you qualify.

What to Check as a New Arrival

Register with a GP (huisarts). GP care is in the basic package without eigen risico (Rijksoverheid); register with a practice soon after you move. See how to find an English-speaking doctor.

Mental health care. The basic package covers basic ggz (for mild to moderate conditions, for example sessions with a psychologist or e-health) and specialist ggz (for severe, complex conditions), and the first 3 years of a stay in a ggz institution, with eigen risico (Rijksoverheid). If you want a therapist who works in English, check in your insurer’s provider search whether that therapist has a contract with your insurer, because on a naturapolis non-contracted care is reimbursed at a lower percentage.

Medicines. Most medicines are covered by the basic package. Insurers sometimes reimburse only one brand of a medicine in the reimbursement system (preferentiebeleid); if your doctor finds you should not have that brand, you get another brand reimbursed, in consultation with your doctor and pharmacist (Rijksoverheid). If you take a specific medication, check with your insurer before you choose.

Having children in the Netherlands. Midwife care and kraamzorg (maternity home care) are in the basic package without eigen risico; for kraamzorg you pay a statutory own contribution per hour (Rijksoverheid). Check that your insurer has contracts with kraamzorg providers in your area.

How to Switch Health Insurer

Switching Dutch health insurer works once a year: insurers publish new premiums and conditions before 12 November, you cancel by 31 December (the new insurer does it for you if you take out the new policy by 31 December), and you have until 1 February to take out the new policy, which then runs from 1 January (Rijksoverheid, checked 5 October 2026).

1. Compare premiums and conditions on the insurers’ own sites
2. Choose your new insurer and policy
3. Sign up with the new insurer by 31 December — it cancels your old policy
4. Arrange your supplementary policy too; you do not have to take it from the same insurer, although a separate supplementary policy can come with special conditions, such as a higher premium

Insurers can apply a waiting period to supplementary insurance when you switch; the Rijksoverheid gives the example of a new crown reimbursed from the dental insurance only after 6 months. If you are in treatment when you switch, the provider bills the insurer you were with at the start of the treatment.

Compare Dutch health insurance options with our Health Insurance Wizard →

Summary: Which Policy for Which Situation?

Year-by-Year Checklist for Dutch Health Insurance

October–November: Your insurer publishes next year’s premium and conditions before 12 November and sends you your new policy in November. Check whether the conditions or contracted providers have changed.

Mid-November to 31 December: If you want to switch, take out the new policy by 31 December so the new insurer cancels the old one. If you cancel yourself by 31 December, you have until 1 February to take out the new policy, which then runs from 1 January (Rijksoverheid).

When switching, also review your supplementary insurance, and check waiting periods if you are mid-treatment.

January: Confirm your new policy documents have arrived and your direct debit is set up. Check that your GP and regular providers are contracted by your insurer.

Throughout the year: Track how much of your €385 eigen risico you have used in your insurer’s app or online portal.

Common Mistakes Expats Make with Dutch Health Insurance

Picking the cheapest basic premium without checking the network. On a naturapolis, care from a provider without a contract is reimbursed at a lower percentage, for example 65% to 85% of the average contracted price in the naturapolissen above, so you pay the rest yourself. Check network coverage before deciding.

Missing the 4-month deadline. If you take out Dutch health insurance more than 4 months after arriving, you are not insured retroactively for the period before, and you may be fined (government.nl).

Not applying for zorgtoeslag. If your 2026 income is no higher than €40,857 (single) or €51,142 (couple), you may qualify for a healthcare allowance of up to €129 a month. Apply at toeslagen.nl.

Comparing premiums only. The price difference between the cheapest and the most expensive basic policy in the table is €177.50 − €147.40 = €30.10 a month, or €361.20 a year. Whether the dearer policy is worth that depends on whether you want to use providers without a contract.

Not understanding the chronic conditions list. For adults with a condition on the chronic list, the basic package covers physiotherapy from the 21st treatment; the first 20 you usually pay yourself or through a supplement (Rijksoverheid).

For Families: Special Considerations

For children under 18 you pay no premium for the basic insurance and no eigen risico. You register a newborn with a health insurer within 4 months of the birth; this can be your own insurer, but it does not have to be (Rijksoverheid).

Children’s dental care (check-ups and treatment) is included in the basic package up to age 18, so you do not necessarily need supplementary dental cover for your children.

Maternity care: midwife care and kraamzorg are in the basic package, without eigen risico; kraamzorg has a statutory own contribution per hour. Confirm your insurer has contracted kraamzorg providers in your area.

Physiotherapy for children: children under 18 get up to 18 treatments (2 × 9) from the basic package, without eigen risico.

For family members who visit but do not come to live or work in the Netherlands, Dutch health insurance is not the route; they need their own travel or visitor insurance.

Further Reading on ExpatNetherlandsHub

• Menzis health insurance review for expats
• VGZ health insurance review for expats
• How to register with a GP in the Netherlands
• Car insurance in the Netherlands for expats
• How to find a job in the Netherlands
• Dutch utilities explained for expats
• Retiring in the Netherlands: health and pensions
• Short-stay furnished housing in the Netherlands

Practical Tips for Getting the Most from Dutch Health Insurance

Understand the eigen risico before you use healthcare. The annual excess (€385 in 2026) means you pay the first €385 of the costs it applies to each year. GP visits are excluded. A specialist visit, a scan or a hospital visit counts towards it.

Keep your EHIC for EU travel. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is available free of charge from your Dutch health insurer (or the CAK). It gives access to essential care in other EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, under the conditions of the country where you are treated. It is not a substitute for travel insurance: it does not cover, for example, planned care, private clinics or repatriation (government.nl).

Check your zorgtoeslag once per year. If your income changes, for example with a new job, a pay rise or freelance work, update your expected income in Mijn toeslagen; otherwise you may have to repay allowance afterwards.

For mental health care, check whether your employer offers support through its own benefits package, and use your insurer’s provider search to find contracted providers.

External source: SKGZ — Complaints and disputes about health insurance — the independent foundation for complaints and disputes about health insurance.