Is your treatment covered?
Although health insurance companies pay for the bulk of the cost of hospital care, certain treatments are not covered. And whether all the costs are covered is something that depends on your specific insurance policy.
For this reason, you should always check – before you come to the hospital – whether your health insurance company has signed a contract with us and whether your insurance policy covers the cost of your treatment. This will ensure you won’t get any unexpected invoices after your treatment has been completed. By the way, the name of your health insurance company is the only information available to us. We do not know what type of policy you have taken out. This is a confidential matter between patients and their health insurance company.
Budget policy
If your health insurance policy is what is known as a ‘budget policy’, this usually means that you can be treated only at a limited number of hospitals. You pay a lower insurance premium because your health insurance company has agreed advantageous terms with the hospitals in question. Please note that we have not signed any contracts relating to budget policies. At the same time, the cost of acute care and care provided on the referral of a specialist is covered if you have a budget policy (provided that we have signed a contract with your health insurance company relating to standard policies).
Can you be still treated if your insurance company does not have a contract with us?
If you want us to treat you even though your health insurance company doesn’t have a contract with us (or if you have a budget policy), we can still do so. We will then charge you the list price for your treatment. You will then need to pay an advance before the treatment starts, which will be deducted from your final invoice.
Emergency care
All emergency care provided by the Accident & Emergency Department and the Obstetrics Department is covered, even if your health insurance company does not have a contract with us. You may, however, still have to pay a certain amount in the form of an insurance excess (known as eigen risico in Dutch). If your condition is not life-threatening, you should either go and see your GP or (at night, weekends or on public holidays) make use of the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost). The cost of these services is covered by your basic health insurance policy. You will not need to make any payment from your excess. If required, you will be referred to the hospital.
Basic health insurance
Most hospital care is covered by your basic health insurance. This care is paid for by your health insurance company, which receives an invoice directly from the hospital.
The government decides what the basic health insurance package includes. However, the precise value of the cover and the insurance terms and conditions may differ from one health insurance company to another. For this reason, you should always read the terms and conditions of your insurance policy so that you know for sure whether your medical care is covered by your basic health insurance package and how much the cover is worth.
The hospital invoices the health insurance company with which you were registered on the date when treatment started.
Insurance excess
Most forms of care covered by your basic health insurance policy are subject to a certain level of ‘excess’ per calendar year. This excess is a sum that you yourself are required to pay towards the cost of your care. It is obligatory for all those aged 18 and above, and applies from the date on which you reach the age of 18.
You may also be required to pay a ‘personal contribution’ towards certain forms of care covered by the basic health insurance package. This personal contribution is separate from the excess.
Uninsured care
If you require medical care that is not covered, whether in full or in part, by your basic health insurance policy, you may have to pay all or part of the cost yourself. Some or all of these expenses may be covered if you have taken out a supplementary health insurance policy. You can find further information on the cover provided by your supplementary health insurance in the terms and conditions for your policy.
Certain types of care can be provided only with the prior consent of your health insurance company. We will contact your health insurance company ourselves in order to obtain their consent. Depending on their response, we will then decide, in consultation with you, whether to proceed with the treatment. If the health insurance company turns down our request, but you still wish to go ahead with the treatment, you will have to pay the full cost yourself. We will charge you the list prices in this case. You will need to make an advance payment before the treatment starts, the amount of which will later be deducted from your final invoice.
What if you are uninsured?
Everyone living or working in the Netherlands is obliged by law to take out health insurance. If you fail to do so, you will need to take out a basic health insurance policy. If you do not wish to take out a basic health insurance policy but still want us to treat you, you will have to pay all the costs of treatment yourself, based on the list prices. You will need to make an advance payment before the treatment starts, the amount of which will later be deducted from your final invoice.
